Picked up my new Birds Head Vaquero today...................

[Dusty Miller]

And I'm wonder'n what is the best bullet weight for the short barrel? I'm think'n the 250 ought to be just the number but if anybody has any experience shooting 45 Colt from a short barrel I'd appreciate hearing from you.

[Lloyd Smale]

there nice guns and you will love it. As far as bullets go if your going to hunt with it stick to 250-300 grain bullets at 900+fps and you cant go wrong.

[Big Blue]

Dusty Miller,
 
  First off, congrats on your new handgun! I just picked up a Bisley Vaquero last week in .44 mag. I had wanted the Birdshead, but after handling a few guns, I found that my paws are a might too large for those  grips.
  Your guns load should really depend on what you plan on using it for. I have a 2" barreled .45 Colt that pretty much shoots anything I feed it well enough, but I use it for concealed carry so I load it with the Cor-Bon defense loads. If accuracy is your goal, just try different loads 'til you find one it prefers, or one that is comfortable for you to shoot.

Good Luck with it.
Don

[Prof. Fuller Bullspit]

I use 250 and 200 grain bullets with good results in mine. As has been stated it really depends on what you want to do with the gun. For all-around use in the .45 it is hard to beat a 250 grain lead bullet with a big meplat.