Vaquero check-up

[Dogg]

I need some insight from some of you single action shooters. In a moment of relapse I bought several (3) old model vaqueros off gunbroker last week, they havent got here yet but what do i need to check for? these guns have been used in cowboy shoots. there is some blueing missing from holster wear, but don't know bout anything else, was told they were in good shape, since cowboy shoots use reduced loads I figure they couldn't be shot loose, and lead boolits shouldn't wear the rifling that much, would it? Any help or insight is appreciated.
dogg

[44man]

The only thing I would worry about are the locking lug recesses on the cylinder. See if they are beat or peened.
Those guys like to cock guns awful fast.
End play would be another if they always shot the gun dry.
I am a bit surprised how well a revolver can stand up to such punishment though, you might have some fine guns because a lot of those guys are buying the smaller Vaquero.
Ruger screws up again in my opinion. They should have left the Vaquero alone and named the smaller gun something else so you could buy either.
I like my old one for heavy hunting loads.

[August]

I've used Vaqueros in competition for over a decade. I have never heard of a Vaquero -- or any Roooger for that matter -- shooting loose. That's why we use 'em.

You can expect that the guns will feel very different, as Old Model Vaqueros were wont to do. Spring tension is all over the place on the original guns and will be even more varied on guns that have been used in competition. All serious competitors set their guns up to be as light as possible in the spring department and many race guns will ONLY consistently fire Federal primers. I know all mine are set up this way.

Getting a brace of old model vaqueros set up so the guns feel the same in operation takes some doing and lots of patience.

Springs are easy to change on a Vaquero and many choices of easily available spring sets can be had for these models. The stock springs are way too heavy for a gun that is, otherwise, running properly. Stock mainsprings are 21 pounds and virtually all Old Models will run consistently with 17 pound springs. Springs lighter than 17 pounds get one into the the world of Federal Primers Only.

I disagree with the bolt notch issue raised above because of the way that the vaquero drops the "cylinder latch" (as Roooger so clumsily calls the bolt) onto the cylinder. If, however, you have any such issues, just send the guns back to Roooger and they will fix them for you.

Sometimes the "latch spring and plunger" get gummed up and sometimes the spring and plunger on the hammer that holds the "hand" forward gets gummed up. A good cleaning (total disassembly) is in order when you get the gunz. Roooger has two excellent videos on their website for disassembly and assembly (respectively) of the Vaquero.

Any difficulty in cocking is related to the spring and plunger that reside inside the base pin. If the base pin is not fully inserted, or if this spring and plunger are gummed up, the transfer bar will catch on the bottom of the firing pin boss and make cocking it impossible. Just be sure to soak the base pin and keep it clean and FULLY seated in the frame.

Other than these issues that accrue from poor cleaning practices, the only other issue is a broken transfer bar. This is a rare event, but happens regularly enough that it bears mentioning. If you break a transfer bar, send the gun back to Roooger and they'll replace it and fit it for you. A new transfer bar will often require fitting, so let them do it.

Vaqueros are the Glock of single actions. If it works when you get it, it will probably work forever. If it doesn't work when you get it, a simple part change will get it running.

Do not worry about your purchases. There is very little that can go wrong with a Rooooooger, and all can be easily fixed.

As I said, that's why we used them.

P.S. Larry Crow's video on the Rooooger Vaquero is instructive in the matter of tuning and properly lubricating the gun.

[Dogg]

wow, thanks for the responses, I feel better. Having never even shot a single action pistol this will all be new to me. Now I just need to find a pair of good used holsters to see if I can do the cowboy action shooting thing and whether I want to go for it.
thanks
dogg