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Ruger Vaquero--shooting left


GUest

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I know it may be too soon to say, I took my Vaquero out this weekend and tried 2 hand loads in it and one box of Magtech.

The first load I was shooting a 157g SWC with 3.0 Trail Boss, the second load was 3.5 Trail Boss same bullet.

The Magtech I shot was 158g RLN.

 

Overall from 15 feet, the groups were faily tight 1-2" I did what I could shooting from a rest holding it steady with both hands. I was shooting POA.

However did notice that all the shots were shooting a little to the left.

 

It may be too early to say, I am going to try 3 different loads this weekend (2 with the 157G--and up my powder a little) I am also going to try some new 125G bullets I got coming and use 3-3.5G of Trail Boss.

 

Question--Is it a common thing for a Vaquero to shoot a little to the left?

It may be too soon to blame the ammo as I stll have a long way to go in that regard.

 

Jsut curious---if it does continue however is there anything I can do to the pistol to correct it?

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It is common for those unfamiliar with a SA revolver to get "too deep" in the trigger and pull em left. Off hand it'll likely be low and left..... Make sure yer holding it so the back of yer hand is bent at about a 45 degree angle, the bore will more or less be parallel with the forearm bones, and yer finger will have just the pad on the trigger, pulling straight back. If yer hand isn't bent, yer gonna be too deep in the trigger and "milk" the gun to the left.

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First make sure it's really shooting to the left and not just a holding error or trigger pull error. If it's still shooting to the left, you can move the group to the right by tightening the barrel a bit. That rotates the front sight a little to the left, moving the group to the right.

 

You will need a barrel vice to hold the barrel and a soft wood 2x2 to insert in the frame where the cylinder goes. (I just saw a video of the Uberti factory tightening barrels that way.) I've done it myself on a couple of dozen guns, including Rugers, with no ill effects.

 

Just a disclaimer though: Some say you can bend the frame by turning the barrel with a 2x2 stuck through the frame. If you're squemish it's best to take it to a gunsmith.

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I was shooting a 4x4" square/target centered on a piece of typing paper. Most if not all the shots were hitting around the lower left corner about 7/8 o.clock. Some hit the square some were just outside of it. Overall I would say 1-1.5" groups sometimes less, but definently left and consistantly with all the ammo I shot through it this weekend.

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So if you were aiming at the center of the 4 inch square, your shots are not much more than 2 inches off at the 15 yard distance.

 

Close enough for cowboy says I. I honestly don't know if my RNVs shoot a little left or not, I just know when I'm using the sights, and seeing them well, when I press the trigger my loads go bang and the steel goes clang.

 

But, it sounds like you're one who likes to tinker with loads and POI POA, so have at it, and have fun. But as others have said, and was my first thought, make sure it's not your trigger finger pushing or pulling it left (depending on if yer left or right handed.)

 

Grizz

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Howdy Guest (really wish you'd get a name and location...)!

 

Before altering (blaming) your gun, you might want to check out this or this.

 

Regards,

 

Allie Mo

 

You beat me, Miss Allie. I was going to post that diagnostic target. The description of where the shots hit is a classic example of minor problems with form and mechanics.

 

GUest, find someone with a Ransom rest, or similar, and see what the gun does from that. At the very least, have some others shoot it and see if it is consistent for everyone.

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Howdy

 

I agree with AJ. If you are new to shooting pistols, it is very, very common to affect shot placement by having 'too much finger' on the trigger. Check your method. If you are placing the trigger into the crease behind the first knuckle, that is the classic definition of too much finger on the trigger. Shooting this way, a righty will tend to push the shots to the left, and a lefty will tend to pull the shots to the right. What happens is as you curl your finger to pull the trigger, you inadvertently push the pistol to one side.

 

I repeat, very common.

 

Be sure you are pulling the trigger with the pad of the trigger finger, not the crease. Pulling the trigger this way does not feel as natural at first, but it should result in your shots going where the sights are. Pulling the trigger with the pad of the finger means you will be pulling more straight back with the finger, and less likely to be pushing the gun to one side as you curl your finger.

 

Try again, making sure you are using proper trigger technique. I'll bet you a donut it fixes the problem.

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Howdy

 

I agree with AJ. If you are new to shooting pistols, it is very, very common to affect shot placement by having 'too much finger' on the trigger. Check your method. If you are placing the trigger into the crease behind the first knuckle, that is the classic definition of too much finger on the trigger. Shooting this way, a righty will tend to push the shots to the left, and a lefty will tend to pull the shots to the right. What happens is as you curl your finger to pull the trigger, you inadvertently push the pistol to one side.

 

I repeat, very common.

 

Be sure you are pulling the trigger with the pad of the trigger finger, not the crease. Pulling the trigger this way does not feel as natural at first, but it should result in your shots going where the sights are. Pulling the trigger with the pad of the finger means you will be pulling more straight back with the finger, and less likely to be pushing the gun to one side as you curl your finger.

 

Try again, making sure you are using proper trigger technique. I'll bet you a donut it fixes the problem.

 

 

 

Well...that is one of the first things I made sure I didnt do. I am not new to shooting pistols, so I corrected that problem a long time ago, BUT I could be doing it with this new type of pistol without knowing it, its alot different than shooting automatics I will say that. But as you pointed out, I do squeeze the trigger with the pad of my finger and not the joint as I do with my automatics.

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Have a shooter with LOTS of trigger time try the gun to be SURE it's not YOU.

Agree with Grits.

I was a 7 o'clock shooter until I handed the gun to a bullseye shooter. Yep, it was me

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OMV were notorious for shooting low left, not sure about the NMV.

