45 Long Colt vs 44 special

[Wambo]

Now all you need to do is install a SBH hammer and a set of custom Gunfighter grips and you will be all set.

Very Nice!! I may just do exactly that!

Bob

Bob

[ghostsix]

     I knew Keith and the other folks folks that lived in ID. In the `70`s.  Keith packed a 5" Mod.29 then.
He wore it in the out building while typing poorly. It made sense. But he would hit whatever key. He would interrupt a letter to shoot something. We could all write then. His wife was an English Teacher.
The .44 Spec. is more inherently accurate than the .45 Colt. I have both and cannot tell the difference.
You can always bore out a .357 cylinder if you want it perfect. I have done that and reamed the forcing cone to 11 degrees. Brownell`s sells the reamer.
Due to the extra meat, you can run the.44 faster.
I liked Bill and own his early weapons. But he forgot that we wear them a lot more than we shoot them and his later designs are over weight.

[Sweetwater]

I picked up a 45Colt 7 1/2" Ruger Bisley Blackhawk, nearly new for a bit under $400 year before last. I would rather it had the 5 1/2" that my stainless 41mag wears, but... I've kept it near factory duplication loads and my wife has taken it over. She never cared for the buck and bang of the 41mag, even with light loads, but that 45Colt, she just asks for more ammo. I'm loading 12gr of BlueDot with a Lyman 250cast and they go where she aims. Keeps her smiling! I load 14gr of BlueDot with the same bullet for a friend at work and he really likes it in his 4 5/8" 45Colt Blackhawk. I do veryl little at the +P level as I don't find that much fun anymore. Things hurt too much, which takes away from the fun.
Even at 8 bucks a box, not sure I could afford to shoot much with $3.35 a gal for gasoline. I've reloaded most of my life and much of my stuff was passed down to me, though I've upgraded and added to it over time. My buddy bought an RCBS Master Reloading kit "used" with 3 sets of dies, several pounds of powder, several thousand primers, several hundred bullets, over a thousand pieces brass and additional stuff like tumber and media - all for less than the cost of a new RCBS Master Reloading kit. I can still produce a box of heavy 41mag ammo for less than $3 a box/50 plus my labors - casting my own from salvaged wheelweights and range lead. The last elk I shot went down to 182gr of this lead mix out of my rifle, so I guess my 'premium' bullet days are behind me. At my point in life, I find them unnecessary for my hunting and shooting needs.  Recommend you watch your local newpapers and trade papers and cash in on one of these type of deals. I've seen no advantage to getting "new" stuff, except it might have the directions which are usually available on a mfg web site.

Guess I would still like a good 44Spl.

Regards,
Sweetwater

[jd45]

Wambo, if I were you, I'd zero in on standard-pressure .45 Colt loads in your new Vaquero. You'd be surprised what a 250gr bullet @ 950fps is capable of. The old BP load of 40grs under a 250 killed at least one Grizzly bear, so says a book I once read at the Oak Park, Illinois library. This cartridge is a real thumper, loaded properly, jd45

[Wambo]

Well, I finally got the Ruger New Vaquero out to an indoor range with max of 50 feet. I haven't fired a handgun in over 20 years (23yrs?), so I was very rusty.  I should have started shooting at 25 feet rather than at 50 feet since the light on the target was better. The overhead light was out so with trifocals and non-highlighted sights, it was far less than stellar. The best I could do at 50 feet with the lighting was approx. 3" for 5 shots. Tomorrow I will go again, starting at 25 feet and working out, hopefully with a better lighted lane. I know it's much more accurate than that. The gal behind the counter suggested putting whiteout on the front blade to see it better in the liqhting conditions so I will try that.

My much needed practice aside, I found it to be very enjoyable to shoot with 250gr regular loads. It was easier than my old .357 was and makes nice big holes!

[Wambo]

Whoops! The above post should have read 5 shots in 6", not 3"!  Shows how good I am at ten-key.

Today I got a better lane and tried shooting at 25 feet. Now I'm getting 10 shots in 5" as my best. Better but still crappy. The gun is definitely a good shooter, I just need LOTS of practice!

[Sweetwater]

A week or so ago I was shooting a bunch of test loads for my 41mag blackhawk over a chronograph, outdoors, snow on the ground and partly cloudy skies. The mixed batch of loads all went into 2 inches at 50ft. I later shot a 44mag mdl29 S&W that went just over 2 inches at the same 50ft (heavy 'bear' load and not fun, and not mine). I followed that with an old Colt police positive 38spl. I could hardly make out the thin blade in the fixed sight grooved topstrap, and those shots went everywhere - close to 10 inches.

Let us know what you do with your Vaquero sights, if anything, that might help with your 'groups'. Indoor lighting can be tough to deal with. If you can't see them, you won't hit 'em.

Regards,
Sweetwater

[kennisondan]

bet the sights could use some highlighting or other changes..
dk