Litl Red Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Has the Vaquero had 3 different grip frame "shapes"? I've had a couple of Vaqueros for over 15 years now. They've been restocked a couple of times. Never had any problem with the grip fit. So when I bought a new Vaquero the other day and noticed the grip was way too narrow, much more than any I'd ever seen, I decided to swap the grips out for some of the originals that'd been replaced years before. Turns out the profile of the grip frame has changed quite a bit from all my previous ones (that were all alike) to the newly minted one. But that ain't all. Turns out the grips I've found on the internet for the NV appear to fit perfectly except for the butt. They stick past the butt significantly. They not only mention "NV", but their info mentions a hammer spring lock and they show a picture of a lock inside the grip. Well, my brand new NV doesn't have a lock inside. And because it's not there, the butt ends a bit shorter than the Ruger version that had the lock in there. What's the history of the grip frame? I hadn't been gunning for awhile and missed the deal. Unfortunately, it appears the grip makers I've found don't clearly state what their grips fit. I don't blame them for not clearly describing what their stuff is suited for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasatch Lawman Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Everything you need to know about Ruger grip frames can be found here: http://www.gunblast.com/Hamm_Ruger-SA-GripFrames.htm Wasatch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Litl Red Posted June 26, 2013 Author Share Posted June 26, 2013 Everything you need to know about Ruger grip frames can be found here: http://www.gunblast.com/Hamm_Ruger-SA-GripFrames.htm Wasatch That article is pretty good, but it seems to need an update. They got the update covering the grip frame shape when the internal lock was added. Their update of Mar '06 gets that. My recent production New Vaquero grip differs in a way that the article doesn't cover. Wish I could include a picture I just took that shows the difference clearly, but I can't. If you take an old grip panel from any of my old original Vaqueros and pair it up with one from my brand new Vaquero and align the two, everything lines up perfectly except one thing. The vertical face forward from the Ruger logo sticks forward about 2mm (or between 1/16" and 3/32") on the grip half from the original Vaquero. I could use the old grips on the new pistol if I relocated the locator pin holes and shortened the "nose" of the grips. The frame has no markings in it like "XR3", and doesn't have the internal lock. The internal lock seems to be a game changer on what grips fit the NVs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monco Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 I wish my SASS New Vaquero's didn't have that stupid lock inside! My personal experiences with my SASS New Vaquero's and Anniversary Blackhawk reflect what is stated on the Gunblast article. Grip panels iterchange perfectly between them. I have since installed standard New Vaquero grip panels onto my SASS Vaquero's without any issues. I would like to see pictures of your experiences. To post pictures on the forum thread; 1. Start an account from a photo hosting website such as photobucket. 2. Upload your pictures from PC to your account. 3. View picture from your site and look for the "IMG" type of link on that viewer page. 4. Copy the "IMG" link and paste to your new post in the Wire topic on it's own text line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abe E.S. Corpus SASS #87667 Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 I overheard someone saying on Sunday that they had looked at a brand new Ruger New Vaquero and it did not have an internal lock. He didn't mention anything about a difference in the grip frame or grip panels. Would this mean a different hammer spring between the two? First there was the Vaquero. Then the New Vaquero. Now we have...what, the New New Vaquero? Newer Vaquero? Or maybe it takes over as "New Vaquero" and the prior model is an Old New Vaquero. My head hurts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 i have a couple i have had less than a year and there is no spring lock at all on it . So i have no idea . just want to change it up so when they break( 20 or 30 years from now) we haft to buy different parts that are 50 bucks higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasatch Lawman Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 There are whats called "baby Vaquero's" which I believe are the single sixs and the 32s that are down sized. What caliber do you have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Litl Red Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 I overheard someone saying on Sunday that they had looked at a brand new Ruger New Vaquero and it did not have an internal lock. He didn't mention anything about a difference in the grip frame or grip panels. Would this mean a different hammer spring between the two? Hammer springs.... ah, hammer springs..... I ordered a spring pack from Wolff. http://www.gunsprings.com/Revolvers/RUGER/SINGLE%20ACTION%20SERIES/cID3/mID52/dID228 The info describing what's available for the Single Actions lists 7 pistols under the "Ruger Single Action Series" heading. They do have a lot to offer as far as choice of spring strengths goes. Excellent choice actually. However, it appears what they have isn't up to date. It looks like they haven't noticed that Ruger has changed spring lengths at least once. The hammer spring they shipped me coil bound before the hammer reached full cock. The pistol couldn't be cocked. That wrecks the lock time, needless to say. I'm uncertain if their hammer springs would fit in the Vaqueros with that internal lock either. If there is a next time, I'm going to save time and pull out some of my spring stock and make the spring myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Litl Red Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 There are whats called "baby Vaquero's" which I believe are the single sixs and the 32s that are down sized. What caliber do you have? I'd love to have a pair of babies in 32 caliber. All of mine are "daddies". 45LC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Litl Red Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 First there was the Vaquero. Then the New Vaquero. Now we have...what, the New New Vaquero? Newer Vaquero? Or maybe it takes over as "New Vaquero" and the prior model is an Old New Vaquero. My head hurts. The real ripper with this, is that very few of the after market people have the time to keep up with what fits what. I think most people would call my latest Vaquero, a "New Vaquero NV". I'm truly baffled if it was actually made before Ruger started putting locks in the frame, hidden under the grips, or if they did that for awhile and then shifted to throwing a big padlock in the box and mine truly is newest production not just NIB. Guess I'll just ask my friendly gun dealer next time I'm down there if he knows what the deal is with those locks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barleycorn, SASS #76982 Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Just took the grips off some New Vaqueros. Ser 511-2xxxx has internal lock. The other 512-4xxxx NO internal lock, it also had a new manual that shows it with out the internal lock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barleycorn, SASS #76982 Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Just got off the phone with Ruger, the internal locks were dropped in Feb 2013 also dropped are blued hammers. All blued New Vaqueros now have stainless steel hammers. They also stated the hammer strut and hammer springs have not changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyandot Jim Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Vaquero XR3-RED Same as Blackhawks New Vaquero XR3 with lock New New Vaquero without lock XR3 Same as Old Flattops Baby Vaquero/ Single-Six 32 Mag XR3-RED and XR3-RED but 1/4" shorter Think this is right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 When Ruger first came out with the .32 H&R mag 'Vaquero' Sixgle Six style pistol, they (RUGER) actually had a name for the shorter gripped pistol in which they referred to it as 'Vaquerito', if my spelling is correct. ..........Widder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dang It Dan 13202 Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 I wonder if you can get a retro-fit kit to eliminate the lock? That would be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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