Ruger Vaquero 45 Colt Birds Head Talo 3.75 inch

The Ruger New Vaquero, in 45 Long Colt is here. A hammer gun for Hammer, who looked at these about a year before "pulling the trigger" and getting one. This Stainless Steel beauty is the Talo edition and features a 3.75 inch barrel, single action and a loading gate of course, and these nice looking Birds Head grips.
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[@Quadrenaro]

I meet a guy the other day. He was cleaning out garbage at a shooting spot I go to and I offered to help. We got to talking about cowboy guns after I brought out my lever action and saa I was there to shoot that day. He carries a 45lc Ruger Vaquero with a 3.75 barrel. Interesting choice, but can't fault him on style.

[@blackhawk65589]

Cowboy action does use real ammo, in fact it's in the rules. Quick draw, trick shooting, and mounted shooting all use wax loads for safety :)

[@jonsheets9271]

I carry this while bird hunting, and I'm here to tell you it WILL stop a Maine black bear dead in it's tracks! I imagine it would do the same for any criminal it's used on.

[@paulsimmons5726]

I've got one of these in 45ACP, easy on recoil. A great gun to have at the range!

[@conradsenior5843]

and you can load it very fast from a 1911 magazine.

[@Lemurai]

I saw a cowboy at a show blasting away at some bottles yrs ago and I was sold on the spot, such a beautiful guns and they can take some pretty hot loads.

[@carllange3950]

I have an original Vaquero Birds Head in 45 Colt. It is hard to see the size difference between the new and old Vaqueros in pictures, but it is fairly obvious in person. I like the change they made on the hammer (wider and a little lower). Mine has the same hammer shape as the standard Vaquero. I also like the change that was made with the cylinder indexing for loading and unloading. Thanks for the explanation on how they were able to offer a 44 Magnum version. When the New Vaquero was originally announced, there was not going to be a 44 Magnum version because of the changes.

[@googlechicken]

I just picked up the 45 acp variant of this pistol. I just took it to the range for the first time today and I really like it. It is surprisingly accurate and I think the single action trigger is excellent. I also like the reverse indexing I felt it made ejecting the rds easier. I love it so far it’s great looking and fun to shoot

[@9unslin9er]

I want your model so bad.

[@colt4528]

One of my carry guns love it. Just ordered another one in Talo edition black in 45 acp

[@bigguy411]

How do you like the 45 acp?

[@colt4528]

@@bigguy411 I like it really fun to shoot and not as much kick as my 45 colt . Impressed with the accuracy as well. Also much cheaper to shoot than 45 colt or 44 mag.

[@Valor_73737]

I bought my first handgun, a Ruger Single Six .22, in 1957! I still have it, still use it, and have probably put a hundred thousand rounds through it the past 63 years! Still tight, still accurate! Most of my practice is done with it! Since then I have acquired a Ruger .357 Blackhawk, a Super Blackhawk in .44 mag, a "old" Vaquero in .45 LC, and a Ruger SP 101 .357 with 2.25" barrel! That is my concealed carry gun and my only double action! Because I cut my teeth on Single Actions and can shoot them better than anything, I have just ordered a New Vaquero Talo in .45 LC just like this one! I plan to use it as my concealed carry weapon.

[@HighFalutinTootin]

Ruger has a nice snubby 8 shot 357mag revolver

[@Valor_73737]

@@HighFalutinTootin Yes, I know!

[@HighFalutinTootin]

@@Valor_73737 😂i figured

[@augsburg74aya]

i have the same model in 45acp its one of my favorite firearms

[@BrianMcKinny]

Wax loads are used in quick-draw competitions, and SASS uses real, honest-to-God lead bullets. CAS and Fast-Draw are two different competitions and leagues/sports, entirely.

[@virginiaoverlander4720]

You sir.... are correct 👌

[@zerofail.455]

Yes, just to clarify. These Rugers are real solid guns that although outdated, could still be used for hunting and personal defense. I agree the older Vaquero frames are beefier but the New Vaqueros are still very durable.

