Vaquero Questions Again

Single Six · September 29, 2010, 11:02 AM

I've never owned or shot a Colt SAA or any of it's clones. The closest I've come is my Single Six, but it has adjustable sights. Lately I've been thinking [again] about buying a Vaquero, specifically the convertible .45 Colt / .45 ACP, and recently came across some info that gave me pause. If I read Taffin and Venturino correctly, many [most?] fixed sight single actions don't shoot to point of aim. They either shoot too high, or off to one side. The remedy seems to be filing down the front sight blade to fix the "too high" problem, or bending it to one side to correct the windage [

] . You veteran single action guys might laugh at me for this, but the idea of grinding or bending on my gun gives me a migraine! So, my questions: Am I getting this right? Have any Vaquero owners out there actually had to do this to your gun? Thanks as always, y'all.

jmortimer · September 29, 2010, 11:27 AM

They all shoot to a fixed point of aim with a certain bullet/load so you can reverse engineer a load that works if you reload. Most will shoot well with a 255 grain at around 900 fps. I have never had any problem with either my "Old" Vaquero or my "New" Vaquero with the above mentioned load - about 9 grains of Unique with a hard cast 255 grain SWC.

Hardcase · September 29, 2010, 09:31 PM

I'll second what jsmortimer said. I don't own one, but one of my buddies does. We spent a weekend working up a load that shot to point of aim a couple of years ago. Windage wasn't a problem, but it took a few tries to get the elevation dialed in. I don't recall the load (I'm pretty sure it was a .44), but I do remember that we loaded up sets of ten with something like a .3 or .5 grain powder difference between them, from minimum to maximum.

Single Six · September 30, 2010, 06:57 PM

Well, since I don't reload, I guess I'll leave that particular Ruger alone. Thanks for the help again, guys.

BODAME · September 30, 2010, 07:24 PM

At the present time I own seven 45Colt Ruger New Model Vaqueros and one
AWA Sheriffs Model.
All Purchased New and Shoot Point of Aim from the Mfg.
My 2 Cents: Carry the same Factory Round you Train with, and a SA will get the Job Done.

Note: My Preferred Concealed Carry is a 45LC SA

PetahW · October 1, 2010, 04:16 PM

FWIW, two years ago, I bought a B/CCH .45 Colt New Vaquero (new) that shot factory ammo right to the sights @ 7yds (21') - the distance I was interested in shooting it.

I've owned Ruger BH .45 convertibles (OM & NM) - which needed sight changes/correction/adj when changing cylinders/ammo.
I thought it more trouble than it was worth, and that I'd rather have two separate guns, one in .45 Colt, and a 2nd in .45ACP.

YMMV, of course.

.

Jbar4Ranch · October 7, 2010, 09:12 AM

"Filing the front sight down" doesn't fix the too high problem, it makes it worse. In my experience, about 75% of the fixed sight single action revolvers I've owned in my life, and there have been a LOT of them (currently 53), were far enough off that I regulated the sights for my particular load. MOST manufacturers today are making the front sight blade tall enough that the point of impact is slightly low so the owner can take a few strokes on the top of the blade with a file and bring the point of impact up to where it needs to be. L/R is a little more time consuming, but not difficult really. On revolvers where the barrel is screwed into the frame, a set of barrel blocks can be made out of hardwood (I use oak), rosined up, the barrel clamped in the blocks in a vise, and the frame turned on or off the barrel with a frame wrench or a hardwood hammer handle through the cylinder window. It doesn't take much - it's not like the sight is going to be canted 10° off to one side or somesuch when you get it right. If you attempt to BEND the sight, you are very likely to overdo it and probably also break the solder joint and the sight will fall off.

madcratebuilder · October 8, 2010, 08:55 AM

+1 on Jbar4Ranch recommendations. I shouldn't be hard to find a commercial round that well shoot to POA.

mrappe · October 8, 2010, 02:29 PM

This is not just with Rugers. I have had a Vaquero(1st model) and every other single action that I have had was the same way you hate to either
1) Modify the sight
2) Adjust your aim to hold at a certain place on the blade.
3) Adjust the load of the powder and or bullet.

AS a cowboy action shooter I am not shooting my pistols at long range or for dead center of the bullseye accuracy so I just learn where each gun shoots on the front sight and I don't even bother to file down the blade. If they shoot above the blade I just learn where to hold the alignment in respect to a given distance range.

September 29, 2010, 11:02 AM	#1
Single Six Senior Member Join Date: January 31, 2010 Location: N.C. Posts: 1,522	Vaquero Questions Again I've never owned or shot a Colt SAA or any of it's clones. The closest I've come is my Single Six, but it has adjustable sights. Lately I've been thinking [again] about buying a Vaquero, specifically the convertible .45 Colt / .45 ACP, and recently came across some info that gave me pause. If I read Taffin and Venturino correctly, many [most?] fixed sight single actions don't shoot to point of aim. They either shoot too high, or off to one side. The remedy seems to be filing down the front sight blade to fix the "too high" problem, or bending it to one side to correct the windage [ ] . You veteran single action guys might laugh at me for this, but the idea of grinding or bending on my gun gives me a migraine! So, my questions: Am I getting this right? Have any Vaquero owners out there actually had to do this to your gun? Thanks as always, y'all. Last edited by Single Six; September 29, 2010 at 11:54 AM.

