Ruger New Vaquero

Reflecting America’s love affair

By Paul Markel

I have a confession to make.  I did not grow up watching the Lone Ranger or Roy Rogers on a black and white television set.  Nor did I pay a quarter to watch Tom Mix at a Saturday matinee.  My formative westerns were Silverado, Young Guns, Wyatt Earp and Tombstone.  I absorbed Unforgiven like a sponge and thought Lonesome Dove was too short.  After I gained a genuine interest in the Old West I devoured books about Bat Masterson, Wild Bill, Doc Holiday and of course, Wyatt Earp.

The reason I mention this is to make a point that the American love affair with the Old West and our unique heritage spans generations. Thanks to the miracle of satellite television, my father-in-law can watch the Western channel 24 hours a day.  Though we have not always seen eye to eye, he and I can sit and take in an old John Wayne film without too much controversy.

Hollywood is a kind of cultural barometer for we Americans.  Consider it like this, if the American public was not interested in the history of the Old West and westerns in general, Hollywood would not keep making them.  But they do keep making them and we keep paying our hard-earned money to see them. Why?  Because whether we put it into words or just feel it in our hearts, the relatively short time period from the end of the Civil War to around 1900, is uniquely our own. 

Despite those who would apologize for our American bravado or attempt to revise history, Americans still romanticize those old days, the days when men were men.  With no cell phones, fax machines, or text messaging, somehow we managed to survive day after day. 

I believe that the American West still appeals to those of us in the 21^st century.  We long for a simpler time.  While it might not be practical to quit our jobs, sell our homes and move to Wyoming, we can share the memories of those days of old and commune with our fellow Americans through outlets such as Cowboy Action Shooting.

Cowboy and Western shooting participants naturally seek out the gear to accompany their passion.  Thanks to our good old American free market, there are as many companies looking to fill that need as there have ever been.

Gun Details

I don’t need to tell you that William B. Ruger was the consummate American success story and that his company’s firearms are as uniquely American as any out there.  Although it has been a few years since Mr. Ruger went home to his great reward, I still get a bit of a lump in my throat when I discuss the man and his designs.

Ruger single-action revolvers have had a dedicated following for decades.  When the Vaquero was introduced it was embraced by western shooters and firearms enthusiasts alike.  Well-made, robust sixguns, they rivaled the competition for accuracy and reliability.  Ruger’s primary competition came from the genuine Colt 1873 sixguns.  Suffice it to say that the American-gun-buying public could not rely on a steady supply of affordable, quality cowboy guns from that New England gun maker.  Sturm, Ruger recognized the market’s demand and introduced the New Vaquero, a gun with the robust reliability of a Ruger and the classic outline of America’s favorite 1873.

The new Vaquero here is chambered for the ever popular .45 Colt.  The finish on this sixgun is a classic glossy stainless steel.  Ruger called the grip material “simulated hard rubber.”  The grips are checkered black with the Ruger Eagle logo on them.

Atop the 4.62-inch barrel you will find a large front sight blade.  The fixed rear sight channel rides along the top of the frame.  As you would expect, the firing mechanism includes the standard Ruger firing pin transfer bar.

As with other single action Ruger revolvers, opening the loading gate frees up the cylinder to be rotated. The only time the hammer needs to be drawn back is for firing.  This, of course is a hallmark safety feature of Ruger SA sixguns.  The New Vaquero is offered in three barrel lengths and various other calibers..  Recently, Ruger announced that they would be offering specially engraved stainless New Vaquero revolvers.

Accessories Cowboy Action Shooters and western shooting enthusiasts need more than just guns, they need gear to go with them.  While working with the new Vaquero I had the chance to try out some leather gear from Western Star Leather, who have quite a catalog of handcrafted leather for the cowboy shooter. The first Western Star rig I tried out was the “Cheyenne” model.  The double loop holster is hand –tooled with a complete floral pattern.  A sewn-in toe plug is also provided as they were in western holsters manufactured later in that period.

The matching tooled gun belt was a full three inches wide, which spread out the weight of gun and spare ammunition in belt loops.  The holster and belt were finished in a deep russet brown.

In addition to the Cheyenne rig, I also had Western Star’s “Winnemucca” rig, which is a more conventional Mexican double loop.  While this model is also hand-tooled, it does not have as much tooling as the previous rig.  The Winnemucca holster and matching belt are both border stamped.  I should mention that both gun belts are fully lined.  The Winnemucca rig had a light brown, tan finish.
Other Western Star Leather accessories included their tooled leather cowboy cuffs, spur straps and belt pouch.  The cuffs are stitched with leather at the seam but they do have a single snap that allows them to be put on and taken off easily.

This was my first time working with Western Star Leather products and I was definitely impressed by the quality.  Most of my period clothing, we don’t wear costumes, has been put together form one place or another.  One of my favorite items is a vest that came from Wahmaker western wear.  My western persona is a lawman and as I would spend as much time in town as I would out on the trail, my clothing reflects that.  Whatever your persona happens to be, Wahmaker has a full catalog of shirts, trousers, vests and accessories for both men and women.