Ruger New Vaquero markings

[BUFF7MM]

I just picked up a New Vaquero today in 45 ACP and noticed the caliber marked on it is 45 CAL.

This gun was not sold as a convertible 45LC/45ACP as you can see by the box and model number below.

I searched around looking for other model 5154‘s on the internet to see how others are marked and I found one on gunbroker with a serial number fairly close to mine, but it shows shipped in 2013, and it is marked 45 ACP. (see below)

I’ve also see some stainless models that were only marked with 45ACP also. I guess my question is has Ruger recently just been marking these with just 45 CAL or was my firearm going to be a convertible and they just decided to just do the 45 ACP cylinder and call it a day so to speak? Not a big deal to me but I find it odd that a 45 ACP only gun would not be marked as such.

 

[JDH146]

Serial Number Lookup

ruger.com

I put the serial number from your box in the search above and it returned 45acp mfg2023.
Maybe the marking is for nostalgia?
Good looking revolver , good luck.

 

[smdub]

Probably simplifies the roll marking and manufacturing. Mark them all the same. FWIW, The law is to mark for caliber, not cartridge. IMO, 45 cal looks better than ACP. If there is any way to use the same frame to make other cartridge combinations this saves them having to mark the same part differently, produce different rollmark dies, etc.

 

[Allium]

maybge you can get a LC cylinder for it? my old Vaquero came with acp and lc.

 

[DutchV]

I have a similar Vaquero marked '.45 ACP' but it's from 2013.

This is good to know, as I've seen a few used guns for sale that were advertised as 'ACP' but not marked that way. I suspect the factory is less concerned about these details than the rest of us.

 

[BUFF7MM]

I sent Ruger a message, I’ll post the response if I get one.

 

[Bisleyfan44]

Ruger made this model as both a single cylinder 45 Colt and as a single cylinder 45 ACP. Blued and stainless options for both.

Every ACP I've seen has been marked as such. Every 45 Colt was marked 45 Caliber. None of these shorties were dual cylindered.

Maybe a frame designated for the 45 Colt was mixed up during assembly?? Who knows???

 

[Biggfoot44]

Welcome to the world of collecting Ruger oddities.

The likely explanation is that day they were short on .45acp marked bbls , and used inventory on hand . Or else it was an actual mix up that didn't get caught.

 

[python]

The way that Ruger is rollmarked is nothing new. These two S&W revolvers are both 45acp guns, but are marked 45 cal. The top one is a Model 1955 (pre-25 from 1956) and a Model 1950 (pre-26 from 1953). Both had 45 Colt versions during their production runs. The 1950 had about 200 made in the "Long Colt" caliber, and the model 25-5 (?) was also produced that way.