[@420TSA]

@@zerofail.455 durable to fire plus P 45 colt

[@JAD1225]

Just bought 2 ! One in blue 45 Colt, and the other in stainless 44 mag. Really nice

[@HighFalutinTootin]

Notice the hammer sets lower than the other single action pistols this is so it doesn't get hung up while drawing and it's faster to cock because of being lower very neat feature

[@MrIdasam]

What a beauty.

[@aaronneumeyer5572]

Love the look of these and I'm thinking about getting a case-hardened version. Great video!

[@HammerStriker]

Thank you. Case Hardened finishes are very interesting looks, I have an old double-barrel side by side shotgun with that finish and really like it.

[@ronin584]

That is one beautiful piece. I been dancing around one of these for some time, I just need to pull the trigger (pun very intended) and get one. Great video and review

[@conradsenior5843]

Did you do it?

[@mcgrathmike5]

These are getting fantastic reviews

[@redsky8509]

lots of people use this style for Cowboy Mounted Shooting. The short barrel is easy to draw while ridding.

[@zachb.6606]

Great video, thanks! What a beauty.

[@HammerStriker]

Thank you.

[@LibertysetsquareJack]

Nice overview. Thanks.

[@Tom854]

Beautiful revolver.

[@HighFalutinTootin]

I'd love a pair of these beautiful pistols in 357/9mm or 45LC/45acp, this might be my favorite style of this pistol, i love the vaquero and blackhawk saa pistols from Ruger

[@Coopdog1911]

That looks like the Marksman range where I shoot at! I was there just yesterday shooting my new birdshead Wrangler Talo edition. I think this gun just gave me some serious need to have issues! lol

[@mikedgg2]

Beautiful

[@Lowlandlord]

Awesome video, was looking at this one specifically.

[@HammerStriker]

Thank you.

[@unitedstatesirie7431]

@@HammerStriker I use rubber bullets with 209 shotgun primers in my .45LC casings in my RUGER Vaquero Montado .45LC pistol. Wax bullets clog up the barrel rifling and cause inaccuracy ! Rubber bullets are real accurate and are reusable for many times.

[@douglasfrazier811]

Very nice!!

[@TripleSix223]

I had a stainless vaquero 4 5/8 barrel and same problem with extraction of spent casing. The way I would do it is before moving the chamber all the way to center position, put extractor pressure to shell pressing edge of spent shell against small notch in frame above the door and rotating to center and the shell would launch out. I could remove all 6 empties very very fast! No damage to gun, that might even be how your supposed to do it idk. Works good though

[@HammerStriker]

Interesting approach, we will give it a try next time we have it out.

[@HighFalutinTootin]

It's just beautiful looking

[@HighFalutinTootin]

These pistols are really enjoyable to shoot load and reload practice practice practice

[@RioHondoHank]

Cowboy Action uses real lead bullets but light loads. Fast draw uses wax bullets,

[@TheLoneRanger745]

I think Colt originally call the shorter 3.5" barrel model "Lightning". They also made it in the 4.75" called the "Thunderball"

[@hrfardan66]

The "Thunderer" and "Lightning" were double-action M1877 Colts. The M1877 was offered in 3 calibers: The "Thunderer was chambered in .41 Long Colt and the "Lightning" in .38 Long Colt. There was also the "Rainmaker", which was chambered in .32 Long Colt.

[@freakindawgen]

I have two matching Montadoes kinda wish they had birheads.

[@donnadonna9907]

OMG more revolvers to buy!! Rich 👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸♿♿

[@HighFalutinTootin]

It's a nice pistola, love it

[@drsssssssss]

One of my concealed carry guns, but it is heavy... you'll know you have it on you.

[@9unslin9er]

They need to make this a standard model in .45ACP, along with a 5.5" plow handle model in 9mm.

[@studbourbon798]

I put pearl handles on mine . Probably my favorite pistola .

[@joelmcgill1233]

I have that exact same pistol. I also have one with 5 1/2 barrel with standard grips.

[@conradsenior5843]

It is a carry gun. It is not as accurate as a 4.75” or 5.5” or 7.5” gun. It is for people who love single actions and want to carry concealed. Yes it is heavy, but compared to the other versions, it’s lighter and does not print as much.

[@celowski6296]

This is 100% beautiful. Just got my hands on one by accident. Very sexy looking.. a must buy! On a different note. to adjust the sights you must file down the front blade.. mine shot 3" low at ten yards.. Trial and error, just don't file too much off. With factory loads it recoils about the same as a .38 s&w airweight. Shells are a bit pricey, but this is where hand loading comes in... Enjoy..

[@farwalker3672]

Really sweet. Did not realize that you could get a revolver these days with a loading gate. Really enjoyed your video. I have to say I gasped when I saw that you were going to dry fire until you said it was OK.Thanks for sharing and have a great day

[@HammerStriker]

Thank you. Yeah - normally you don't dry-fire this style revolver - but Ruger specifically calls it out as safe in their manual - though I don't think I would do routine dry-fire practice with it despite that.

[@redsky8509]

These Rugers have a Transfer Bar, this bar moves up as you pull the trigger, the hammer hits the transfer bar, the bar hits the firing pin, yes you can dry fire no problem.

[@mannys9130]

Hickok45 routinely drops the hammer on the empty chamber after he does a 1, skip, 4 load, even on his original black powder frame SAA. I don't think he'd do it if he would damage the gun that way. As long as he's loved SAAs, I'd guess he has never broken one.

[@aaronstandingbear]

@@HammerStriker I used to dry fire my Ruger Blackhawk when I first got it. You know I'd see a bear on the TV and quickly line up a shot just for practice and developing motor memory. After a couple years the transfer bar broke and it wouldnt fire till I got a new one . I never dry fire anymore. Got it fixed at the factory and faced down a bear just after that, two bears actually, mates, and I got out of that without having to pull the trigger on my drawn 357. So upshot was that after that I did some shooting and it was only hitting on 3 or 4 cartridges in 6. If Id'a had to pull the trigger on those two bears I wouldnt have had the firepower I thought I had. Sent it back and got it fixed again and that was 20 years ago. No problems since then.

[@HammerStriker]

I think the ones today are slightly different than those of 20 years ago. I am not sure if the originals had the transfer bar or not. Despite the manual, I only do occasional dry-fire with these.

[@joeltowle2737]

Looks like the Bisley/Super Blackhawk hammer.

[@conradsenior5843]

One thing he did not mention. The warning label is on the side of the old Vaquero barrel and on the bottom of the New Vaquero. that is reason enough to avoid the Old Vaquero unless you have the warning label professionally removed-which some people do. It is out of sight on the new model-a huge plus.

[@bretmavrick-ph2ip]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@EileenTheCr0w]

What's the issue using this for concealed carry? To me it seems like a decent option because its extremely safe, reliable and doesn't have many sharp edges to get caught on a shirt or something. True its single action so its harder to spam shots quickly in self defense, but you shouldn't be doing that anyway, you should very deliberately consider shooting in that situation, not just whip it out and fire without thinking. Though i was thinking of getting this one for more fun and because of the aesthetics and then using a Ruger Redhawk for an alternate CC revolver.

[@HammerStriker]

It will definitely function for Concealed Carry and be reliable. However, in a stress situation, with having to remember to cock it each time and the glacially slow reloading process, there are far better solutions for that need such as the Redhawk.

[@jonsheets9271]

It's a great CC firearm. Nobody is going to hang around once this is upholstered! Two shots of hard-cast lead killed a Maine Black Bear dead in it's tracts.

[@alaskaimage395]

@@HammerStriker I used to carry a Vaquero due to the fact that I realized... im shooting the thing 3-4 times a week practicing for SASS. Shooting it that much meant muscle memory was there and it was a jo brainer for CC.

[@Valor_73737]

@@HammerStriker If you have learned with Single Actions as I did cocking the hammer is a reflex action, don't have to think about it.

[@redsky8509]

you can put a Reverse Pawl in it so you can spin the barrel both ways.

[@HammerStriker]

Actually, having it only go one way does seem to make it easier to load/unload as it tends to stay put.

[@redsky8509]

Yes it can be helpful, however, it can also be a pain. We use the Rugar's for Mounted shooting. When you are are loading that the cylinder can turn with the shell partway in which locks the cylinder, a real pain to deal with. The reverse pawl stops that.. really helps having it when you are loading a lot. Many or the other shooters also had the change made in their Rugars.

[@donnadonna9907]

Red Sky my pawl doesn't spin both ways. ( Lol ) Rich. 👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸♿♿

[@ronlynch5055]

You said not to use for self-defense, I guess the cowboys strapped on Glocks???

[@HammerStriker]

Any gun will work for defense, but like everything else you migrate to the best technology available at the time. This design was that upgrade back then, replacing cap & ball revolvers that had to be manually reloaded. Now "Glocks" and their equivalent are todays better technology for that purpose.

[@mikeseier4449]

@@HammerStriker although that is true, skill and training is a big advantage indeed. I would rather face an average person with a Glock than a Bob Munden or jelly Bryce with a single action revolver.

[@matthewsjourney2064]

The wax bullet is used in cowboy fastdraw not cowboy action shooting, the cowboy load that you have there is a round designed to shoot at a lower velocity so you dont destroy the steel targets

[@Jazzman-bj9fq]

Nice! Too bad there isn't a double action model like Doc Holliday's birdshead pistol.

[@jamieeisenhower1560]

Can you By the auto cylinder 45 In one that didn't come with it Can you shoot plus p In the new mode What are they preferring as a heavy load that is too much

[@daveware4117]

I wouldnt call that gun "high polish", but nice gun none the less

[@HighFalutinTootin]

I'd like one in 357 magnum because you can also fire 38spcl out of it

[@mrPauljacob]

It is weird.. My 44 mag new vaquero is built on the large old frame ..also talo edition . iwonder if they did any other mods?

[@tacklengrapple6891]

Frank The Rabbit Yeah, the .44 mag version is on the beefier old style Vaquero frame. The .357, .45 LC & .45 ACP versions use the smaller 'new vaquero' frame size that's closer to the dimensions of the original Colt SAA.

[@mrPauljacob]

@@tacklengrapple6891 thats good bwcaue i wanna shoot some heavy shit

[@mrPauljacob]

@@ronaromando8370 i find that hard to believe. I'll shoot some hot shit. Just maybe not those ridiculously overpowered buffalo bores

[@itstherightone5179]

Show?? Wax bullets?? My gun is not for show! And my gun has real bullets that makes large holes!!

[@rylanmartin9040]

If I bought one of the .45 ACP cylinders would it work on this as well?

[@HammerStriker]

I would be careful with that. Though the bullets are the same diameter, there could be timing issues if the cylinders are not drilled out with the orientation of the rounds identical. If they do not offer it as an option, I would not do it as it would be dangerous if there is an alignment difference.

[@davekoenig9935]

@@HammerStriker lol

[@gunfighterzero]

It will work since they sell convertible vaqueros with both 45 colt/acp cylinders. But if you add one later it's best to have it fitted by a gunsmith

[@joewestmoreland2815]

​@@HammerStriker

[@joewestmoreland2815]

​@@HammerStriker 8

[@frankgon4]

44-40 experience?

[@HammerStriker]

Not yet, but will take the opportunity if it ever presents itself.

[@redsky8509]

S.A.S.S. Cowboy Action you use REAL LEAD bullets. Not wax, for Mounted Shooting you are shooting blanks, nothing but the black powder.

[@HammerStriker]

There are actually many variations on this cool sport. The version I am familiar with uses steel targets at close range - the steel has an inner and outer section - the goal is to be the fasted to hit the inner section - using wax due to the proximity to the target.

[@redsky8509]

Oh yes that is Quick Draw. I never think of that.

[@abee.s.corpus2455]

Red Sky is correct. The Single Action Shooting Society trademarked the teen “Cowboy Action Shooting”, which refers to the sport that SASS created, which always requires real ammo with lead bullets. Wax bullets are used in Cowboy Fast Draw which is a separate shooting sport run by a different organization.

[@willford9205]

45-COLT NOT LONG COLT

[@uncatila]

I'd this California legal?

[@HammerStriker]

Unfortunately a lot of the cool stuff is not. The best bet is to check out the approved list on California's website, the specific variant you want has to be listed.

[@conradsenior5843]

Yes it is.

[@pkplith]

No it’s 45 colt…….

[@TBPollock]

Lost interest when I saw the B/S safety hammer.