New Vaquero grips - taming recoil

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Tallinar

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I have a 4 5/8” stainless .45 Colt New Vaquero that came with the thinner “gunfighter” grips. I’m loading 7.5 grains of Unique with a 250 grain RNFP, and I am very happy with this load. However, the recoil feels excessively sharp to my hand; as though the back of the grip frame is being jabbed straight into the palm/web of my hand with the grips themselves doing nothing to spread out the blow. I’m using a two handed grip.

How can I tame this thing? Would a thicker set of grips do the trick? Maybe ones that come back more flush with the back of the grip frame? Any suggestions?

Again, I’m not looking to change the load. I know I can load lighter if I want cowboy loads, but I should be able to load heavier than I am now and still be comfortable. Maybe I am just growing recoil sensitive as I get older. :)

Thanks.
 
I like the thin grips!. I have short fingers and am always frustrated with pistol grips with a wide circumference.
 
I’m loading 7.5 grains of Unique with a 250 grain RNFP, and I am very happy with this load.

Howdy

On the rare occasion I load 45 Colt with Smokeless, that is pretty much the same as my standard load. Certainly not a barn burner, it should be a comfortable load to shoot.

Are you allowing the grip to rotate a bit in your hand? I agree that if you hold the grip so tight it cannot move, you might be feeling more recoil than necessary.

Also, are you cramming your entire hand onto the grip? I have fairly large hands and always curl my pinky under the grip of a single action revolver. This opens up a space of about 1/4" between the trigger guard and the knuckle of my middle finger. If I try to cram my entire hand onto the grip, my knuckle is in contact with the trigger guard and it gets whacked in recoil. Not pleasant.
 
Tallinar

I have smaller than usual hands so typically I don't like super thin or extra thick grips; something in between those two works best with me in single action grips. Found these Bar S Tru Ivory grips some years back and they're just the right thickness and very comfortable to shoot with. Same with these American Holly grips from Private's Custom Grips.

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"However, the recoil feels excessively sharp to my hand; as though the back of the grip frame is being jabbed straight into the palm/web of my hand with the grips themselves doing nothing to spread out the blow. I’m using a two handed grip.

How can I tame this thing? Would a thicker set of grips do the trick? Maybe ones that come back more flush with the back of the grip frame? Any suggestions?

Thanks.


It sounds to me like the back of those grips are not lining up with the back of the grip frame. You need different grips - ones that will evenly spread out the shock over a larger area. The curve of the grips must transition over the back of the grip frame in a fair curve. High spots will dig into your bones at every shot. Good luck.
 
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7.5 of Unique is not really that harsh of a load for 45 colt. Kind of middle of the road.

I suggest leaving the gun as it should be and either load it down more or just get a heavier gun for those heavier loads. The grips Ruger puts on the NMV is similar to what should be on that style of gun IMO. Fairly close to the size and shape of a SAA. So in my opinion it's just not the type of gun that I would care to be shooting very heavy loads in anyway and with a bad neck and arm I've become more sensitive to recoil myself.

All that said there are some aftermarket grips that many tend to run thicker than what comes on them.
 
Try BearPaw Grips on eBay, the sellers name is gooseman179. There are similar grips with the bear paw name so be careful that you're buying from gooseman179. Right now he's not showing many of his grips as they are hand made but he adds to his store every couple of weeks. I've bought three pair from him and they really help to tame the recoil of Rugers.
 
It sounds to me like the back of those grips are not lining up with the back of the grip frame. You need different grips - ones that will evenly spread out the shock over a larger area. The curve of the grips must transition over the back of the grip frame in a fair curve. High spots will dig into your bones at every shot. Good luck.

This here is exactly what I was thinking. Here are some pics of where the grips meet the frame. It’s up at the web of my hand that’s really hurting. Seems like the grips should curve more to meet the frame. What do you think?

29786797-9268-49E9-83CB-F1BC5784FD38.jpeg C88EDB78-8779-41E2-8977-27452BE6BE50.jpeg D0417244-9B6B-46B4-AA99-F26907BD213D.jpeg
 
Those thin grips don't work for me at all, an expensive lesson. Thicker grips like the Hogue cowboy grips work much better.

I also disagree that the sixgun should move 'in' the hand at all. You can't run one fast if the gun's moving around in your hand. Your hand should move 'with' the gun.
 
Tallinar, those grips are not fitted to that gun. The flat back edges on the panels are an insult to the buyer. It looks like the company is saving costs by making a "one size fits all" grip - that doesn't look "too bad" on any gun of that model. This has been going on for a while. I have a bird's-head Vaquero with grips that don't quite meet the grip frame where they should. I've been looking for a grip maker who will make boot grips to give that gun the SAA look and feel.

You could file the backs of the grips to knock those corners off, if all you want is to tame the gun. Other grips is my recommendation, though. Good luck.
 
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