Quiet Burp Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 What are some recommended things I could do myself to improve my two Vaquero 357's? I had a play with mates pair of Pietta's on the weekend and they felt way easier to cock than my pistols. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 Hammer springs and trigger return springs. I use a combination from Wolf which is a 17 # hammer and 30 ounce trigger. Though I know some who go lighter (14 # in one case) be careful about going too light on the hammer as you can become dependent on specific primers that may not always be available. My Vaqueros will set off any primers including CCI’s no problem. gunsprings.com from home page (upper right) select “revolvers”, select “ruger”, select single action, wait a bit then scroll through listings to an appropriate “shooters pack” Regards Gateway Kid BTW while you have things apart if you feel any burr’s or rough edges polish (not file!) till smooth. No Dremel until you have seen and understand how things work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Devil Dale Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 Depending on your shooting style-- one or two handed-- hammer replacement with lower, wider Super Blackhawk hammers can be a helpful asset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel Doc Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 I would advise investing in a good gunsmith to tune your revolvers. It is money well spent. My recommendation would be Jimmy Spurs at Cowboy Gun Works. You won’t regret it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 Keep in mind the OP is located in Australia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlands Bob #61228 Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 Changing springs, putting in Super Blackhawk hammers, filing front site to point of aim and changing out grips. On New Vaquero there is a piece you can remove to make the cylinder free spin when you open the loading gate. The Original (Old) Vaquero, it takes careful filing and is not for the faint of heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Bill Burt Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 8 hours ago, Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life said: Hammer springs and trigger return springs. I use a combination from Wolf which is a 17 # hammer and 30 ounce trigger. Though I know some who go lighter (14 # in one case) be careful about going too light on the hammer as you can become dependent on specific primers that may not always be available. My Vaqueros will set off any primers including CCI’s no problem. gunsprings.com from home page (upper right) select “revolvers”, select “ruger”, select single action, wait a bit then scroll through listings to an appropriate “shooters pack” Regards Gateway Kid BTW while you have things apart if you feel any burr’s or rough edges polish (not file!) till smooth. No Dremel until you have seen and understand how things work. Everything he said, plus if you go too light on the hammer spring you can potentially outrun the hammer fall. Not me, but Iron Cowboy has heavier springs partly due to outrunning the lighter ones he had. 57 minutes ago, Tarheel Doc said: I would advise investing in a good gunsmith to tune your revolvers. It is money well spent. My recommendation would be Jimmy Spurs at Cowboy Gun Works. You won’t regret it. I love Jimmy Spurs work. I have a set of his guns and so does Sharyn. They’re very smooth. Just an FYI, they’re smooth, and I prefer them, but they won’t make much difference in stage times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 Whatever it takes, get this book. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KMTGDA/ref=dbs_a_def_awm_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mongo, SASS #61450 Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 Dropping in a Wolff spring kit will make a world of difference. I currently shoot Colt clones, but I have several pairs of Rugers that I still shoot, on occasion. All my Rugers have spring kits and lower Super Blackhawk hammers. If you're not familiar with changing parts on Ruger revolvers, there are excellent videos on YouTube (several by Ruger) on how to disassemble and reassemble all their single action pistols. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. R. Hugh Kidnme Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 8 minutes ago, TN Mongo, SASS #61450 said: Dropping in a Wolff spring kit will make a world of difference. I currently shoot Colt clones, but I have several pairs of Rugers that I still shoot, on occasion. All my Rugers have spring kits and lower Super Blackhawk hammers. If you're not familiar with changing parts on Ruger revolvers, there are excellent videos on YouTube (several by Ruger) on how to disassemble and reassemble all their single action pistols. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Dan Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 I put super blackhawk hammers and lighter hammer springs in my vaqueros. Well worth the effort and easy to do. Simple replacement of parts, lots of videos on how to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
"Big Boston" Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 8 hours ago, Dusty Devil Dale said: Depending on your shooting style-- one or two handed-- hammer replacement with lower, wider Super Blackhawk hammers can be a helpful asset. In addition the shape and size of your hand, how you hold the gun and what is more comfortable are additional factors. I switched from two handed to duelist, then to double duelist. In the end, the hammer that seems the best for me is the standard New Model Vaquero hammer. It closely mimics the shape of the original SAA Colt hammer. The top of that hammer is meant to sit into the first joint of your thumb when you land on it, then as you pull down the contact area goes forward to the tip of the thumb. I had issues with my somewhat arthritic thumb slipping off the hammer. I worked on my technique, IOW, it was not the guns fault, I needed to learn how to use it properly. Do not get caught trying to match a hammer to your bad form/technique. I fit (not a drop in) a New Vaquero hammer into one of my New Model Blackhawks, and really like how it feels and works. You did not state whether your Vaquero was an original model, or a New Vaquero. The sear mechanics are the same, and creep is the one characteristic that most original and New Vaqueros have. The Wolff spring kit is what I use, and after some use I examine the sear wear marks and decide if that area could use some work. The sear is not consistent on the Vaqueros, some trigger/hammer combos are nice, some not so good. Tolerance on mass produced parts is the issue, some fine tuning is required. IMHO, getting a trigger job is worth it. The triggers should be a close match on each, messes less with your brain. BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hendo Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 Best advice I can offer is if it's a new gun, take it out and shoot it. Then take it out and shoot it some more. If it's a used gun, see above. THEN.... Decide what you need to do to it to fit you. Just sayin..