I am thinking of getting a Ruger single action revolver, either a Blackhawk or Vacquero (probably in .44 Magnum), anyone have a Vacquero, do the fixed sights shoot to point of aim?

I have owned many Smith and Wesson fixed sight revolvers, and all have shot to point of aim, no problem. I like the simplicity of fixed sights, but don't mind adjustable sights either.

This will be a woods roaming/hunting revolver, a companion for my Marlin 1895 45/70 lever rifle, stout caliber, but good accuracy is a must.

Any feedback from you Vacquero and Blackhack owners would be appreciated.....

I have a New Vaquero Bisley in 45C. 5.5" barrel What I've found is the ammo choice affects accuracy & aim. I reload so I can move up and down the range easy enough until I pinpont something.

The only store bought stuff I shot is Winchester 230g cowboy loads. Very wimpy and all over the paper. If that doesn't hurt a box of 50 for $38 will make you cry just a little.

If I had it to do over again I'd get someting in 44 rather than 45

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>>ARMED LIBERAL>>

Mine does: .45 Colt, 250 gr SWC, 8.5 Gr. Unique.

Most fixed sight six guns need to be regulated....

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Non gratum anus rodentum

My son has a New Vaquero, which he likes very much. He normally uses autos for "real world" needs, but likes the Ruger. He does handload

I had a stainless Super Blackhawk, which was easy to fire, for a .44 Magnum. It pointed very well and was quite accurate. I'd still have it, if I hadn't had to sell some guns to eat while I was out of a job. I plan to replace it.

Look the gun over carefully to check for quality control, which some on the Ruger boards say is an issue, as with every brand. My only Rugers now are DA and a .22 auto, but all are very well made.

I really miss that Super B.

If you get a .45, try Federal's 225 grain lead SWC-HP. If you can find it... I had a Colt New Service that performed very well with Remington and Winchester 250-255 grain loads, but I liked that Federal when I could locate it. It shot well, and looked grimly effective.

I have had a few Ruger Vaqueros and shot them a lot with various loads. In each case, with original fixed sights they shot pretty close to POA at 25 to 50 yds. when I used standard loads, e.g. 250 grainers at 900 fps in 45 Colt, 200-225 grainers at 900-1000 fps for 44-40, 158 grainers at 900+ fps in 38 Spl brass or 1200 fps in 357 Mag. I usually adjusted sights on mine for 75 yards, making POI a bit high at 25 and 50, but just fine for "setting target on top of front sight" at the closer ranges.

You can hear a lot of BS from SASS shooters about Ruger Vaqueros shooting low. Loads they use are pretty wimpy, using light bullets at low velocities. Many of those shooters file down front sight so that these wimpy loads shoot to POA. I would not buy such guns.

Niklas

I have one in .357 magnum, New model, blued with case colored frame, ivory grips. It's purty.

It does not shoot low, or high, unless you hold it to shoot low or high. You have to shoot it a LOT to figure out your sight picture. I got the .357 so that I could shoot a lot of .38s and save $$. That was a good idea.

I have to admit though, I would rather shoot .357 mags in it though. I'm a recoil junkie. Someday I would like to kill a wild hog with it, if I get lucky.

i had to bend the front sight on mine, and file it off a bit i would get the blackhawk,that way i can ajust the gun to the loads and not ajust the loads to the gun

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WILL WORK FOR AMMO!

Have a Vaquero Bisley in .357 magnum. I was worried about the fixed sights but found that this revolver is DNO. It's the most accurate handgun I own. I love this six shooter. The Bisley gives you a hammer with a lowered spur. This makes it easy to cock without changing your grip. It also has a wide target trigger and a grip that is 1911ish. I choose the .357 instead of the 45LC. Ammo is cheaper, easier to find, and offers a variety of loads.

Howdy,
I'm with Alden and Willcarry. My .357 shoots to the sights.
It will hold the black on a B-8 bulls eye target at 25 yards with a 6 o'clock hold with .38 loads, I have shot it for fun in bullseye matches. I used it this morning and shot it to 1st place in the cowboy single action class in our local pin match.
I like mine.
Good luck
Mike

My 45 Colt Vaquero shoots perfectly and right where your aiming.





Recoil with Federal 225 grain JSP loads, Winchester 225 grain Silvertips, and the new Winchester 225 grain PDX1 loads are all identical. If you loaded the chambers randomly I could never tell which was which. As far as accuracy goes: I always liked my 5 1/2" barrel 357 Magnum Vaquero but this 4 5/8" 45 colt is a damn tack driver!

Below are six rounds of the PDX1 load at 12 yards:



You can see me shake my head in annoyance in the video when I throw one away (my fault, not the guns).



.45 Colt Ruger Vaquero 4.625 inch Barrel at 12 yards.wmv - YouTube

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NRA Certified Instructor

Sir, FWIW, my old .45 Vaquero shot to correct elevation at 25 yards with 250s, but very low with 200s. With fixed sights, it's very much a matter of figuring out what bullet weight they're regulated for and at what distance.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.

Another You Tube video about the Vaquero. This one is mine, done a while back.

