I need a good "woods gun", and was wondering if anyone could share some info... I am leaning towards a Vaquero in .45 colt; seems it would be powerful enough to handle most critters I might encounter, as well as being a lot of fun to shoot with lighter loads.

Does anyone have one? How does it handle heavy loads? (I might need it to handle a black bear) Also, how would a hot .45 colt load compare with a hot .357? (stopping power, recoil, etc.)

Any answers would be a big help!!!! Thanks...

JJ...The Vaquero is bull strong, utterly simple with few moving parts to mess up. My experience with one is that it will handle loads that I find somewhat unpleasant.

There is a simple trigger job outlined at Gunblast that will help with getting it a tad smoother. Also, the Rugers tend to have cylinder throats that are a tad tight for cast bullet performance (easilly fixed by a smith)

I habitually tote a S&W MG in .45Colt while slugging around my woods and swamps and feel that there is a good balance of power and portability there (I wanted a DA revolver in case I needed to get multiple shots with one hand) The Ruger will take loads that will turn my Smith into peices parts.

The Ruger is very utilitarian with it's fixed sights but with a little tweaking and load development it will make a great field revolver.

that is my opinion. Others may vary.

Scotty

I'm afraid I don't know what you mean by "woods gun". Living in Nevada, I barely remember what "woods" is. :confused:

More seriously, I think you're wanting a general-purpose self preservation sidearm. I have a 3 3/4" birdshead Vaquero in .45 Colt that's quite a handful with heavy loads. However, it's less the sharp, stinging rap of a .357 Magnum and more of a very forceful push that I'm slow to recover from. The Vaquero is also a very large, heavy piece of steel to lug around and the birdshead is the least onerous of the Vaquero line to carry.

The biggest drawback to the Vaquero is the non-adjustable sights. You must first find the one load you intend to live with, then file down and bend the front sight until it points to wherever the bullets go. I haven't do this with mine yet; with most Cowboy Action loads, it hits fourteen inches low and four inches left at 25 yards. With 350-grain bullets, it shoots much closer to the point of aim... If you don't want to be locked into a single load, adjustable sights are better.

I learned to dislike the standard grips on the first Ruger single-action I shot. It rotated in my hand and bit the web between my thumb and index finger. The Bisley grip is MUCH better. Even the birdshead grip is more comfortable to me than the standard grip.

I've also had second thoughts about single action. It might be better to have the option of just pulling the trigger in a tight situation. Be nice if Ruger put a double-action trigger into this ultra-strong frame.

-91

91carcano, thanks for the info on your vaquero...know what you mean about the "sting" of the .357. was looking to get away from that...(I have a blackhawk in .357) also seems to me that I'd rather throw a 300-grain bullet than a 180-grain if I did have that rare bear situation...?

91carcano, thanks for the info on your vaquero...know what you mean about the "sting" of the .357. was looking to get away from that...(I have a blackhawk in .357) also seems to me that I'd rather throw a 300-grain bullet than a 180-grain if I did have that rare bear situation...?
I too would reccomend the bisley, it will handle heavy bullets at high speed with ease. I started years ago with the blackhawk and didnt like the way it recoiled up and back. as soon as the bisley came out I bought one and still have it. If you reload you can easily go from light target to +p loads. for me the .45 in a ruger is a do it all cartrige. Jim.

I tote one of two S&W mod 25s, well one's a 625, ones got a 4 inch and the other a 5 inch barrel. Here in Virginia I don't know much of anything that 255 grain slug at 1,000 fps wouldn't constitute attitude readjustment.
Jim

Bisley Vaquero if you can live with fixed sights; I'm with Jim that if even a 'standard' .45 Colt load won't take care of it, probably should have brought the .458 Win Mag.

If you want adjustable sights, get a short-barreled Blackhawk in .45 Colt / .45 ACP for the ultimate in goofing-off fun and versatile ammo selection.

FYI, the 'standard' blued (not Bisley) Blackhawk with the aluminum grip frame will be significantly lighter than the Vaquero. All Vaqueros have the steel grip frame. Lighter weight = easier packing = more recoil.

I find that the lightweight Blackhawks aren't bad with a 255gr. bullet, but really get your attention with the 300 grainers. The Bisley frame, for me, handles 340+ grain bullets with no problem.

thanks everyone for the info!!!! Jim, I completely agree with you...seems like the .45 should handle whatever I need it to, especially at the close ranges that those kinds of encounters usually take place in.

One question for you guys that have the fixed sight guns: can't I have the barrel turned if the gun doesn't shoot to point-of-aim? (and if I do, will it shoot point-of-aim with the load I adjusted it to, but not with anything else? don't want this to be a "cannon only")

JJ...If you find (after some serious shooting time) that the gun groups to left or right, the barrel can be turned to bring it to point of aim.

My BisQuero needed a much taller front sight to handle the heavy loads. I had a friend with a small mill shop cut a dovetail into the existing sight and then make a taller peice to dovetail in. Thes were then brazed together at the dovetail. Since the add on piece was not Stainless, I was able to put some bluing on it to help with the glare from the stainless post.

Once you settle on a heavy bullet load, you can tune the lighter (bullet) loads to point of aim with some work, or reference a different sight picture to accomplish the same.

I strongly suggest putting lots of lead downrange before doing any twisting or filing.

Scotty

Scotty...thanks for the advice. I hope that I can get the gun to shoot relatively close to point-of-aim without having to mess with it to much...have solved that kind of problem in the past by experimenting with different loads. Hopefully I can find one that will do the trick...