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrider #896 Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 I'm not sure about the New Vaqueros, but one simple thing I have done with virtually every Ruger Single Action, including Super Blackhawks, Black Hawks, and Old Model Vaqueros to ease trigger pull is to unhook one side of the trigger return springs and just let it ride free. You may need to bend it outward a little so it doesn't rub on the mainspring coil. All the other recommendations are also valid, but this is the simplest one. Just have to remove the grip panels to expose the return spring legs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cypress Sun Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 Widen out the rear sight groove. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Possum Stu Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 First thing I'd do is replace the hammer and trigger springs with lighter Wolff springs. Then I'd shoot them for a while like that to make sure I liked them. Eagle Gunfighter Grips are a great upgrade too. I put those on Little Red's .32 Single Sixes and they made a world of difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Chance Morgun Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 deleted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Shapiro Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 Shoot it. A LOT. Live fire and dry fire. Practice fundamentals to start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Coffinmaker Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 Start with some real basic stuff. First Slug the Bore and then match you Cylinder Throats to the Barrel Bore. The go do all that "other" stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Harley, #14153 Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 2 hours ago, Trailrider #896 said: I'm not sure about the New Vaqueros, but one simple thing I have done with virtually every Ruger Single Action, including Super Blackhawks, Black Hawks, and Old Model Vaqueros to ease trigger pull is to unhook one side of the trigger return springs and just let it ride free. You may need to bend it outward a little so it doesn't rub on the mainspring coil. All the other recommendations are also valid, but this is the simplest one. Just have to remove the grip panels to expose the return spring legs. Both my Vaqueros have one leg of the trigger return spring unhooked. They also each have had two coils of the stick hammer spring removed. It took about ten seconds each with a dremel cutoff wheel. That’s what we used to call a poor man’s action job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waimea Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 12 hours ago, TN Mongo, SASS #61450 said: Dropping in a Wolff spring kit will make a world of difference. If you're not familiar with changing parts on Ruger revolvers, there are excellent videos on YouTube (several by Ruger) on how to disassemble and reassemble all their single action pistols. A word about dropping in a spring. If you have a cat it is the perfect time to have him help. The first spring I attempted it took off unexpectedly. The cat chased it down and got himself a nice treat for his efforts. A word about the Ruger guy in the video. He makes me sick! I think the whole disassembly video is 2 minutes. He took an extra minute to reassemble. It took me an hour and a half for the first one. The second about 20 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnWesleyHardin Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 Best thing you can do with a vaquero is shoot it. Shoot it a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painted Mohawk SASS 77785 Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 If you are looking to change out parts then Mad Dog guns & gear on the Gold Coast Qld is worth a try or Cowboy guns in Cowra NSW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still hand Bill Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 Spring kit and I went with replacement trigger and hammer with a half cock notch. Got rid of the click, click, click, boom when I didn’t get the hammer all the way back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackaroo, # 29989 Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 Burp, most of those things mentioned above will work, but some won't. It will depend on what style you shoot. I have lightened Wolf spring kits in stock and I also short stroke them, but you're probably not ready for that yet. Lemme know where you're located in the meantime check out my website at http://www.sswdistributors.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiet Burp Posted June 17, 2022 Author Share Posted June 17, 2022 Much appreciated everyone, thanks for taking the time to offer help and suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warden Callaway Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 Traided mine for a couple of Uberti. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rye Miles #13621 Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 Sell 'em and get some Uberti's, Pietta's or if you can afford them Colts. I'm in the minority on this but I just don't like the feel of Rugers period! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Bullweed Posted June 19, 2022 Share Posted June 19, 2022 On 6/16/2022 at 9:30 AM, TN Mongo, SASS #61450 said: Dropping in a Wolff spring kit will make a world of difference. I currently shoot Colt clones, but I have several pairs of Rugers that I still shoot, on occasion. All my Rugers have spring kits and lower Super Blackhawk hammers. If you're not familiar with changing parts on Ruger revolvers, there are excellent videos on YouTube (several by Ruger) on how to disassemble and reassemble all their single action pistols. 100%. Upgrade to Wolff springs, dry fire or live fire 500+ times, and Ruger tanks are smooth, reliable and competitive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go West Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 Old Vaqueros- springs New Vaqueros- shoot 'em Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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