Gunsmithing Vaquero fixable or paperweight ?

[VaFarmer1]

Hi all

I have acquired an old style Vaquero that had a bullet stuck in the barrel or (squib)
And instead of me being patient & bringing it to a smith I tried getting it out myself, I'm an idiot and I ruined the barrel.
I can't find anyone local that can find a barrel replacement and apparently Ruger doesn't replace them or so I've been told.

It's a stainless barrel but I would be willing to go with any color or size just to get it working again.

I see some specialty barrels online but they all seem to be more than the price of another Vaquero.

Any help would be appreciated.

If all else fail's would it be safe to have someone cut the barrel down, It's a 5.5" barrel and I screwed it up about an inch or so in from the front so it would have to be around 4"

 

[VaFarmer1]

Sorry it's a 45LC

 

[memyselfi]

Hi all

I have acquired an old style Vaquero that had a bullet stuck in the barrel or (squib)
And instead of me being patient & bringing it to a smith I tried getting it out myself, I'm an idiot and I ruined the barrel.
I can't find anyone local that can find a barrel replacement and apparently Ruger doesn't replace them or so I've been told.

It's a stainless barrel but I would be willing to go with any color or size just to get it working again.

I see some specialty barrels online but they all seem to be more than the price of another Vaquero.

Any help would be appreciated.

If all else fail's would it be safe to have someone cut the barrel down, It's a 5.5" barrel and I screwed it up about an inch or so in from the front so it would have to be around 4"

If you FUBAR'd the muzzle I would say find a reputable local gun smith , and they should have no problem cutting, recrowning and notching / soldiering the front sight blade on for you, how much $4 is the question. I would still contact Ruger directly to ask if they would replace or sell a barrel, at worse they can say is no.

 

[memyselfi]

A complete barrel sold on EVILbay last week
https://www.ebay.com/itm/RUGER-NEW-...=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

[JMGlasgow]

Have you called Ruger?

 

[VaFarmer1]

I need to call Ruger.
Our local gunshop told me they don't replace barrels anymore. I looked on there site and they don't show anything on barrel replacement but it's worth a call, like memyselfi said.

 

[GH41]

I know what I would do... Do a recessed crown an inch and a half deep and call it a day. No need to fool with the sight work.

 

[...]

I know what I would do... Do a recessed crown an inch and a half deep and call it a day. No need to fool with the sight work.

i dunno, 1.5" is pretty deep for a recessed crown....

personally ide have the barrel cut down to 3.5-4" and have the smith put on new front and rear sights.

 

[GH41]

i dunno, 1.5" is pretty deep for a recessed crown....

personally ide have the barrel cut down to 3.5-4" and have the smith put on new front and rear sights.

If you cut it down below about 4 5/8" the ejector rod housing will be longer than the barrel. Recessed crowns are nothing new. A prominent rimfire smith does it on hammer forged barrels after threading for a muzzle device. The only downside is probably having to have a tool ground to do it.

 

[1cbennett1]

VA Farmer, call Dave Clements in Woodlawn VA. He rebarreled a Vaquerro for me with a 7.5 Shilen in .45 LC. Thing is a hammer and he also put an old school S& W adjustable on. It was what they did in the 30’s. Old School and POI now is on.

 

[GH41]

VA Farmer, call Dave Clements in Woodlawn VA. He rebarreled a Vaquerro for me with a 7.5 Shilen in .45 LC. Thing is a hammer and he also put an old school S& W adjustable on. It was what they did in the 30’s. Old School and POI now is on.

What does a job like that cost?? Tell us the truth if you can. Talk about throwing good money after bad.

 

[PinesAndProjectiles]

There's a place in Fremont, NE called Cylinder and Slide. May be worth a call.

 

[VaFarmer1]

I'm so mad at myself for butchering this revolver like this.
T

he back side if the gouge is right at 1.5"

 

[GH41]

What did you try do? Drill it out. I still say a recessed crown would be the cost effective way to salvage it. Contact Chad. He probably do it without taking the barrel out of the frame.

 

[GH41]

A picture of what I am talking about.

 

[Badfinger]

As long as the gouge doesn't obstruct the bore and you think it's safe to shoot I would try it before doing anything else. I had a damaged S&W 357 that a guy gouged the barrel just like you and we shot it and we couldn't tell a difference, it shot fine.

 

[VaFarmer1]

Yeah,
It would have worked fine but the damn drill bit broke off, Thats when it all went south.
Nothing is obstructed but the gouge is pretty deep. I'm thinking half way through the barrel.
So I thought it might blow out the bottom of the barrel.

