Just to be clear, there is no Old Model Vaquero, there’s an original Vaquero and the New Vaquero. The term Old Model should be reserved for the three screws, and that was before the Vaquero’s timeframe.
So by your logic, since there was no Ruger Blackhawk revolver ever stamped or sold as an “Old Model” the term
cannot be applied to the three-screw BHs either (what’s wrong with the common “three-screw” moniker)? The terminology police strike again, deciding how others “should” use words.
Language is all about communication, after all that is its reason for being. Even though something was not “officially” called a particular name, a different but more descriptive term could be substituted if it enhances accurate communication. “Old Model” terminology for Blackhawks or Vaqueros may offend purists, but if it reduces confusion - and in this case potentially safety - why not allow it? This is exactly how language evolves over time.
It’s similar to the trivial bickering over the “official” name for the rimmed .45 factory chambering in the Blackhawk. Purists will wring their hands in anguish when they see the name “.45 Long Colt” and will reflexively lash out at the cretins who dare to use the term. But “Long Colt” is a better name for the rimmed cartridge if we want to avoid confusion with the .45 ACP - in the convertible Blackhawks in particular. Many newer - and older - shooters who are not intimately familiar with the cartridges’ histories get them confused when they are referred to simply as .45 Colt. Inserting the “Long” in the name helps to avoid that confusion. Shouldn’t effective communication be the real goal rather than arguing over a caliber developed 150 years ago or being OCD about the names for above revolvers’ changes in design?
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