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Old December 30, 2006, 03:45 PM   #1
Hafoc
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Join Date: August 20, 2005
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Gaucho

Some time ago I sent my Gaucho back to Taurus for repairs. I will cheerfully admit to being The World's Worst Shot, but when everything is about 18 inches high and 18 inches left, and scattered, that's the gun. Not even I am that bad.

The Gaucho came back with a test target, a note that said "Replaced barrel," a few snide and impertinent remarks about never EVER using handloads (yeah, right) and you should clean the gun after each shooting session-- as if the amount of shooting you'd do in one shooting session could have anything to do with being so far off target. And I'd cleaned the gun anyway. Oh well, those are probably things they tell everyone.

What with one thing and another I didn't get out to the range with the Gaucho until today. I ran about 80 rounds of... um... EXPERIENCED ammunition through her, shooting duelist. On this day The World's Worst Shot put all 80 into about a foot-diameter area at 25 yards, shooting duelist. The group was centered and a few inches low. Perfect for filing the front sight to bring her to dead center. Except I don't want to do that until I'm absolutely sure what load I want to use "forever."

I don't know. I bet you guys could have done better, but I'm happy with that level of shooting. It's good enough for who it's for.

So now I have three .45 Colts; the Gaucho and the pair of five-inch, nickel and "pearlite" Uberti Schofields. Love 'em. And I've never shot in a CAS match, and probably won't.

I can't tell you why I prefer the Gaucho to the New Vaquero I also tried. All logic is on the side of the Vaquero, except that the Gaucho had a better trigger pull. I guess I just like the four-click hammer. Also the Gaucho seems a little lighter, a little better balanced.

She looks the same as she did before I sent her in for repairs except for one thing. If you look at the underside of the barrel, where it meets the frame, there's a number stamped in very small characters. It is R 00987 or something like that; that's not the exact number, but the number was in the nine hundreds.

I presume "r" is for replacement. I also presume that if mine is numbered in the 900s, they must have replaced a lot of these.

Anyway, if you're ever looking over a Gaucho and you see a small number like that stamped into the underside of the barrel, now you know what it signifies.
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Old December 31, 2006, 01:48 AM   #2
Ifishsum
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Join Date: September 15, 2005
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FWIW, they put the note about handloads and cleaning on every repair order so don't take it personally.

And I love my Gaucho as much as you do - it feels better in my smallish hands than the Vaquero and that authentic hammer feel. Mine shoots a couple inches left @50 feet but it's not enough to try and do anything about, it's quite accurate at any rate. Cheers!
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Old December 31, 2006, 10:37 AM   #3
Hafoc
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Join Date: August 20, 2005
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My hands aren't small, but I can hold the Gaucho well anyway, folding the little finger under the grip as Massad Ayoob suggests. He claims it's an old gunfighter's trick, keeps the single action from rolling in the hand so much, thus allowing faster follow-up shots. All I know for sure is that it's a little awkward, but the recoil doesn't chew me up any worse that way, and it gives a steady grip.

I'm thinking that for those with larger hands like mine the Gaucho would be more comfortable with a set of grips flat-cut across the bottom instead of cut at an angle like the factory grips. Also with less flare at the bottom. If you're blessed with small hands, lots of flare must be good. If you're not, the flare presses into the palm of your hand a bit. If I'm going to wrap my little finger beneath anyway, I don't need that.

I think I've even seen oversized grips for Colt SAAs. These grips extend beneath the grip frame. I don't think anyone's made them for the Gaucho yet. But if they exist for the SAA I expect you could fit them to the Gaucho; the two revolvers' grips are almost identical, based on some pictures I've seen online.
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