Guess I could put it in a vise and get back about 20' with a string to pull the trigger, let one go to see what happens

 

[Son of Dorn]

Ruger Parts & Service

ruger.com

Looks like $80 for a rebarrel (not counting the part replacement) for a revolver and I don't see the Vaquero listed in the no-go section. Call Ruger to find out for sure.

 

[CNJarvis]

Send it in to Ruger for barrel replacement. You’ll never be happy otherwise.

 

[GH41]

Why don't you do the obvious thing: stop speculating and ask Ruger yourself.

Because the OP and half the other people here are ate up with the dumb ass. That's what you get when you ask a dumb question of a bunch of dumb people.

 

[BAMCIS]

Besides Ruger,,,lookup Cowboy Action Gunsmiths.
Depending on where you live,,betting there's one close by.
One in NH,,another in AZ,,but he maybe a 6-8 week delay.

Reference only,,no association.
Did get grips once.

Home - Classic Single Action - Custom grips and Gunsmithing

Classic Single Action is owned and operated by Joe Perkins in Tucson, Arizona. Classic Single Action offers new firearms, custom grips and gunsmith work for single action firearms of all makes and models.

classicsingleaction.com

 

[Badfinger]

Because the OP and half the other people here are ate up with the dumb ass. That's what you get when you ask a dumb question of a bunch of dumb people.

That puts you squarely on that side.

 

[Bigfatcock]

Might as well toss the ejector rod, hack the barrel back to an inch and call it a sheriff model.

 

[Dead Eye Dick]

Here is my experience with Strum, Ruger and Company

We had a really nice SP101, except the cylinder would fall out when cleaning. I knew it was a problem but since it made cleaning easier I jsut ignored it. The little revolver did not care and it shot fine. ONE day at the range, while extracting spent cases, the cylinder fell out, hit the concrete and really messed up the cranking notches on the cylinder. Our fault totally.

We contacted Ruger and explained what we had done. They send ship it and gave us a number. Shipping was ridiculous. (Thanks UPS). Ruger, replaced the cylinder, & shipped it back, all for free, never better. In a Week! Ruger will remove your aftermarket springs with thier factory springs so this is something to be aware of.

So, if you have not asked, quit being dumb. Ruger takes care of its own. Being a Ruger owner, you are one of its own.

 

[Jscb1b]

PM me for my address. I will let you give it to me.

 

[hlee]

Not a revolver, but my son shot my red label until the barrels separated. Called Ruger and got an RMA. They said they might not be able to repair it because it is discontinued and they may not have parts. A while later I received the repaired shogun. They had also replaced the lock/latch work for the action. Yeah, they take care of their own. What they do not do is sell parts to gunsmiths. Most won't work on them, because they can’t get parts.

 

[skl1]

FYI, while I think that calling Ruger Customer Service is the best route, counterboring down a new recessed crown in the barrel has been done successfully for a long time. Look at most Mosin Nagants. To compensate for muzzle erosion, many were counterbored down into the barrel 3 in or so to expose unworn rifling. So that technique will work.

 

[VaFarmer1]

Sent it off today.
should have called them sooner,
will update when they give me a price.
looks like $80.00 for labor cost but no idea of the cost of the new barrel.
I'll know in a few days & post price

 

[acudaowner]

good luck to you and your gun .

 

[skl1]

I'm anxious to hear the outcome, too. I'm sure Ruger will take care of you. They're a great company with great customer service. I really love the Vaquero's, too. Especially the old ones.

 

[fxdrider]

Sent it off today.
should have called them sooner,
will update when they give me a price.
looks like $80.00 for labor cost but no idea of the cost of the new barrel.
I'll know in a few days & post price

Has it come back to you yet? Anxious to hear the outcome. Ruger's customer service has been there for me a time or two over the years.

 

[Bigfatcock]

I'm sure Ruger will fix it. I would rarely do big fixes to Rugers because I always told my customers that Ruger would do it for a hell of a lot cheaper than I charged.

They aren't the most refined, but they are solid guns.

For future reference to all who may try it: Drilling out a squib is dumb. Get a brass rod as close to the inside barrel dimension as you can and just pound it out. Hell, for pistol length barrels, a hard wood dowel will work most of the time, but I recommend brass.

 

[VaFarmer1]

Paid $180.00 for the new barrel & $80.00 for labor.
Probably have it back in another week or two.
Only stipulation they have is that they put back the same barrel length, color Etc. Which is what I wanted. But they still tell you that.
And any changes to the revolver would be put back to factory original.