I've got a 4 5/8" blued R
NV, .45 Colt that I carry everyday. So far it has had exactly 25 factory round, (225gr. Win. SilverTips), fired through it for printing purposes. Everything else has been hand loaded. I've got to tell ya', I've been even more pleased with this one than my previous Ruger
"Old" Vaqueros! Fits my hand better, true, but it is more than that...
Right out of the box it was smoother and had a lighter trigger pull than I recall from any of my other three Rugers when new. The fixed sights were right in line horizotal plane as well. (More a matter of luck than anything else really. Vertical depends on the load.) The throat diameters were, for once, all equal and a nice .4525" in diameter. Fit and finish ar better than the previous revolvers I've owned, including the Smiths. The bore on this thing is slick. Very slick. I absolutely LOVE the reverse indexing pawl! (I wonder why I never thought of that before?) While it simply can't be as strong as the "Old" model, it is still quite a solid bit of work! Personally, I use it for hunting, target work, simple fun -and- as my concealled carry gun every single day and feel very well armed.
There are some negatives. The most obvious is the smaller frame and cylinder sizes.
Less steel = less strength. Simple common sense. Having the "Colt-clicks" in the hammer would have been a nice touch. It has a lock. Well hidden, but there. Mainly that just ticks me off about society more than Ruger. Ruger is, after all, a business. Besides, with three small kids in the house I've found myself using it.
Go figure...
Short list, eh?
One would be a fool to load these little sweeties as hot as some do the big hoglegs they come from. Period. I load mine often to near maximum specs with no show of pressure issues or wear. As of this morning it has digested 1200 rounds of various loads from CAS loads to "hunting loads" using 280 & 300 grainers.
Still, I avoid the heavy loads listed as Ruger Only like the plague! You should too. Out of curiousity I called Ruger and asked to what levels they proof-tested these models. The answer was, well, surprising. I'll not quote it here because it *might* give some the wrong idea. Handloader magazine did a well written article on loading for these RNVs a couple of months ago that I have to concur with completely. For my next trrick I'll be loading with the Penn Bullet's 270gr. Thunderheads. Even at reasonable velocity they should prove more than acceptable in the field. Besides, when I plug a deer or hog with a .45 Colt I grab for my Winchester Trapper.
Oh! I agree with the signature above about a 38grs. of black powder and a 255 gr slug! I've used those in this Ruger as well with outstanding results.
