New Vaquero pressure warning/HELP!

[dustoff451]

Hello everyone, I have purchased a NEW VAQUERO with a 5.5 in. barrel and with some of your help I was able to find and purchase some PENN 270 gr. wadcutters.

I was trying to find any reloading data for the NEW, not the old vaquero.

And what popped up when I was looking at the SPEER site-

A warning from Ruger, via Speer, that stated that the New Vaquero in 45 colt should not be handloaded higher than the Industry Standard (14,000).

OK, fine, now what? I still need reloading data for the New Vaquero using PENN's 270 gr. Wadcutter.

My concern is that the full wadcutter will have a longer bearing surface than a semi wadcutter/ WFN.

And I'm wondering if I would have higher pressures using the PENN 270's while utilizing the same load data of a 45 colt/270gr. semiwadcutter/WFN?

Any help would be helpful- Thank you.

[shooting on a shoestring]

Well, I doubt you'll find any data for full wadcutter boolits in .45 Colt in the popular literature. There just aren't many folks who shoot full wadcutters in that caliber. I personally like wadcutters and shoot them almost exclusively in my carry .357 and .38. I've considered buying the Saeco wadcutter mould for .45 Colt, but haven't yet.

To the point, I don't think the added bearing surface will make a huge difference, just a small difference at low pressures. If it was me driving, I'd pick a good middle of the road powder like Unique or Herco, use the low end of the published data for 250 gr cast SWC, and expect good results.

I believe the seating depth of the back of the boolit will have more effect on your pressures than bearing surface. I'll bet the wadcutters will give significantly less case space than a 270 SWC.

Looking at the Lyman book for 454424/452424 a 250 gr SWC, they give the standard pressure loading for Unique as 6.0 to 8.5 gr. I'll bet your 270 wadcutters with 6.0 or 7.0 gr of Unique would shoot just fine. You can roughly correlate velocity to pressure. So, if you can use a chronograph, keep the speed under 800 fps and you can be reasonably sure your pressures will be under 14k.

[9.3X62AL]

To add to SOAS' text--nothing requires that you load the wadcutters flush with the case mouth, either. That is the usual practice with WC's, but is not etched in concrete.

[Lloyd Smale]

my little montado has digested proably at least 5000 rounds of ammo already. Load i use is a 255-270 cast with 9 grains of unique or 9.5 grains of herco. dont know where this lies in pressure but it sure hasnt hurt the gun and to be honest and i should say it here but i will. Rugers 14000 psi statement is nothing but a bunch of lawyer instigated bs! Weve shot colts at higher pressure then that for years and id bet the farm that this new ruger is stouter then a colt.

[44man]

The new one is still a strong gun but I would not shoot the loads I use in my old one out of it. I use a 335 gr and a 347 gr with 21.5 gr's of 296 for deer. Makes a .454 turn green with envy over the recoil.
I think the 14K is bull too, the new one will sure shoot hotter then a Colt. I just wish they offered both sizes instead of downsizing just for the cowboy shooters.
I would not fear a small change in boolits but like was said, don't seat the wadcutter deep, it will probably shoot better anyway. Bearing length won't effect it enough to know any difference.

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive got a lightwieght vaquero that dave clements did for me (old style) its a 4 inch gun with an alum. grip frame and ejector housing and the recoil shield and loading gate scaloped. Its a very light 45. It actually weights less then my montado. I load it with 300s and 23 grains of wc820 and the recoil out of that light gun with a standard blackhawk grip frame will make most 475 and 500 shooters go run for mama!!! It will turn the area on your trigger finger on the top side between the nuckles numb in a cylinder full of shots from slapping on the trigger gurad. I actually wear a bandaid on my trigger finger when i work up loads for it. It doesnt seem to buck up toward your face like a 500 but its a very sharp recoil and twist your wrist even more then the big guns.

[Bass Ackward]

I could just see you two in a 50s western.

Both coming down main street ready to draw. The moments tense, and then it happens .................... a loud bang and a cloud of dust. As it clears we see what happened.

Both of you are down, there are two torn up furrows in the street that looks like meteorites impacted from a Sci Fi movie. Then it becomes apparent that neither of ya hit squat but that your guns came up and knocked you out.

Oh boy........

[44man]

Very true, I had to put Pachmeyer grips on my Vaquero to save my finger. Before I did, 6 shots were too many. I shoot the .475 BFR all day and it does not compare.
The grips made it easy to shoot and since it is for hunting I don't care how it looks. I can change grips if I want it to look pretty. No loss at all. :drinks:

[Lloyd Smale]

just dont roll over one of them there covered wagons and think youll hide behind it. That allways made me chuckle watching westerns. Or hiding behind a wood wall and shooting out the window.
I could just see you two in a 50s western.

Both coming down main street ready to draw. The moments tense, and then it happens .................... a loud bang and a cloud of dust. As it clears we see what happened.

Both of you are down, there are two torn up furrows in the street that looks like meteorites impacted from a Sci Fi movie. Then it becomes apparent that neither of ya hit squat but that your guns came up and knocked you out.

Oh boy........

[44man]

The movies I like show bullets hitting a rock or stone wall right next to the guys face and nothing happens to him. About as smart as tipping over a table to hide behind. Then the bad guys make someone dance by shooting the ground in front of them and nobody gets hit.
Lloyd, we have to get Bass to shoot a REAL gun!:mrgreen:

[felix]

I think that Bass is slowly coming down to my level. Anything more than a peepsqueak competes for last place in the closet/safe. ... felix

[9.3X62AL]

No time at all with the "45 Lite" New Vaquero, can't help on that subject. But like Felix, getting beaten up be recoil isn't a thing I'm real fond of any more. I spent 20+ years of hobby time enjoying handgun recoil before the experience became more of an "enduring" sequence than an enjoyment. For most of my hunting work, I consider the family Win '73 and its 200 grain bullet at 1100-1200 FPS.....and the fact that the rifle harvested deer in the dozens. I'm not sure that all the power and glory is required to make venison, and it DARN SURE isn't needed for punching paper or spinning dinger plates. No slam intended to the folks with the 454's and 500's, but those aren't platforms I'll be trying.

[Lloyd Smale]

I like em all. I can have just as much fun with a .22 as anything but once in a while really enjoy playing with a big gun.

[dustoff451]

I want to thank every one for your'Insight' on my reloading for my 'New' Vaquero.

As soon as I get some loads made up and shot, I will recontact with with my findings-

Thanks again.