Ruger repair question

[jgh4445]

I bought a New Vaquero, 7 1/2 inch blue in 45LC. Had to file a bit of the front sight off to get the POI correct elevation wise. Now, I'm having a problem with windage. It shoots 3 1/2 inches to the left at 25 yds. Not just with me, but also with some other guys who are really good shooters. The load I like to shoot in my 45's is 7 gr of Herco or 231 with a cast 250 gr LRNFP or 255gr lead Keith. It shoots left with everything, including the factory Cowboy loads.There are only about three ways I know of to correct for windage. 1 is to file the rear notch wider. 2. is to bend the front sight without breaking it and 3 is to tweak the barrel. Don't wanna resort to any of them if I don't have to.

I spoke with Ruger this morning and they gave me a discounted mailing label ( It is over two years old) to ship it back so they can inspect it. They did tell me that Ruger's acceptable standard was 1.5 inches at 15 yds. Think they'll try to get it to shoot POA or just ship it back and tell me its within specs?

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Is this your first revolver with fixed sights? Are you a righty? Most righties will tend to push their shots to the left if they have too much finger on the trigger. Be sure you are pulling the trigger with the pad of the trigger finger, not the crease under the first knuckle. Even though it is more comfortable placing the trigger in the crease, that will tend to make the pistol push to one side as you fire. How about those other guys? Do they have experience with fixed sights? Many shooters who only shoot revolvers with adjustable sights will adjust the sights to make up for less than perfect trigger technique.

Also, try shooting a bit closer than 25 yards. If you really want to see where a pistol will shoot, without the human element added in, shoot from a rest, using good trigger technique, and a bit closer. I'll bet you will find out the gun actually shoots to the center. The rest is up to you, with good trigger technique.

For the record, when I shoot Cowboy, it is always with fixed sight revolvers. I learned a long time ago that I tend to push my shots to the left when shooting fast. So in CAS, where we have big targets, I try to remember to aim at the right half of the target.

 

[jgh4445]

I shoot mostly as I would shoot when I shoot from one of our shooting houses or ladder stands, using a good steady rest. I use the tip of my finger to try and effect a pull with little to no movement wanting it to surprise me when it fires. Yep, they shoot a lot of fixed sights too. Lol...most of those guys shoot 2 inch dots at 25 yds with whatever handgun they shoot. They try to shoot all the handguns like target pistols and expect target results. For the most part they get the results. I'm 66 and the next to the youngest of the 5 guys I shoot with.

This one shoots 'em all in one hole at 7 yds, but it is about an inch left of POA using a 1 inch dot to aim at. Without a rest, its just a little bit bigger ragged hole but still left. Haven't tried at 15. Will tomorrow though. All good points though thanks for replying.

 

[MidRoad]

Is your barrel canted or off center on the frame? I just got my gp100 back from ruger today. I have a thread on here that has pics of mine. Ruger fixed it right ( free of charge) and in a timely matter. Even sent a photo copy of the test target back with the gun

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/i-need-some-insight-on-my-gp100.823175/ take a look at the pics

 

[Tacoma]

I once had a S&W snubbie that shot 6" left at 50'. I sent it in an the fixed it. I'm told the fix involves whacking the barrel with a lead bar but can't confirm.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Tacoma - that's how we did it in the olde days.

 

[CraigC]

Not a big deal to turn the barrel to correct slight windage issues. Mike Venturino even wrote an article showing how he'd mounted a vise to the trailer hitch of his truck for doing this at the range.

I once had a S&W snubbie that shot 6" left at 50'. I sent it in an the fixed it. I'm told the fix involves whacking the barrel with a lead bar but can't confirm.

S&W fixes a lot of problems with a lead babbitt.

 

[bannockburn]

jgh4445

Friend of mine had a used stainless Vaquero in .44 Magnum that had a canted front sight. Sent it back to Ruger through the dealer he got him from (the dealer had it marked as a "Certified Used Gun" by their gunsmith), and Ruger told them the barrel had been improperly installed at the factory. They would replace it but the only problem was Ruger no longer had any barrels for the .44 Magnum Vaquero. So they made a new one up from bar stock, polished the whole gun so the barrel and frame matched in appearance, and sent it back, all free of charge.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Certified Used Gun. So the gunsmith is certifying that it's second hand? LOL. Or, if it's like the automobile industry, he is certifying that it is good to go; which means he missed the canted front sight? More LOL.

That's great that Ruger fixed the problem Bannockburn.

 

[jgh4445]

Here's the latest. Called Ruger as I said and paid the $30 for shipping. Sent in a target and a letter of explanation.
Got the revolver back last Tuesday the 15th. Rained all day that day and the next. Yesterday, got to the range expecting great things. Ruger had included a repair order in the box that said, "Front Sight Adjusted." They included a photocopy of a target shot at 15 yds. The target showed one round had gone about 2 inches left ( that was the problem I was having) and the next 5 were perfectly centered left and right ( although a bit low) and in one ragged hole. Looked like they used a ransom rest, the group was that small. A close visual inspection showed not one iota of evidence that anything had been touched, but a small tweak of the barrel probably wouldn't show up anyway.
I took it out of the box and shot the first round. At 25 yds, it hit exactly two inches left of POA.( Same as before I sent it back!)
I shot the next two rounds with the front sight hard against the right side of the rear notch, so close I couldn't tell the front sight from the rear and the rounds went to center of the bull at POA. I let two others shoot it as before with the ammo that Ruger said they used ( Black Hills 250 gr) as well as my hand loads and they got the same results. 2 to 3 inches left at 25. We also shot 3 shot groups at 15 and we still shot left. All of these targets were shot bagged in on a bench. Then, one of the guys who was a master bullseye shooter shot a 6 shot group off hand in which his first shot went to the left, his second he called right and low when he shot, then, three more up there and to the left with the first shot. He then said he was going to put the front sight on the right side of the rear notch and his round went dead center. That pretty much told us it was the front sight and not the ammo or us.
This morning I called Ruger back and the CS rep said to send it back on their dime and they would refer the gun to management for a fix. The rep thought it was strange that the repair slip said "sight adjusted" yet the POI remained the same. Just finished boxing it back up and including a letter of explanation, 3 detailed targets and the photo copy of the target they sent me. If it comes back still shooting left, I'll just take it to a good smith and pay him to tighten the barrel a smidge or replace the front sight altogether. While he's at it, he can do an action job as it feels like it has sand in the innards with about a 5 lb trigger pull lol.

 

[Jim Watson]

1 is to file the rear notch wider. 2. is to bend the front sight without breaking it and 3 is to tweak the barrel.

4. Bend the barrel. Yup, I had a gunzine article in which the practitioner used a large arbor press to put a gentle curve in the barrel. Not obvious at all. My tweaked (turned in the threads) barrel now shoots center but a close look will see the lean.

or replace the front sight altogether

H. Bowen has done some deluxe single actions with a front sight cross-dovetailed into a plain round barrel. A smidgen of drift to correct windage would not be as obvious as a bend or lean. Nothing new, I saw an old old Colt in a town museum with a Marbles ivory bead front sight dovetailed into the barrel.