Sighting in a Ruger Vaquero with fixed sights?

[Lastmohecken]

Sighting in a Ruger Vaquero with fixed sights?
I have had this 4-5/8" New Vaquero for a few years but never shot it much. I just never used it much, because I have several other single actions, but it doesn't shoot to point of aim, like I would prefer. I think it shoots 2 or 3 inches to the left, if I recall. I have about decided that I either want to get it sighted in or trade it off.

I know I can sight it in by filing the groove in the frame, but I hate to do that. Filing the front sight down on one doesn't bother me, but I hate to file on the frame. I believe the proper way is to clamp the gun barrel in a vise and turn it slightly, to clock the front sight in the direction you need it to go. My question is how hard it that to do? I have a vise with wooden lined jaws but I doubt it would hold the barrel tight enough. I know they did this on the Colts.

Probably taking it to a gunsmith would be the best choice, I guess. Which I would love to, but I guess I would need to settle on a good load, and supply him with ammo to sight it in with. Of course, what I would really prefer to do is take it to someone who would let me do the shooting, so I would know that it would be sighted in for me.

What do you think? I know the cowboy action shooters have probably done this quite a bit, probably.

[JimT]

What distance are you sighting it in for?

Before you go filing the sights, try changing your powder charge up or down a bit. Also, try different powder charges. That sometimes changes the point of impact. Changing bullet weight can also do that at times.

[AmBraCol]

A quarter of a century ago I stopped at JT's place in Boise. He took me to his range and we had a grand time. While there I set up a target at 25 or 50 yards, I forget which at this point. I found my 45 Colt Vaquero was hitting to the left. So I took the target and the revolver to Shapel's gunsmith and they tweaked the barrel slightly in the frame. It's been holding dead center ever since. Oh, also I wasn't getting decent grouping like I wanted. So while visiting an old friend in Nebraska I had him try it at 25 yards with my handloads. He produced a ragged hole at that distance. The fixing of THAT issue was more complicated, had to tighten up the nut holding the grip and squeezing the trigger...

[Scott Tschirhart]

One of the reasons I have shot my USFA Rodeo so much is that I wanted to see consistent patterns of groups from various loads before I ever touched the sights. I shot two handed, strong handed, weak handed etc until I really learned the gun.

Some of the loads I tried changed elevation as well as windage.

[Griff]

Back nearly 40 years ago, at my 1st EOT cowboy match in Apr of '86 I was introduced to Bob Munden, and told to leave my Colt SAA with him to "fix" it. This was a 3rd Gen .45 that left the factory with a 7-½" bbl, but when the insurance company presented it to me as a replacement to my 2nd Gen 4-¾", it was wearing a 4-¾" bbl. Actually cut down from 7-½". But, they did a very nice job, I never noticed, until Bob gave me my gun back the next day. Telling me, that it was originally a 7-½" gun. When I gave the gun to Bob, it had a slightly left curving front sight with a flat top file job to bring together the POI, & POA @ 25 yards. When I got it back, it had a very straight, vertical and nicely rounded profile to the front sight, an hour-glass shaped mainspring, a lightened bolt, and a wire trigger/bolt spring. Bob told me if I was going to shoot a Colt... made it look as good as it shoots! Told me my front sight, while functional... offended his sensibilities! He told me he twisted the bbl, straightened the and reprofiled the front site.

[765x53]

Trigger finger placement affects windage. If right handed shooting to the left. Grab more trigger. It's not a rifle. That light tip of the finger pull is pushing the muzzle to the left. As far as elevation, just adjust your sight picture.

[Paul105]

To reiterate Jim's comment above about different loads, different POI with same POA.
.
Shot this target years ago with a S&W M69 (5 shot L Frame .44 mag). Same point of aim (center diamond) for all groups. Two shot groups to prevent target clutter and recoil induced fatigue. Notice the the lateral dispersion in addition to expected vertical diffs.
.

.
Might be worthwhile trying diff loads before messing with file (per Jim's suggestion above).
.
Paul

[JimT]

Thanks Paul. That's a great illustration. In the .45 Colt I have walked shots all over a target just by changing powder charges and/or bullet weight.

[Lastmohecken]

Thanks, fellows for the info.
I have experienced elevation changes, depending on bullet weight on lots of handguns, and I know how heavy bullets vs light bullets, and velocity affect barrel timing.
I guess I need to work up a few different handloads. And try that first. I was going to do that anyway, for groups, before I attempted to change anything on the gun itsef.

[Lastmohecken]

A quarter of a century ago I stopped at JT's place in Boise. He took me to his range and we had a grand time. While there I set up a target at 25 or 50 yards, I forget which at this point. I found my 45 Colt Vaquero was hitting to the left. So I took the target and the revolver to Shapel's gunsmith and they tweaked the barrel slightly in the frame. It's been holding dead center ever since. Oh, also I wasn't getting decent grouping like I wanted. So while visiting an old friend in Nebraska I had him try it at 25 yards with my handloads. He produced a ragged hole at that distance. The fixing of THAT issue was more complicated, had to tighten up the nut holding the grip and squeezing the trigger...

"Tighten the nut holding the grip and the trigger" Good one!

[Lastmohecken]

To reiterate Jim's comment above about different loads, different POI with same POA.
.
Shot this target years ago with a S&W M69 (5 shot L Frame .44 mag). Same point of aim (center diamond) for all groups. Two shot groups to prevent target clutter and recoil induced fatigue. Notice the the lateral dispersion in addition to expected vertical diffs.
.

.
Might be worthwhile trying diff loads before messing with file (per Jim's suggestion above).
.
Paul

Yep, that target is a really good example of trying different loads.

[Scott Tschirhart]

To reiterate Jim's comment above about different loads, different POI with same POA.
.
Shot this target years ago with a S&W M69 (5 shot L Frame .44 mag). Same point of aim (center diamond) for all groups. Two shot groups to prevent target clutter and recoil induced fatigue. Notice the the lateral dispersion in addition to expected vertical diffs.
.

.
Might be worthwhile trying diff loads before messing with file (per Jim's suggestion above).
.
Paul

Perfect illustration of what I was trying to say.