New vaquero shoots to the left

[Tripplebeards]

I tried a wolf spring in it and it made the pull heavier. Same with my 1st and second stage in my andaconda. Both factory trigger springs i ended up putting back in after some polishing. My vaquero brakes at 2 lbs 4 oz. I pull the trigger with just the tip of my finger like I do when I'm using a target rifle or predator rig. I still can't find what someone referred to as a hold chart. I know the pistol feels small in my hand with ruger factory faux ivory grips.

[sandog]

I don't think fixed sights are useless, I can shoot quite well with them once they are regulated.
I can see if a guy is new to handgun shooting, that perhaps he needs to work on technique and his hold.
But for us guys that have been shooting for decades, and have multiple handguns, I for sure don't want to
"adapt" my grip for a certain handgun, then maybe another handgun will need a slightly different grip to hit right on, and yet another grip will need yet another grip variation, etc.

That would be like me, who wears a 36 waist, buying pants that are a 32 waist, and I have to go on a diet so I can wear them. Then I buy a pair that are a 40 waist, and I have to gain weight to wear them.
Much easier just to buy a pair that fits from the get-go.
Another analogy would be when you get into a car that you haven't driven before. You can drive it for years with your body pressed up against the steering wheel, or so far back you can't reach the pedals, or you could adjust the darn seat so it is just right.

I hold my handguns a certain way, and always have. I don't want to have to remember to do something different every time I pick up a different gun.
Mike Venturino, in his book "Sixguns of the Old West", explains how ( and why you should) regulate a fixed sight revolver much better than I did.

I'm not saying bend the front sight, file a bit off the top of it, or turn the barrel right away, but if it comes down to it, don't be afraid to do it, if that's what it takes.

This Cimarron Colt clone was grouping well with my handload, but was shooting to the right for me ( I'm left handed).
So I bent the front sight slightly and filed off the top of the front sight, then it was hitting dead on.
Much better than having to remember to hold high and to the left, or to grip this particular gun differently.

[Larry Gibson]

I agree with doug that bending the front sight should not be done on SAA style revolvers......they will break loose from the soldered slot the fit in. Back in the day when a lot of fixed sighted S&W and Colt DA revolvers had thin front sights machined integral to the barrel you could bend those w/o breaking them.

In the past with fixed sighted revolvers and with a OM Vaquero 44-40 I currently have that also shot slightly to the left no matter what I tried.......different bullets, different powders, different grips, etc. Having a barrel vise it was easy to just slightly turn the barrel in just a tudge. Tape was put on the frame and the barrel and their junction. Then with a sharp pencil a line was drawn across both. The barrel was then turned in 1/4 of the line width. It's sighted perfectly now.

Attachment 242187

[DougGuy]

Some Italian clones, old Colts, front sights were thin and basically mild steel, easy to bend and the silver solder was very strong. Ruger front sights are thick, and that stainless is STOUT. The front sight blade is MUCH stronger than the solder holding it.


This is the Uberti Old West model, made 2006, look how thick the front sight is. This is one that would give up the solder joint before it would bend.. It's like arm wrestling. Look how thick the opponent is! No way would I try bending this one.

[bigted]

I am reminded of a third gen Colt SAA that went away in a trade.

This revolver ALWAYS shot high and left with EVERY cast boolit load I loaded for it. Different lead alloys, different powders and loads, all kinda different primers in three different kinds of cases ... always shot high n left to different degree's. THEN I loaded some 158 grain Hornaday jacketed bullets over some IMR 4227 ... these shot to the point of aim ... RIGHT to point of aim.

Not being a feller to desire buying costly factory jacketed bullets, I again put this Colt 357 mag back through all the different loads, boolits and hardness as well as combo's with CCI, REM, FED primers. Still high n left ... finally traded it off as cast lead boolits are and will be my primary choice of bullet type. If they will never be able to be used in a costly revolver without doing some sort of modification that costs in the value of the revolver, then my feeling was and is to get my value outta it and move on to something that meets my criteria.

My current New Vaquero 45 Colt 4 5/8ths barrel length shoots cast boolits very well in the weight it likes and speed with its favorite powder.

Just sayin that your needs may not be met with a particular gun ... without mods. If its value to you is more then just money ... then modify till it shoots for you and your style.

[Tripplebeards]

I dose make sense about trying various loads and powder charges as I’ve seen them movie around on paper when I load test rifles at 100 yards but as others have said the loads might not group worth a darn when POA is centered. I loaded up the 18 rounds I fired out of my 50 cast loads and plan on letting all 50 go through it in 6 round intervals on separate targets to get a re confirm it’s shooting 3” to the left at 25 yards. I will be using my pistol rest in stead of free handing it for a few groups as well to see if it makes a difference in point of aim.

[Texas by God]

Every fixed sight S&W revolver I have fired was ON with normal loads. Same for 1911 Colts. Fixed sights are very useful and even desirable for ruggedness. I want one of those 40lpi files!

