Pat Riot
Contributing Member
If you want an authentic looking Colt clone I would follow the advice already given. I have no experience with Colt clones.
I do have experience with Rugers. Vaqueros in particular. I have owned a few and currently have 2. An original Vaquero 7.5” in .45 Colt and a New Vaquero 5.5” .45 Colt. Both are Stainless Steel.
I truly do not care for the Colt grip on any gun, including the New Vaqueros. Probably the reason I sold the first 3 New Vaqueros I bought. The one I have now I got at a decent price during The Silliness (Covid).
I have installed a Blackhawk / Vaquero grip frame on it and boy, do I like the way it feels and handles. I haven’t finished fitting the grip frame properly yet, but I do enjoy shooting it now.
I had a problem with my New Vaquero when I first bought it. It would skip a chamber occasionally. Ruger fixed it for me. While it was there I had Ruger make me a .45 ACP cylinder for it. My gun now shoots mil-spec .45 ACP better my .45 Colt loads.
I shot in SASS - Cowboy Action Shooting. One of the reasons I picked Rugers was that they were tough guns and could take a lot of pounding. The New Vaqueros or current Vaqueros isn’t as rugged as the originals, but they aren’t as heavy either.
It appears that Ruger has convertible Vaqueros in .45 Colt, but they’re in Stainless, not Blued.
Also, one thing you have to know about Ruger as a company. They excel in confusing the hell out of their customers in regards to revolver naming and grip and frame sizes. Example: Vaquero (original) became the “New Vaquero” after they changed the design, but now the New Vaqueros are simply call Vaqueros on the Ruger website. I am pretty sure someone in their upper management smokes dope.
Good luck with your search. I am sure out of Ruger, Pietta, Uberti, Taylor’s & Co., Cimarron, etc… you will find something that makes you very happy.
I do have experience with Rugers. Vaqueros in particular. I have owned a few and currently have 2. An original Vaquero 7.5” in .45 Colt and a New Vaquero 5.5” .45 Colt. Both are Stainless Steel.
I truly do not care for the Colt grip on any gun, including the New Vaqueros. Probably the reason I sold the first 3 New Vaqueros I bought. The one I have now I got at a decent price during The Silliness (Covid).
I have installed a Blackhawk / Vaquero grip frame on it and boy, do I like the way it feels and handles. I haven’t finished fitting the grip frame properly yet, but I do enjoy shooting it now.
I had a problem with my New Vaquero when I first bought it. It would skip a chamber occasionally. Ruger fixed it for me. While it was there I had Ruger make me a .45 ACP cylinder for it. My gun now shoots mil-spec .45 ACP better my .45 Colt loads.
I shot in SASS - Cowboy Action Shooting. One of the reasons I picked Rugers was that they were tough guns and could take a lot of pounding. The New Vaqueros or current Vaqueros isn’t as rugged as the originals, but they aren’t as heavy either.
It appears that Ruger has convertible Vaqueros in .45 Colt, but they’re in Stainless, not Blued.
Also, one thing you have to know about Ruger as a company. They excel in confusing the hell out of their customers in regards to revolver naming and grip and frame sizes. Example: Vaquero (original) became the “New Vaquero” after they changed the design, but now the New Vaqueros are simply call Vaqueros on the Ruger website. I am pretty sure someone in their upper management smokes dope.
Good luck with your search. I am sure out of Ruger, Pietta, Uberti, Taylor’s & Co., Cimarron, etc… you will find something that makes you very happy.