Ruger Vaquero accuracy

[gsmallftroop]

I will start off by apologizing cause i am sure these questions area dime a dozen. I recently purchased a
4 3/4 in barrel .357 mag vaquero. In my recent range trip the accuracy at 10 yards was all over the place. I started with .38 specials and the spread was anywhere in a foot radius. I put another 6 and it was in a tight group about 5 inches low and to the right. On my third go it was a five inch group but my 5th shot hit the head of the target and the 6th shot hit the bottom 8 and i was holding dead center so that is a drastic gap. I then turned to the .357 and my first 4 didnt touch paper after that it was about the same as the .38s, either it went crazy or it was in a group whose placement didnt make sense. No i am by no means a single action pro but with my buddies single six i am scary accurate and i am by no means a softy to .357 as i own a little .357 snub. To try and see if it was shooter error i pulled out my glock and had all 17 rounds into the center ring so you can imagine my confusion. The ammo for both the .357 and .38 was cheap atlanta arms reloads from the range and i know there are many complaints about them. The 9mm was tulammo. I have not tried other ammunition or had more than one outing with it yet but i was wonder if i could get some input. maybe i can chalk it up to the ammo or maybe its something more. Thank you in advance.

 

[harley]

Eliminate as many variables as you can. Go get a box of Winchester white box target loads. Shoot off a rest(I normally bring my gun box and a small pillow). Set up again and make sure your holding the same sight picture every time. No reason it should group in different places other than your sight picture changing. If at 15 yards you cannot keep them realistically close I would say its time to check actual mechanicals. I have a 44mag Bisley vaquero I had to send back for not being regulated to poi/poa. They reclocked the barrel and now we are in the money.

 

[Kevin]

Everytime I question a gun's accuracy I do exactly what was just described. A rest, nothing fancy, just solid. And factory ammo.

You might also try having someone else shoot the gun.

 

[harley]

Lol. I was going to mention this but so many on this forum are sensitive to the idea that they are good shooters. I normally take my dad who can outshoot me with his aging eyes on any given day. If he is round the same place low/right or whatever then I can confidently say its the gun. If not I get another lesson as pops is always teaching me something.

 

[Kevin]

Harley, I know what you are talking about. You gave some good advice. I have a .30 Carbine which needs to go back and have the barrel adjusted. It is totally in-accurate. Regardless of the shooter or ammunition. Rest no rest etc. I've tried everything over the years and have finally come to the conclusion its the gun.

 

[contender]

Welcome to the Forum!
All good info above.
However, you mentioned you have shot a Single-Six very well, and you shoot a snub-nose 357, as well as a semi-auto Glock.
Have you ever shot a recoiling SA revolver before? No offense, but oftentimes I see folks unfamiliar with them shoot them improperly. Wrong gripping method, fighting the "roll" of the recoil, etc.

I'd get good factory ammo, AND a knowledgeable friend who shoots a lot of SA's & try all that BEFORE I claim the gun is off.
Just offering a bit more advice here.

 

[Hondo44]

gsmallftroop,

+1 for what everyone has already said.

Take heart, you most likely got a good gun. Even a gun with a problem will have more consistency than what you described. You'll be driving tacks soon and will wonder why there was ever a problem.

 

[rtl]

Another +1 to what others have said here, plus a personal experience comment.
Some days my patters are just flat out embarrassing using the same revolver and ammo that shot patters worthy of showing off the last time I was at the same range in the same lane. I usually never know what the deal was; maybe my back was out a bit that day, maybe I had too much caffeine that morning, maybe I was sore from something I did a few days ago....I just chalk it up to knowing I can do better, cease wasting ammo and change to another pistol for the rest of the day or head down to the rifle range. Just my experience.

 

[Flashman]

I find the Vaquero to be a very difficult gun to shoot. For me, it requires perfection in terms of grip, stance, lighting and concentration. Rarely do all four come together. The fixed sights are a big problem for me. They are small and seem to be significantly affected by light: the intensity, the direction, etc. I agree with the recommendation to have an (experienced) SSA shooter try it.

That said, it is my favorite handgun to shoot.

 

[gramps]

I had a .44 mag Vaquero with the 4 5/8 inch barrel. Never had it to the range, but plinked around the house with it. It hit what I was aiming at, so no complaints about that. Good luck with yours.
gramps

 

[Ethang]

I have never heard Winchester white box referred to as target ammo before....

Have somebody else shoot it with the same loads you are having trouble with. If the groups are similar it is either the gun or the loads. If not it is you. Then try a different load. Then send it back to Ruger.

 

[harley]

Winchester white box target loads are available. Also, white box soft points. In 9mm they sell 100 packs in the white box with FMJ target loads. Might be my own special vernacular.

 

[jeffnles1]

I have a 1st year of Production Vaquero in 45 Colt with 4 5/8" barrel. Can't say I've ever seriously shot it for "target" type accuracy. I have about 7,000 or so rounds through it and I can comfortably say it has "minute of bad guy" accuracy at 25 yards and is plenty accurate for both cowboy shooting and for across the room self defense type usage which is really what this type of firearm was meant to do (minute of bad guy accuracy).

I would heed the other comments here about shooting from a rest of having someone else shoot the gun to rule out "shooter error" (hey, we all have good days, bad days, and seriously bad days).

Jeff