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[35 Whelen]

Every fixed sight S&W revolver I have fired was ON with normal loads. Same for 1911 Colts. Fixed sights are very useful and even desirable for ruggedness. I want one of those 40lpi files!

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Yep, they do a fantastic job.

Grobet Swiss Pattern File Checkerings Hand 6 Inch Cut 1 40 lines per inch

Here's a before and after of the Hombre pictured in one of my previous posts. Despite the matte finish, the front sight was shiny from being drawn from and returned to a leather holster-





35W

[DougGuy]

Those checkering files are for layout purposes more than finishing the job. You use the 40lpi file to establish the pattern, then use a fine cut triangular file to deepen the lines.

When my eyes were many years younger, I did a LOT of metal checkering. All kinds of 1911 stuff.

[Livin_cincy]

These charts can be helpful:
http://www.bullseyepistol.com/training.htm

Note- For Right Handed Shooter.

Read the article http://www.bullseyepistol.com/training.htm

You can dry fire practice balancing a coin on the barrel so your trigger pull does not drop the coin.

[Tripplebeards]

Thanks, I'm left handed but shoot and fish right.

Just my tip of my fingers is on the trigger there's only about a 1/4" of the tip overlapped before I have no finger on the trigger. Am I sopose to pull it on the exact tip of my finger?lol, to the point my finger almost slips off the trigger...because that's about where I'm going to be at if I slide it out any more. I've been shooting pistols since the early eighties and use to knock over bowling ball pins every shot at 100 yards with both 44 mag and 22 pistols. But that was with red dots installed. I'm sure I'm a little rusty since I haven't shot in quite a few years but I'll give it a try before I send it into Ruger again.

Maybe if I rapid thumb fire it will put me on the Money.lol

[JBinMN]

While Livin_Cincys chart in post#50 has the basically same info, this one below may help a bit more as it gives a bit more detail about what in particular to correct & as well as a couple more pie cuts to consider.:


And what it is saying is that you are likely not having enough trigger finger on the trigger. Which may be partly due to the grips on the revolver & not just your hold.

I know this is aggravating. I had a Ruger Single Six in 22/22mag that annoyed the heck out of me with not hitting POA as I reckoned it should, until I traded it away. I just did not have the patience back then, I reckon...

G'Luck!

[Tripplebeards]

Just got back from the range. I shot the way I normally do and laid 2 shots almost touching at 25 yards. They of course shot 2” to the left. I put a little more finger on it it and the same close group to the right out 2”. The next one I hit in bullseye but a little high...I cut the difference in finger placement! Then I blew the last shot because I got excited. I then tried 6 grains of trail boss. 4 shots in a mice little circle about 1.5” outside to outside measurement if I had to guess...it was a hair low and 2” left again. I readjusted, trigger and shot the other two. One in the bulls and the other 3” right. I then tried some cast cowboy loads my pops bought. They were all over the place...even off my rest. I switched back to my 5.2 grain trailboss load and shot at broken pieces of clay pigeons laying under the 25 yard target. They ranged from the size of a quarter to silver dollar. I hit 6 for six! I think it helped to aim small. I just need to practice a little more because I believe the sights are probably fine and all on me and my trigger finger placement. I did try 50 yards...I was consistently low and left about a foot.lol

[DougGuy]

Yay!! The light at the end of the tunnel is NOT the train!!

Ok, let me ask this again. 3rd time. What do the sights do when you dry fire the gun? Can you dry fire and hold them perfectly still? That, is the REAL goal. If you have problems holding them still during lock time with dry fire, this is what's also causing you problems in live fire.

NORMALLY, lightening up the trigger return spring by either pulling one leg off and letting it hang or swapping in a Wolff 30oz. trigger return spring will make a BIG difference in holding sights motionless. Try it with one leg off.

This may be on you, as you say, and not so much the gun, but this simple exercise and test is worth it's weight in ammo ten thousand times over if it allows you to master holding them sights while the hammer falls. If you haven't been practicing this, check it out.. I'm not telling you this b/c I think you can't shoot, I am telling you this so you will KNOW if you are pulling shots or holding still in lock time. Mastering this, is how you remove the "you" from the situation, and it's all on the gun after that.

[Tripplebeards]

I believe I pulled one leg off last year but don’t remember...I’ll have to check. Is it ok to dry fire my new model vaquero?

[DougGuy]

I believe I pulled one leg off last year but don’t remember...I’ll have to check. Is it ok to dry fire my new model vaquero?

Yes of course! It is a recommended exercise and important to be able to hold sights still..

[Texas by God]

Every time I see that correction target I think of this one

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[JBinMN]

Every time I see that correction target I think of this one

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Hahahahaha Funny!

[Tripplebeards]

If I would have been shown that correction target first it would have made more sense.lol