Vaqueros shooting low

[Six Shot]

Anybody have a suggestion what can be done to raise the impact point on my (old) Ruger Vaqueros (besides aiming higher)? I'm using 158 gr. LRNFP with 3.3 gr. of Titegroup which gives me about 820 fps but many of my shots are low. I place the front blade even with the top of the rear sight notch. Someone suggested filing down the front blade. I'm reluctant to do so but its not out of the question. Any suggestions appreciated.

[litl rooster]

I agree with Seth about shooting from a rest. Or get another shooter to try. It might be in the loads also. When I shoot low it's because I am not becoming friends with my front sight.  Remember once you take it off the front it's harder to put back on.

[Hemlock Mike]

I've found that light loads tend to shoot lower.  You might try someone's load with a 250 gr slug and about 7.5 gr of Unique.  Also a ~800 Fps load.

I did file my front sight about 0.020" on my RV 7.5" revolver to help 25 and 50 yard hits.  If you file, put away the Dremmel tool unless you are really good with one 

Mike

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[Camille Eonich]

Six Shot what caliber is the gun?

[litl rooster]

Six Shot what caliber is the gun?

He said in origonal post a 158 grain bullet, I would suspect .38 sp.

[klausg]

Lil Rooster-  I have to agree with everyone, fire it from a rest just to be sure, but I would go with a heavier bullet as they tend to print higher, I know it's the opposite of what you'd expect.  If you do decide to file go really slow.  Good luck

-SSG Klaus

[Camille Eonich]

Lil Rooster that's what I assumed too but that's on the high end of a .38/.357 and it should be a heavy enough bullet that it's not dropping.  Now with a .45 a 158 or 160 would cause the bullet to drop meaning that you would need to hold high on the target.

Hemlock Mike's post made me ask what caliber that we are talking about

[Hemlock Mike]

Camille --

You are right.  I see so many small slug weights anymore --- I ferget that there's under wart hog guns out there !!   Still,  light loads in some guns shoot low because of recoil considerations.

Mike

[Will Blastem]

Guess I'm not really sold on the idea of shooting form a rest. Doesn't recoil affect trajectory? mean that A bench rest which inhibits recoil , or alters it from the way a shooter shoots free hand will change the apparent trajectory...For example: I use a Glock in 45 caliber for personal defence and I can tell you that my point of aim/impact is different between shooting free hand and with a bench rest.?? Just a thought and my humble, unscientific, uneducated, .02 worth.

Anyway....that's my story n I'm stickin to it

[Cyrille]

I definately do not recommend filing down the front sight! my [old style] Vaquero has shot high since I took it out of the box. But I've learned to live with it. I realize that your problem is the opposite of mine, but you are doing the right thing, trying diffrent loads.That is what I'm doing but going in the opposite direction.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

RULE OF THUMB.  (International sliding scale!)

Heavier bullets shoot higher.

Lighter bullets shoot lower

Both of my older Vaqueros shot low, and I DID FILE!

[Guage Rod]

I recommend that you bench test the gun at 10 yards on paper.  Try as many load varriations, with powder and slug whts as different as you can afford to buy, beg or borrow. 

If you have a favorite load, and want the gun to shoot it POA, then stick with load and have the gun modified by Ruger, or by a local GS. 

If you want to file after hitting on a favorite load.  I recommend a bench, shoot 5 rounds, file a sliver off shoot 5 more rounds, see how it groups and file a sliver off if need be, take only 001. off at a time.

 I also recommend that you let another experienced shooter try the gun before going  to the trouble of sending the gun off or filing.  If it still shoots low then move on to the next level.

 If you are shooting Store bought rounds, let Rugger or your GS know the vital stats or give the GS some of the Rounds to work with.  I do not know if you can send ammo in the mail or UPS, but you definately can not send them together with the Gun. 

BTW, Ruger recommends lining up the sights with the lower part of the bullseye when shooting.  Might try the center or high on the B'eye to see how it shoots.  As I tell the folks I teach with rugers, put the blade dead center of the camels back and complete the hump, so it all looks like it goes together on the RV's,

Once your sighted in on paper to POA.  Try with out the bench.  You should be doing well.  Just take it slow if you do it your self, shoot 5 at a time to get a grouping (at 10 yards it should not be hard to get a nice tight group off the bench, say 2 to 3 inches).  Mark the first 5 shoots with a marker so you can tell or change targets with each batch.  Just take it slow, plan on an afternoon of fine tunning your RV.  It took me 35 rounds and 2.5 hours to get my AWA, peace maker to shoot POA, with my pet loads. 

Vaya Con Dios