Why doesn't everyone use Rugers?

[jimmyb.1]

I know there are lots of cowboy pistols out there but they all seem to need to be slicked up.  I bought two new model blackhawks .38/.357 and the only mod I did to them was to release one side of the the trigger spring and the gun functions excellent.  Now, I have adjustable sights so I can shoot modern but the vaquero's are fixed.  I just don't get it - why subject yourself to all the hassels of some of the other guns?  I'm looking at this from a very objective viewpoint b/c I'm not a Ruger nut, never really have been except for my 10/22's.  Just an honest question.

[Mustang Gregg]

Howdy. Jimmy:

Here's my ponderings on it....Some folks don't like Ruger because:
(1)  They ain't Colts
(2)  They don't look exactly like Colts
(3)  They don't feel like Colts
(4)  They weren't around in the 1800's
(5)  They [may] cost more than Colt copies

Reckon I never cared much about those others. 
I mainly like the fact that they are built in the USA & last a long time. 
The "authenticity" is down my list quite a ways.

Mustang Gregg
(NOW, more than ever, we buy USA-built products)

[Deadeye Don]

Sounds like a question that would be asked on the SASS website.    I would imagine everyone here will be much more calm in their responses though. 

[Mustang Gregg]

Don:

You are surely correct in that assumption about the SASS Wire. You'd get a lotta HEAT over there.
Maybe one of us oughta pose this question over there.   

MG

PS:  I don't wanna sound ALL-RUGER puffed-up here. 
Heck, I like Schofields too.  But just the ones built by S&W. 

[Forty Rod]

In my hands they just don't feel right.  Neither do Remingtons.  Colts and most clones do in 5 1/2" and 7 1'2" lengths.  S&W Americans and first model Russians do if they have 8" barrels.  Shorter ones don't. 

8" 1860 Army Colts and clones feel best.

In my hands.

[Deadeye Dick]

Hey, I like Rugers    and I like Colts  and I like a lot of the clones  . The nice thing is I can shoot them all. I would hate to choose, but if I had to the Rugers would be at the top of the list. 

Deadeye Dick

[The Elderly Kid]

I like the 19th century guns and their clones for their historical feel and authenticity. For some people that's all-important and a Ruger sure messes up the authenticity of a costume you may have paid hundreds of dollars for. The older guns sure are fun.  But for a practical carry gun, especially in the back country, give me a Ruger. Even if you buy it new, it's usually less than a third the price of a new Colt, and it will last for decades of hard use without needing repair. In Blackhawk configuration it has sights that are easy on my aging eyes. Maybe best of all, you can buy a 20-year-old Ruger at a hockshop cheap and maybe it's dinged up from riding for years on the floor under the seat of a pickup, but inside it's probably as good as the day it came from the factory. You can always put a new finish on it.

[Black Powder]

I like the old model (black powder) frame.

BP

[Captain Lee Bishop]

I understand where the purists are coming from on the authenticity issue. I am foremost a living historian and my NMVs just don't cut it for a authentic re-recreation of a SAA. That's why I now have my USV Artillery model from Cimarron. I will probably always shoot my NMVs for competition, but if I'm doing a display (or a film), I need something more historically correct.

[santee]

I do primarily western reenactment and this subject comes up a lot. Since we abuse our guns (falls, scratches, etc.) a lot of us like the reliability of a Ruger over a Uberti-type clone. I mean, no one wants a broken spring right before a gunfight, especially if you are scripted as the winner! If a primer backs out (does happen occasionally), my Ruger will cycle through pretty easily whereas the other clones tend to lock tight.
But, they aren't historically accurate mechanism-wise. So, the debate gets heated. We are supposed to represent the Old West as accurately as possible. Most of us study photos and go so far as to have things like buttons down to right time period.

Although no judges will take off for using a Ruger, the issue arises with the public's experience. How we represent...

But I will always use my Ruger. Never fails me.