September 29, 2010, 09:31 PM	#3
Hardcase Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2009 Location: Sunny Southern Idaho Posts: 1,909	I'll second what jsmortimer said. I don't own one, but one of my buddies does. We spent a weekend working up a load that shot to point of aim a couple of years ago. Windage wasn't a problem, but it took a few tries to get the elevation dialed in. I don't recall the load (I'm pretty sure it was a .44), but I do remember that we loaded up sets of ten with something like a .3 or .5 grain powder difference between them, from minimum to maximum. __________________ Well we don't rent pigs and I figure it's better to say it right out front because a man that does like to rent pigs is... he's hard to stop - Gus McCrae

September 30, 2010, 07:24 PM	#5
BODAME Senior Member Join Date: February 18, 2006 Location: The Dodge House, NC Posts: 183	45 Colt Single Actions At the present time I own seven 45Colt Ruger New Model Vaqueros and one AWA Sheriffs Model. All Purchased New and Shoot Point of Aim from the Mfg. My 2 Cents: Carry the same Factory Round you Train with, and a SA will get the Job Done. Note: My Preferred Concealed Carry is a 45LC SA __________________ "A Man's got to have a Code, a Creed to Live By, No Matter his Job" Last edited by BODAME; September 30, 2010 at 07:32 PM.

October 7, 2010, 09:12 AM	#7
Jbar4Ranch Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 1999 Location: Near Helena, Montana Posts: 1,719	"Filing the front sight down" doesn't fix the too high problem, it makes it worse. In my experience, about 75% of the fixed sight single action revolvers I've owned in my life, and there have been a LOT of them (currently 53), were far enough off that I regulated the sights for my particular load. MOST manufacturers today are making the front sight blade tall enough that the point of impact is slightly low so the owner can take a few strokes on the top of the blade with a file and bring the point of impact up to where it needs to be. L/R is a little more time consuming, but not difficult really. On revolvers where the barrel is screwed into the frame, a set of barrel blocks can be made out of hardwood (I use oak), rosined up, the barrel clamped in the blocks in a vise, and the frame turned on or off the barrel with a frame wrench or a hardwood hammer handle through the cylinder window. It doesn't take much - it's not like the sight is going to be canted 10° off to one side or somesuch when you get it right. If you attempt to BEND the sight, you are very likely to overdo it and probably also break the solder joint and the sight will fall off. __________________ Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets replaced... SASS 47015

October 8, 2010, 02:29 PM	#9
mrappe Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 256	This is not just with Rugers. I have had a Vaquero(1st model) and every other single action that I have had was the same way you hate to either 1) Modify the sight 2) Adjust your aim to hold at a certain place on the blade. 3) Adjust the load of the powder and or bullet. AS a cowboy action shooter I am not shooting my pistols at long range or for dead center of the bullseye accuracy so I just learn where each gun shoots on the front sight and I don't even bother to file down the blade. If they shoot above the blade I just learn where to hold the alignment in respect to a given distance range. __________________ God is fluxing me which is good but it is not fun.

September 29, 2010, 11:27 AM	#2
jmortimer Junior member Join Date: January 24, 2010 Location: South West Riverside County California Posts: 2,763	They all shoot to a fixed point of aim with a certain bullet/load so you can reverse engineer a load that works if you reload. Most will shoot well with a 255 grain at around 900 fps. I have never had any problem with either my "Old" Vaquero or my "New" Vaquero with the above mentioned load - about 9 grains of Unique with a hard cast 255 grain SWC.

September 30, 2010, 06:57 PM	#4
Single Six Senior Member Join Date: January 31, 2010 Location: N.C. Posts: 1,522	Well, since I don't reload, I guess I'll leave that particular Ruger alone. Thanks for the help again, guys.

October 1, 2010, 04:16 PM	#6
PetahW Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2008 Posts: 4,678	FWIW, two years ago, I bought a B/CCH .45 Colt New Vaquero (new) that shot factory ammo right to the sights @ 7yds (21') - the distance I was interested in shooting it. I've owned Ruger BH .45 convertibles (OM & NM) - which needed sight changes/correction/adj when changing cylinders/ammo. I thought it more trouble than it was worth, and that I'd rather have two separate guns, one in .45 Colt, and a 2nd in .45ACP. YMMV, of course. .

October 8, 2010, 08:55 AM	#8
madcratebuilder Senior Member Join Date: November 2, 2007 Location: Northern Orygun Posts: 4,923	+1 on Jbar4Ranch recommendations. I shouldn't be hard to find a commercial round that well shoot to POA.