Just bought a Vaquero in .45 Colt!

[Charles Johnson]

And I love it ! Thanks to all who posted questions about these wonderful guns and to all who recommended it. I had a ton of good references to help me make my decision. Ruger sure makes a strong, well finished gun.

This gun shoots beautifully! Its the 5.5" stainless. It's definitely my best looking handgun. The sights are just right. I actually shot it more accurately fast than when I aimed carefully. The grip almost fits my hand perfectly, the only problem is my pinky doesn't quite fit. And I had no problem working the action with one hand. I was shooting the CorBon 200gr at 1100fps. Perfect mix of power and medium recoil. But it sure did have a nice BOOM! I can't wait till tomorrow - get to shoot it again!

I also just ordered some of the mega loads from Buffalo Bore (325gr at 1325 fps, 1267 ft.lbs). I will use these sparingly. I may just have to start reloading so I can come up with a formula between these two loads .

 

[Johnny Guest]

Pinky Doesn't Fit

Charles--

I know a lot of folks worry about the pinky finger hanging off the bottom of the front strap. I see this as a non-problem, my self, but your situation may vary.

I learned to shoot SA with an old model Ruger Single-Six convertible, and, having fairly large hands, just took my cue from some old-timers at the range, and let the little finger curl naturally under the frame. Recoil wasn't much problem, even with rinfire magnums, but I found that the "finger below" hold stabilized the pistol.

Later on, shooting center fire SAs, this worked just as well, PLUS, when the gun rolled back up in recoil, I found it very natural to hook my shooting hand thumb across the hammer, and use the little finger to help level the piece back toward the target while cocking the hammer. The more recoil in a particular load or caliber, the more helpful this is.

Later still, with double action guns, I couldn't afford the big target stocks at first. An old shooting instructor from Ft. Worth PD showed me his "range gun," an old model Colt Troooper. He had actually cut away the wood that extended below he grip frame, exposing the frame below the stocks. He preferred tucking his pinky finger below the frame--said it increased his control. I began shooting MY revolver that way. (I only had one DA at the time.) I found that it worked very well indeed.

Strange how the same techniques sometimes work well for different type arms.

Try a 255 lead SWC bullet with a bunch of H. Universal powder. Excellent long range plinking load, and no slouch on game!

Best,
Johnny

 

[whiskey]

Hold on to that hog leg when you let one of those Buffalo bore rounds go. The first time I touched one off, the front sight blade stuck itself in my head. Didn't take me long to learn to use both hands Now you need a Belt Mountain base pin, a set of spirgs from wolff springs, and about 1000 dryfires to smooth everything out. Enjoy