Ruger New Vaquero .357 magnum - YouTube

Mine was pretty close, except for elevation. There was enough on the front sight to file down. BTW, my dealer told me that most were OK, and Ruger would take care of those that weren't. I don't remember whether he knew what they did, but they probably turned the barrels. (My dealer & I are shooting buddies, and although we occasionally have differences of opinion, he doesn't BS me.)

Oops. Forgot to mention that mine was a .44 Mag.

Thanks for the input, looks like a Vacquero will be mine in the near future...

Canoeguy

Ruger Super Blackhawk muzzle flash - YouTube

For those interested, you can see here the muzzle flash and recoil of the .44 Magnum Super Blackhawk.

In that caliber, the shorter-barrelled Vaquero would be louder and have a brighter flash. The New Vaquero is on a smaller frame, and may not come in .44 Magnum. I haven't checked.

I had to do the same to my .44 Magnum Bisley Vaquero to get it on paper at 50 feet. It was very load sensitive and I no longer own it for just that reason.

All but one of my fixed sight S&W's hit exactly at point of aim, so I don't understand why the Vaquero was such a problem. I stick to Blackhawks now when going for an S/A revolver.

That's not a meaningful question.

Fixed sights are generally regulated for a particular load. Use a different load, and they shoot to a different point of impact.

You need to specify a SPECIFIC load when you ask such a question. Even then, there will be variation from one shooter to the next. But without specifics, there's no answer to the question.

They do need to regulated, either by adjusting the sights, or adjusting the load.

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Lost it all in a boat accident

I have this same gun and have the same experience. It shoots dead on.

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GO NAVY!

Just bought a bisley in .357 SS 5.5inch,
Man she feels good in my hands, Hopefully the weather holds up this weekend so I can try out some loads with her.
Originally when I went to the local store, I was going to get the blackhawk in .357 SS but there is no 5.5 in ch barrels, when I actually held the bisley vs. the 4.6inch blackhawk, the Bisley won me over.
Angle of the grip and hammer felt more comfortable in my hands.

Visual inspection was good factory wise, I havent checked the gaps yet but there is a very minor rough side on one side of the trigger, looks like someone was eager to get off on a friday and left a very small tooling area along the edge, nothing i cant smooth and buff out cause I do plan on buffing her to a high shine

Need to find out what load she likes and get that POI/POA dead on. There is such a ballistics range with the .357mag that you can find the right rounds for just about any scenerio eh? very versatile round, My 686 is going to get jealous

Now for some "way too expensive" grips and leather!

True and not true.

I respectfully submit that years ago a friend bought two Ruger Old Model Vaqueros in .44 Magnum. They shot very low with 240 grain bullets at about 850 fps. My three Old Model Vaqueros in .44 Magnum also shot a bit low with my load of a 240 grain bullet at 1,000 fps. But since they were stainless it was not an issue, filed the sights down and polished them back to original.

However NiklasP is dead on about buying used fixed sight revolvers, especially those bought from a "competitive" SASS shooters who shot 100 grain .38 bullets at 650 fps.

I have the three Old Vaquero .44 Magnums, two Old Vaquero .45 Long Colts, and one New Vaquero .44 Special. All of them had to be adjusted for proper windage at 25 yards.

This was done by twisting the barrels (it did not take much). I have heard of bending the sights but I would not do that, it would be my luck to have the sight break.

Also, buying the stainless guns is a plus if you have to file down the front sight. It is easy to refinish back to the original stainless finish. I have never been able to cold blue a filed down blued sight and have the blue remain after a few holster "draws".

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Have guns...will shoot'em.

The answer to OP's question is ' sort of'.

They will usually stay on the paper, at close range.

Not always at 25 yards or more.

Kind of luck of the draw.

I have a New Model Vaquero 5.5" in stainless 45 Colt. Mine shoots low but that could be the ammo. Only put about 20 rounds through it so far. Bought it new and I like the craftsmanship. Also, if any of you guys have the stainless single action Ruger's, you can polish the ejector rod housing to match the stainless. Why Ruger polished everything else and not this part is beyond me. I used some Flitz and a Dremel with a buffing wheel. Before and after picture.

James

Attached Images

	Vaquero 2.jpg (156.3 KB, 111 views)
	Vaquero 5.jpg (111.5 KB, 110 views)

Hey, zombie thread! Cool!

My birdshead 3.75" New Vaquero .45 ACP does, pretty much, at 10 yards. These aren't particularly good groups from it, just ones I found quickly to demonstrate the point.

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Now go make God proud...

Now, three years after the original post, what .44 Magnum revolver did I wind up with?

A 4" Smith and Wesson 29-2.......

Found it at a pawn shop, it had been way over priced, sat for three years before they finally lowered the price. I've had it for a while now, very accurate and fun to shoot with mild cast lead hand loads and 240 grain jacketed hand loads at moderate velocities.

I carry it in a Bianchi #5 BHL thumb break holster, great trail companion.

LOL That is quite a surprising outcome. I like how the single actions recoil like the Super Blackhawk, I find it more comfortable. I also have a M29-2.