Vaquero Range Report

[Lance0812]

A very busy day at the range yesterday: had two Ruger .45 Vaqueros to fire, plus two CC weapons to test their laser sights.
Since I'd never before fired .45LC, I decided to begin with what I thought would be the most difficult, then work my way down to the .38SP and the 9mm carry pistols.
So I began with these:

At top is the 2007 Vaquero 4.75" I bought used about two weeks ago and the shiny one is the Vaquero convertible 5.5" I picked up from my LGS on the way to the range.
First up was the blued one and it beat me up something fierce!
Now, I was using what my home-loading supplier called "cowboy loads". Okay, I thought: powder puffs. Hah!
For those who understand reloading, I'll mention that these were 255gr semi-wad-cutters and what my friend used for powder is listed as WN CBC.
I tried curling my pinky finger under the gun butt as many on this forum suggest, but took a real beating on that finger. What finally worked best was wrapping all my fingers around the bone grips.
I fired 24 rounds, most of them hitting left of center except when I used Kentucky windage. (BTW, this was an indoor range.) But low and left is the way I shoot most everything, so I blame myself rather than the gun.
Next up was this one, the brand-new Vaquero convertible:

Although I had doubts about the cheese-grater grips, I actually found them to be no hardship and, in fact, quite comfortable. The black plastic grips are a bit slimmer than the bone grips of the previous gun and were a better fit for my hand, giving me better results on the target.
By now I was getting somewhat used to the recoil of the .45LC and my shots were still to the left but closer to the center.
(OK, I shoot low and left. So what? I aim for the BGs heart and gutshoot him instead.)
Only had 28 rounds of .45LC left to put through this gun and then I switched cylinders and shot a full box of .45ACP.
What a difference!
Nobody I know would ever call the .45ACP a pussycat round, but the weight of the Vaquero (as opposed to my .45 auto-chucker) at least tamed the recoil from .45LC tiger to maybe a cheetah or a disinterested leopard.
Aiming at the 9 ring of the target brought my shots much closer to the center and at the end of the box of ammo I had a large, ragged hole that stretched from 7 to 8'o'clock and only about two inches away from center
I left the range happy, came home and happily cleaned up the guns.
And now, a bit less than a month after deciding to try my hand at SA shooting, this is what my Ruger family looks like:
.

At bottom is my 1980 Blackhawk .357 with 4.75 barrel.

 

[don44]

Very good range report.... Thanks.

 

[redlevel42]

These are New Vaqueros? I'm not that familiar with them. What is the difference in weight between them and the older Vaqueros? I ask because of your statement that one of the guns "beat me up something fierce."

I have three old Vaqueros, and I would not call them "pussycats," but with 9.5 grains of Unique and a 255 grain swc, they also aren't what I would call "stout." In fact, they are very pleasant to shoot. I have been shooting this 3 3/4" gun the last two days, about 30 rounds each day. I have marveled at how pleasant it is with my loads. I have been limited to thirty rounds each day not because that's all I could stand, but because darkness caught me.

 

[Lance0812]

Yes, both are New Vaqueros.
I haven't weighed the convertible. The weight as given on the Davidson'e site was, I think, 44oz - not sure if that included the extra cylinder.
The blued Vaquero comes in at 40 oz.
As to my being beat up - keep in mind that this was my first outing with any .45LC, nor have I ever fired any handgun more powerful.
And, as I wrote, I think the thicker bone grips may have prevented me from getting the best hold.
I'm also sure that more range trips with the guns will get me much more accustomed to the large round.

 

[J Miller]

http://shootingsafely.com/correction.jpghttp:



If you consistently shoot low left you need to adjust your trigger finger position and study the correction target. Put just the pad behind the finger nail on the trigger and pull straight back. Also make sure you do not use the trigger finger as addition support for the gun. I found I did that a lot with the larger XR3-RED grips on my Old Model BHs. After I switched to the XR3 version that problem was greatly reduced. Similar to what you noticed with the difference between the bone and OEM thickness on your two guns.

The pinkie under grip is great if the grips are a good fit to your hands. The square bottom grips do not lend themselves to that hold as well as the beveled bottom grips on your stainless New Vaq.

Also if you are shooting from the bench be very careful how you position the gun in regards to the bench surface. If you have the pinkie under the grip and you get the gun too close to the bench it will smash the crap out of your finger.
Don't ask me how I know this :roll:

I've never heard of WN CBC powder, so I can't make any comments on your load other than the 255gr bullet is the standard weight for the .45 Colt.

Since this was your first outing with .45 Colt Single Actions I think you did pretty good. You need some instruction and lots of practice.

Eventually you might want to slug the chamber throats yourself or have it done to make sure they are at the optimum dimension. If they are undersized or inconsistent that will effect accuracy and raise the chamber pressure and increase the recoil. Supposedly the New Vacs are better than the older Rugers in that regard, but I've read many times where they still can need attention.
I'd worry about that sometime down the road when you have a lot more practice under your belt.

Joe