First Single Action

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HarryB

HarryB

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Was looking for a Blackhawk for fun and countryside carry but was offered this beauty in a trade. Loved how good the grip felt. Actually I was surprised how much I liked the grip. In search of ammo, both magnums and specials. I'll also be reloading for the first time as well. The trader is looking for a Galco holster he had with it but I'm sure I'll order another made.

Seems like a perfect Arizona gun outside the city limits, and maybe within the limits as well.

vaquero.jpg
 

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Distributor exclusive. Built on the old full size Vaquero frame. I’ve been toying with picking one up. I have the .45 Colts in the new frame version of that. Fun as all get out to shoot. Note that both .45 Colts had base pins that needed to be replaced because they would jump. I was not limp wristing them. Ruger sent two replacements at no cost. No more issues since then.
 
I had a Ruger Birdshead in .45 Colt. I liked it very much but the arthritis in my wrist just killed me when shooting it. I ended up selling it. I had a set of custom grips made from Briar Wood. With the faux color case hardening and excellent bluing it was a beauty.

Enjoy your new favorite 6 shooter. :thumbup:
 
That really is a beautiful gun. Should be great for mild magnums and lower.

I have birdshead grips on a .327 Single Seven that fill the hand nicely and don't poke me in the gut.

With .44 Mags, I need to wear a shooting glove for my Ruger "cheese grater" plow handle grips. On my short-barreled Bisley Super Blackhawk, even nuclear loads are a barehanded proposition.
 
That is one nice looking gun. Congrats on the new toy and welcome to the world of single action revolvers. With that shorter barrel I suspect you will prefer the 44 special for pleasure shooting. The reloading you mentioned starting up will really open up its potential. And save you some serious cash. My New model Vaquero in 45 Colt does best with cast bullet loads where the bullet is .001 over the jacketed size. YMMV.

Jeff
 
Gorgeous..I too have a 'Bird's Head', Uberti/Beretta, 357/38 and I really love it. It's actually not a true 'Bird'sHead' but a 'Thunderer' grip..very similar but Thunderer invented in 1990..I tried a true 'Bird'sHead' and didn't like it at all..I really like the 'Thunderer'..just for info..this might be common knowledge to some but it was new and interesting to me.

NICE gun tho..son just bou piv.jpg ght 2 Ruger Vaqueros
 
That's a fine looking gun! I've always liked the look of the bird's head style but just never got around to owning one.

I'm a big fan of the 44 special and reload for it. Once you get rolling with reloading the 44 special, read everything you can find on it. You'll find how versatile it is and there is a ton of load data available. It's been around for a hundred and thirteen years so I'd say that's a pretty good track record. Looking forward to a range report.
 
sparkyv said:
Agree, just beautiful. At first glance I thought it was the Bearcat. Are you planning to shoot full Magnum loads or Specials with that birdshead?
Click to expand...

Both! Of course, I'll try the magnums just to see--but I don't want to hurt myself. When the first J framed .357s came out I bought one and fired full house loads, much to the chagrin of others at the indoor range! I expect to carry most of the time with specials, and also for friends that want to try her out. No need to spook them with recoil and blast.
 
BullRunBear said:
That is one nice looking gun. Congrats on the new toy and welcome to the world of single action revolvers. With that shorter barrel I suspect you will prefer the 44 special for pleasure shooting. The reloading you mentioned starting up will really open up its potential. And save you some serious cash. My New model Vaquero in 45 Colt does best with cast bullet loads where the bullet is .001 over the jacketed size. YMMV.

Jeff
Click to expand...
Interestingly it seems factory Specials cost more than Magnums! Must be a quantity produced thing.
 
Finally got out to the range. An indoor range sadly, but its 120 degrees outdoors, the desert is closed to shooting, and most of it is on fire. They were allowing rifles on the pistol side, and that was no fun, but I tried to shoot in between their concussive booms.

On to the good news, THOSE GRIPS! I was worried about the size and shape having owned a 629 and Super Redhawk before and having shot my dad's Super Blackhawk. Recoil was not an issue either with movement or a pounding to the hand. I think the checkering helps greatly. I shot 240 SWC Specials and Sig 200 V Crowns at 20 yards. They shot consistently high 2 to 3 inches with a 6 o'clock hold. The 240 SWC and 240 V Crowns from Sig shot to point of aim. So my other fear of not having a Blackhawk is unwarranted.

Those sight are hard to see indoors with dim lighting! But now I have some brass to reload. I've got a Hornady single stage press, 240g SWC, and a pound of Unique. Already used a Lee Auto Prime to prime some virgin Special brass. Need to read my manuals and find a good starting load.

What a fun ride she is! Appreciate all the good info I got here.
 
Last edited:
HarryB said:
Those sight are hard to see indoors with dim lighting! But now I have some brass to reload. I've got a Hornady single stage press, 240g SWC, and a pound of Unique. Already used a Lee Auto Prime to prime some virgin Special brass. Need to read my manuals and find a good starting load.

What a fun ride she is! Appreciate all the good info I got here.
Click to expand...

240's and Unique is a great combination for a 44mag. I'd start with about 7.5gr and walk it up to 10gr, stopping where the recoil is to your liking. 8.5 was my plinking load, nice middle of the road type recoil. Let's you know you're setting off a large cartridge, but it's manageable for 100+ rounds in an outing.
 
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