Ruger Vaquero

Has the high cost of .45 Colt ammo lead to this..the only solution is to get into reloading. If you already reload it is just as much work to do 45ACP as 45 Colt and the 45 Colt is much bigger and therfore better.
Seriously though I have heard of revolvers that can shoot both types of ammo but they usually have swing out cylinders and use moon-clips. I can imagine that if you took the cylinder out to reload and had it machined out to take moon-clips for the 45ACP it would be possible. I will now turn it over to those that know more than me.
 
Ruger did (or does) make a "Distributor Exclusive" version of the Vaquero that came with both 45LC and 45ACP cylinders. Not sure if that included work to the forcing cone. Can you just swap out to a 45ACP cylinder on any 45LC SAA without any mods?
 
Ruger make the blackhawk convertible 45LC/45ACP but only in a blued version.
The Distributor Exclusive is that gun in stainless (Very limited & hard to find).
That's why I asked if anyone has done any research on getting a 45acp cylinder to shoot both calibers for the Vaquero .
 
One problem with this plan is that the Vaquero is a fixed sights gun. And if you set up the sights to shoot cowboy load .45Colt made with 200gn soft recoil loads then the sights won't be right for shooting 230gn jacketed with the .45ACP. The convertible Blackhawk dodges this issue by having adjustable sights.

Also you say "Vaquero" but don't say if it's the old style larger framed model based off the Super Blackhawk frame or the New Vaquero based off the smaller "just a" Blackhawk size frame.

Skinny, the cost of .45Colt ammo led to this a LONG time back. Anyone that shoots factor ammo that starts with a "4" or higher number, other than maybe .40S&W, is either VERY wealthy or is just buying one box to try out their new gun while waiting for the loading dies to arrive. BCshooter, you really need to get into reloading if you don't do so already. The cost to reload for .45Colt is down around .22 to .26 cents a round depending on powder and bullet options compared to up around .80 to .90 cents a round for factory ammo.

This same question has come up on other forums and the answer was always that Ruger will NOT sell you just the cylinder. They want you to send in the gun so the new cylinder can be timed to your gun. At the same time folks report having installed a buddy's cylinder and checked the guns and they were fine with no adjustment. But they, hopefully, knew what to look for to check the timing. All these reasons would be why the cylinders for the convertible guns come identified with the last three numbers of the serial number stamped in the cylinders so they don't get mixed up between guns.
 
Hi,

If Ruger agrees to ship us the cylinder, then installing it to make the gun a convertible is no big deal. We require a serial # to order a cylinder from the factory and generally they only ship cylinders in the original caliber of the gun. That's where the problem with those conversion generally lies.

Yes, if you pull the cylinder off one vaquero and try it in another one, it will generally fit and work fine in the gun. Not so with a brand new cylinder from the factory, they need to be machined at both ends to fit inside the frame and then checked for proper function. That's why cylinders must be installed at the factory or in this case, from Snap Shots, the Canadian service center for Ruger.

The best way to proceed is to send us the request through e-mail at: snapshots@videotron.ca

Paul Barrette
Snap Shots inc
 
Reddnobb said:
Hi,

If Ruger agrees to ship us the cylinder, then installing it to make the gun a convertible is no big deal. We require a serial # to order a cylinder from the factory and generally they only ship cylinders in the original caliber of the gun. That's where the problem with those conversion generally lies.

Yes, if you pull the cylinder off one vaquero and try it in another one, it will generally fit and work fine in the gun. Not so with a brand new cylinder from the factory, they need to be machined at both ends to fit inside the frame and then checked for proper function. That's why cylinders must be installed at the factory or in this case, from Snap Shots, the Canadian service center for Ruger.

The best way to proceed is to send us the request through e-mail at: snapshots@videotron.ca

Paul Barrette
Snap Shots inc
Click to expand...

Hello Paul

Thanks for responding to the thread I started.
I will send an e-mail but will post here as well in case anyone else is interested .
What I would like to put together is a new Ruger Vaquero 5 1/2" stainless model in 45 LC (several dealers have this model in stock) .
Ruger dose not offer this model as a convertible 45LC/45ACP revolver .
But they do make the stainless Vaquero convertible in a 45LC/45ACP with a 4.62" barrel as a Distributor Exclusive.
So could you acquire a stainless Vaquero 45ACP cylinder as they use in the current Distributor Exclusive from Ruger ?
I realise from your above post it would have to be fitted to the new Vaquero .

Thanks
 
1bcshooter,

Like I mentionned, we have to request the cylinder from Ruger and see if they will agree to ship it. Being that the convertible is a distributor exclusive, they may well refuse to ship the 45 ACP cylinder, it would kind of defeat the purpose of creating distributor "exclusives".

As soon as we get your serial # and e-mail the factory we will get our answer.

P.
 
Reddnobb said:
1bcshooter,

Like I mentionned, we have to request the cylinder from Ruger and see if they will agree to ship it. Being that the convertible is a distributor exclusive, they may well refuse to ship the 45 ACP cylinder, it would kind of defeat the purpose of creating distributor "exclusives".

As soon as we get your serial # and e-mail the factory we will get our answer.

P.
Click to expand...

Any word back from Ruger ?
 
#1bcshooter said:
Ruger make the blackhawk convertible 45LC/45ACP but only in a blued version.
The Distributor Exclusive is that gun in stainless (Very limited & hard to find).
That's why I asked if anyone has done any research on getting a 45acp cylinder to shoot both calibers for the Vaquero .
Click to expand...

It's also made in stainless steel.





Mine convertable is SS and 4 5/8", 45LC/45ACP

Still have and like my old/early model Vaquero, 5 1/2", 45LC



 
#1bcshooter said:
Ruger make the blackhawk convertible 45LC/45ACP but only in a blued version.
The Distributor Exclusive is that gun in stainless (Very limited & hard to find).That's why I asked if anyone has done any research on getting a 45acp cylinder to shoot both calibers for the Vaquero .
Click to expand...

Johnn Peterson said:
It's also made in stainless steel.



Mine convertable is SS and 4 5/8", 45LC/45ACP

Still have and like my old/early model Vaquero, 5 1/2", 45LC
Click to expand...


I know it is & I stated that in the post you quoted . I wanted the 5.5" stainless Blackhawk convertible but they do not make it any more . they still make the 4 5/8 as a dealer exclusive but I want a 5.5
That's why I'm looking at a new Vaquero 5.5 stainless if I can get a 45 acp Vaquero cylinder from Ruger .
 
#1bcshooter said:
I know it is & I stated that in the post you quoted . I wanted the 5.5" stainless Blackhawk convertible but they do not make it any more . they still make the 4 5/8 as a dealer exclusive but I want a 5.5
That's why I'm looking at a new Vaquero 5.5 stainless if I can get a 45 acp Vaquero cylinder from Ruger .
Click to expand...

Sorry about that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom