My 2 cents....

First, Ruger doesn't have any Single Action Army clones just single action revolvers of their own design. So you could argue it's an apples to orange comparison to a Colt or even any of the Italian clones. I think you have to take Ruger single actions on their own merits. They are safe, reliable and strong and can also be quite accurate.

Ruger single actions in 45 Colt often have inconsistencies with chamber diameters and may need to reamed to a uniform size. Much has been written here to explain this and what corrective measures are used when needed. To say all Ruger 45 Colt SA revolvers have this issue would be painting with a broad stroke - some are fine right out of the factory. This is not a new thing and not limited to the New Vaquero.

Sometimes accuracy of POA/POI is improved with a slight clocking of the barrel. This is not always needed, in fact most people find this to be fine out of the box. But in the fixed sight models like the NV where you can't adjust a rear sight for elevation or windage you can only file the front sight to match your favorite load and clock the barrel a "smidge". Again, to say all NV need this is an overstatement. Some benefit, many or most are fine as is.

Nothing changed with the design or components or assembly process of NV starting with serial number prefix 513. Ruger production has ramped up considerably in recent years and it seems more guns with issues are slipping out the door of late but it's not like something definitive happened when the serial numbers rolled over to a 513 prefix. It would be too simplistic to say all 512 prefix and earlier NVs are great and all 513 prefix guns are bad. Likely there are bad apples mixed in throughout and great examples as well.

The good news is a Ruger single action revolver is fairly simple device without a great many parts and a competent gunsmith or capable DIYer can easily service these guns. On top of that Ruger customer service is the best in the gun biz and they stand behind the products with what amounts to a lifetime transferable "warranty" (no actual warranty exists.)

Action and accuracy is somewhat subjective but it would seem reasonable to expect to do some "tuning" to achieve optimal performance. Lead ammo versus jacketed, bullet weight, your pet load, etc. all have a bearing on accuracy. The practice of sending off a new revolver to a highly esteemed gunsmith for tuning up has been done for decades, even on highly regarded guns like a Colt Python or SAA. So I don't think it's any knock on Ruger when someone has a gunsmith cut a forcing cone to optimize lead bullets, ensure chambers are uniform in size, slick up the action and "dial it all in".

The best practice is always to inspect carefully any new gun you are contemplating buying in person and take your time to find what you feel is a good example. Then allow yourself to enjoy the process of getting it exactly the way you want it. In the end you should be happy.

 

I bought a matched set of SASS Vaqueros.
Due to CA baloney waiting period laws, it will be 50 days before I have my hands on both of them.

I called Ruger, gave the serial numbers, SASS 101xx, and was told the production date was February of 2019.

It is my understanding these SASS pairs have extra stuff done to them by the factory.

 

I totally agree with Waveform's comments. There is absolutely no correlation with serial number prefixes before or after 513. As a retired gunsmith, I can say with certainty … all production guns, no matter what brand, can profit from aftermarket parts and gunsmithing and Vaqueros are no exception. What I have found, Ruger 45 cal cylinder throats are often undersized, not a uniform size for all six holes, and sometimes slightly oval. Forcing cones are usually cut at the wrong angle for lead bullets. A quick chamfer job on all six throats with a .4525" reamer works wonders as does an 11 deg forcing cone reamer to optimize the gun for lead bullets. It is quite common to see before and after groups shrink from 4" to 1" @ 25 yards. Once the gun is optimized for lead bullets, POI will usually be corrected to POA, but that is more related to the ammo than the gun.

As for springs …. using a reduced power hammer spring results in a lighter trigger pull but a longer lock time so it is usually counterproductive. Trigger pull can be lowered by about half with a reduced power trigger spring. You will feel more creep with a lighter spring but that's about the only side affect. If the sear angle is "squared" and polished, it will virtually eliminate creep. So with all that rhetoric, leave the hammer spring alone, install a lighter trigger spring if you want, and have a gunsmith dress up the sear. In my opinion, trigger pull is way over rated. It doesn't change the gun's accuracy potential a lick but it does change the "human interface" a little. I've done some before and after tests with customers …. factory trigger pull versus a very light and crisp trigger pull. Customers all like the lighter crisper pull much better but marksmanship scores really don't change much, if at all.

 

Thanks guys .. appreciate the informed commentaries .. many people make comments based on "their" opinion which is often not that of an experienced or knowledgeable gunsmith. No different than my Colt SAA's that I had Bob Munden do action jobs on. Will proceed to buy a pair of Ruger NVs, and take it from there. Have a great weekend.

 

289fia, you will likely be very pleased with your Vaqueros.

 

You will love those Vaqueros! When I do my job it shoots very well for me but most of the time it goes slightly left on me.

 

my ruger 357s are very accurate in 357 and okay in 38. I am talking about blackhawk security six gp 100 same across the board.

 

My NV in .45 Colt, about 6 years old now, had under-sized cylinder throats...about 0.002" undersized. Cylindersmith.com (no longer doing custom work I understand), opened them up uniformly to 0.4525"...while it was a 3"+ grouping gun with jacketed bullets, it would barely get into 4" at 25 yds from a solid rest with lead alloy.

After the gunsmithing, it will routinely hold 2" or a bit less depending on the lighting on my home range with Lyman's venerable 452190 bullet sized to 0.435". As I understand it, Ruger has historically persisted in boring its cylinder throats smaller than the groove dia. of its barrels...and that absolutely kills any sort of accuracy, not to mention leading problems.

As it came out of the box, the gun shot 2" to the left and 2" low at 25 yds. I easily corrected the elevation issue by filing down the front sight about 0.020" IIRC. The windage problem was a bit more difficult. On another Ruger in .32 H&R, I attempted to tap the front sight blade to correct for lateral group displacement and broke it off. The re-solder job was a royal PITA. As a result I used a jeweler's file on my .45 NV, to open the rear sight notch about 0.015" in the required direction (right) and that centered up my groups with my standard load. All the more reason to buy a gun with adj. sights....can't fathom why some of the games don't allow this bit of upgrading...you gotta know that the shooters of the 1870's would have used 'em if they'd been available.

The trigger as it came out of the box was fairly good and improved with time and by pressing hard against the hammer as it fell during dry fire. It really makes a difference...too, I lifted one arm of the trigger return spring off its post. (The poor man's trigger job). I'd estimate that it runs about 3# now.

All in all I like the gun, have made up some spalted maple grips for it and do like its accuracy. The cylinder throating cost me $60 at the time, BTW.

HTH's Rod

 

Good comments all. Appreciated. Will definitely have cylinder throats reamed on both.