Eh, the large size and grip shape of the vaquero never appealed to me. Since my gun budget doesn’t allow for real Colts I stick with Uberti made SAA and '73 Winchester replicas. Actually my main match guns are '51 navies but I use my Cimarron Ps now and again.
You didn’t say if you shoot your vaqueros just for fun or are involved in CAS. If you aren’t, give it a try. It’s the most fun shooting sport I’ve found.
I bet you like Marlin '94s too 
I don’t shoot my vaqueros, for fun or CAS. Gauchos, however, are fair game. I shot a gaucho out on the llano estacado once, had his head mounted, I keep it over the fireplace. I named him Juan Pablo.
[sub]Bad, bad, stupid stupid joke. Sorry.
No gauchos were harmed in the making of this post.[/sub]
Oh, and I’ll second the “Vaqueros? Ewww!” I prefer nice, reasonably clean American cowboys to Mexican ones, it’s simply a matter of personal preference.
My hat’s off to you. If one is going to hijack a hijacked thread they should do it with at least this much style.
Padeye,
Haven’t tried CAS yet. It’s on my list of ‘get-to’s, though. Where’s a good place to start?
Most of my Vaquero shootin’ is the tin can variety. We like to shoot long distances with iron sights. I’ve shot the cimmerron - good gun, I like it.
Warmgun, Padeye: for pure shooting pleasure (Cowboy style) go with American Western Arms. More expensive than a Ruger, but about half a Colt. They’re still fairly new, so you might have to order the catalog, make your selection and have your local dealer order it for you.
THE smoothest actions and triggers OTB that I’ve found anywhere, handgun and rifles. It’s like having a custom gun, OTB. If I’d known about them before buying my Rugers…
According to John Taffin’s “Big Bore Sixguns” , the Vaquero’s practically indestructable. I’m not about to find out, though; factory load’s fine for me.
Did anyone else get the faux Ivory grips? I couldn’t stand them; the damned gun kept slidind around in my hand; MHO is: stick with the wood grips, or spring for some good Eagle’s or locate some good stag horn grips (have your retirement fund ready for real stag, though)
And warmgun? You can find out anything you need to know about S.A.S.S. here. Ol’ Judge Bean hisself signed me up at the NRA’s 2000 Annual Conference in Charlotte, NC. That old boy’s a hoot.
Racinchikki: Colt had the “Cowboy” name locked up, so Ruger went with “Vaquero”. Overall, I think that the Ruger’s sturdier, and the 20th century innovation mated to classic 19th century lines was a marketing masterpiece, but they’re both good, solid designs.
Check on the sassnet board, http://www.sassnet.com/ and find a club near you. Go watch a match to get the gist of it and talk to people. If you shot much interest you’ll probably have folks lining up to loan you gear to get started.
It does require a fair amount of equipment. You’ll need two revolvers, a pistol caliber lever action rifle and a shotgun. SASS allows any side by side that doesn’t have automatic ejectors - extractors are fine - or any pre-1900 pump shotgun such as the '97 Winchester or lever action shotgun like the '87 Winchester. There are six different categories that cover everything from cap and ball to “modern” pistols such as Blackhawks. I shoot frontiersman which is C&B revolver, SxS or lever shotgun and pistols can only be held with one hand, no supporting hand. I may give gunfighter a try in the fall. It’s the only category where you shoot with both pistols at the same time. I’ve been shooting with both hands since I started and I’m as good weak side as strong side.
Most club matches run 6-8 stages, typically with ten pistol, ten rifle and four shotgun rounds per stage. Steel targets are the norm so scoring is easy, three spotters to listen for dings on rifle and pistol and self resetting poppers for shotgun. Safety rules are very stringent compared to other kinds of action shooting as there are a lot of relatively new shooters.
If you browse the SASSwire bulletin board I go by the alias Morgan Randall.
Dang ExTank, I think we may have recurited another into the SASS fold.
I haven’t had a chance to shoot an AWA but have heard very good things about them. I’ve been extremely happy with my growing collection of Cimarron/Ubertis. Started with a pair of model P revolvers but have shot pure C&B my last six matches. I’m converting one of the Ps to .44-40 as it’s the black powder frame and will probably trade the prewar frame for one.
My home club shoots at the Ben Avery range north of Phoenix. It’s the biggest public shooting facility in the US but unfortunately we can’t leave a permanent CAS bay setup.
Good Lord, people, join the twentieth century already. You can have my Colt Delta Elite when you pry it from my cold dead hand. Single action revolvers indeed. I thought those were neat, when I was a kid.
OK, go ahead and enjoy your new hobby while I wait for my Benelli M95 to return from the shop. Don’t laugh because it’s a .22LR. I can fire a five shot string at a quarter at 25 yards and give back fifteen cents change (dime-sized groups, doncha know).
sewalk, I have nothing against modern arms and own several of them but don’t knock cowboy action shooting until you’ve tried it. It’s an immersive experience. Think of it as SCA with guns. A renaissance festival with none of this namby pampy dull sword shit, we use live ammo. I’m more of an authenticity freak than some so my alias is based on a real ancestor and my guns are correct for the time period. There have been a few technological advances since then but it’s part of the experience for me to keep cap and ball guns running reliably in a match. I take a little pride in the fact I’ve been able to load black powder pistols in the rain and not have misfires.
Modern guns are good too. In September I’m going to shoot ARA benchrest again. I’ve got an Anschütz 64 MP and have been holding my own against the high dollar rail guns.
Thanks for the link, guys. Looks like it would be a blast.
Silly question: Does your SASS name have to be authentic?
And, sewalk, my enjoyment of shooting accurately comes from pride of skill not money I shelled out for technology. I save that for self-defense.
There is no requirement to be “authentic” in dress, alias or guns. Most folks have fun with their alias and use in jokes, bad puns and just about anything else that can be said in polite company. I’ve shot with Cathouse Jim, Tommy Gunn and Canada Bill. Some folks spend small fortunes on authentic reproduction clothing but if you show up in jeans and a work shirt you’ll fit in fine. Creativity is encouraged. My pard Lukas Haas has decided to go as Haj Ali, a Syrian who worked for the army during the ill fated camel corps experiments in Arizona. The beouin robe and headdress for his “Hi Jolly” character work well in Arizona heat.
Here’s an unfortunately grainy photo of my posse at Railhead 2001. Four days of fun and shooting fourth of july weekend in Williams Arizona. Railhead I’m on the far left.
Well, what if I merged ‘Wild Bill’ with ‘Dead-eye Dick’ and got …Wild Dick? Would that be polite. It’s funny, no?
Maybe a little borderline but I think they’d accept it if no one has it already. Better than “Dead Dick” I suppose
I better get off my butt this evening and load for Saturday’s match. My home club migrates north in the summer, to a location south of Flagstaff to avoid the brutal Phoenix heat.
Padeye, Extank, et al…
I found this and wondered if you guys,or gals, have ever shot a gun with a birds head handle? The gun in the middle is a Vaquero with a custom back strap.
Supposed to be less roll and felt recoil. Any thoughts?
Looks like the new ‘Thunderer’ BTK shot.
Sorry for the delay in responding, it’s been a busy weekend (can’t wait to get back to work so I can relax!).
But to answer your question: no. Never fired one, as I don’t care for their feel in my hand. For all I know, it may be the very best possible grip system out there. The fact that it exists and people buy them is indicative of at least a following, so I suppose they have their benefits.
If you should ever happen to fire a gun with that stly of grip, let us know how it went.