 

We had a big match 8 years or so ago that someone brought a ransom rest out and had a prize for best group. I didn't see all the groups shot, but at least half of them. Probably 75% of the OMV I saw shot about 1" low and 1" left at about 10 yards.

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Howdy

 

I agree with AJ. If you are new to shooting pistols, it is very, very common to affect shot placement by having 'too much finger' on the trigger. Check your method. If you are placing the trigger into the crease behind the first knuckle, that is the classic definition of too much finger on the trigger. Shooting this way, a righty will tend to push the shots to the left, and a lefty will tend to pull the shots to the right. What happens is as you curl your finger to pull the trigger, you inadvertently push the pistol to one side.

 

I repeat, very common.

 

Be sure you are pulling the trigger with the pad of the trigger finger, not the crease. Pulling the trigger this way does not feel as natural at first, but it should result in your shots going where the sights are. Pulling the trigger with the pad of the finger means you will be pulling more straight back with the finger, and less likely to be pushing the gun to one side as you curl your finger.

 

Try again, making sure you are using proper trigger technique. I'll bet you a donut it fixes the problem.

Howdy all . . .

 

Not to seem contrary - but my experience with this is that the trigger finger placement is mostly irrelevant,

it's the sympathetic contraction of the grip fingers which causes the fire arm to deflect when that event occurs.

 

As long as the shooter is placing rearward pressure on the trigger it will move to the rear. What mostly happens

is that a looser or weaker grip is compounding the issue, and as you try to contract the trigger finger, the others move

in concert with this, putting a leftward deflection on the gun. A firm grip and careful attention to the trigger

pressure alleviates this without having to move the finger to a weaker and less controlled position.

 

Most folks are unable to put their hand into a gun holding position, and then move only the trigger finger.

The others tend to respond as well. It takes a bit of effort to move only the one finger. Wrap your hands

around an imaginary gun butt, then pull your trigger finger back. You'll feel the micro-muscle movement in

your other fingers as well. That will deflect the gun.

 

The trigger finger is less likely to move around during the buck of recoil as well, when the joint is used, so the

same trigger pull can be more rapidly used without fumbling about to relocate the finger. In Bullseye and other

slow fire sports that's a non issue, but in CAS you want to be able to cycle the gun faster, and if the trigger is

not well planted it will move.

 

I've had a few Rugers over the years that were left shooting - and a few Colt's as well.

 

In general the gunsmiths I've worked with moved the centerline of the barrel over to point in the right direction.

 

There seems to be two schools of thought on trigger control techniques - the combat school and the Bullseye school.

 

I guess it depends on who your mentors were . . .

 

Shadow Catcher

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First make sure it's really shooting to the left and not just a holding error or trigger pull error. If it's still shooting to the left, you can move the group to the right by tightening the barrel a bit. That rotates the front sight a little to the left, moving the group to the right.

 

Just be careful how far you go. If you go too far (metal has already been crushed) it may loosen up if you try to move it back. Then you would get into turning it on a lathe to cut an additional thread for another revolution and would have to re-cut the forcing cone and reestablish the barrel/cylinder gap (ie. money in the smith's pocket to be sure). Seen this happen once. It got kind of ugly as things turned from simple to bad to worse. I have also seen the front sight blade (on fixed sighted guns) heated and bent the correct direction to correct POI. That might be a thought for you? If you chose to do the barrel tightening method, take a couple of 3/4 by 3/4" pieces of steel about a foot or longer and drill two holes towards the end of each that will span the width of the top to bottom cylinder frame measurement. Also get a couple pieces of abs plastic of the same measurement and do the same to them (to keep from marring the finish). Then you'll need a couple of schedule 8 bolts and nuts (fine threads work best) to clamp the steel then the plastic then the gun frame in-between. Two good pieces of solid hardwood with some rosin in a bench vise work fine for a barrel vise and the steel/plastic clamp will attach right at the barrel/frame juncture. I've made a couple of these and they are the best pistol/barrel wrenches I have used to date including the pro models that Brownells sells. Having two sides to apply pressure to on the wrench gives you much more control when removing or installing a barrel. Be sure to place a "witness" mark on the barrel/frame to give you a reference point before you start, and go SLOW to begin with as a little bit goes a long way. It is a simple job, just take your time. Best of luck to you. Smithy.

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OMV were notorious for shooting low left, not sure about the NMV.

 

We had a big match 8 years or so ago that someone brought a ransom rest out and had a prize for best group. I didn't see all the groups shot, but at least half of them. Probably 75% of the OMV I saw shot about 1" low and 1" left at about 10 yards.

 

+1 EVERY OMV I ever bought shot low and left. A dremel tool corrected the problem every time. My NMV's were closer but still needed adjustment. When you shoot downloaded SASS ammo you will always be low.....you will have to file the sight or change your sight picture for the elevation. The left "could" be you or the gun but shoot someone else's pistol that IS sighted in and see what happens.

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Just be careful how far you go. If you go too far (metal has already been crushed) it may loosen up if you try to move it back. Then you would get into turning it on a lathe to cut an additional thread for another revolution and would have to re-cut the forcing cone and reestablish the barrel/cylinder gap

I had a Blackhawk that faced this some years ago, and rather than chuck it up and set the threads/shoulder back, I peened the shoulder very gently with a 2 oz hammer rotating the barrel several times as I went round and round and round, and was able to successfully set the shoulder back a couple thousandths.

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I have 4 NMVs. Three shoot to point of aim, and one a little left. I can easily adjust for high or low, but right and left is a little more difficult. Some day I am going to have to get fix the one that shoots a little left.

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