# new vaquero accuracy



## Brian T (Jun 30, 2009)

So i bought a new vaquero with the 4 5/8 barrel in .357/38spl . I can't hit nothing with this gun. I havn't done much hand gun shooting in my life but i thought it would be reasonably accurate. I am right handed and the gun seems to shoot high and to the left every time. At like 15 yards I might be able to hit a coffee can 3 out of 6 shots. Do you aim these guns or just point them? any tips?
Brian


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## forestranger (Jan 20, 2008)

I have a 4 5/8 New Vaquero in 45 Colt. It shot low with everything I tried. Ended up fileing down front sight some. With yours being a 38/357, you might try different ammo to see if you can find a load it likes. Most 357 fixed sight guns seem to be sighted for 158 gr bullets. Lighter/faster bullets often hit lower and heavier ones hit high. A bench rest or a friend who is a good shooter might help determine how much of problem is the gun. If all else fails, call Ruger. Good luck!


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## Blkhawk73 (Sep 2, 2006)

Very common for a new shooter. Exactly why I and many others suggest starting small (.22lr) and progressing as skill allows. Unfortunatly, many see this as a move that lowers the testosterone. Some understand, some don't.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

Don't assume that the gun sights are off, until long after you have become a good shooter. Learning to shoot a handgun requires quite a bit of discipline, and most folks have trouble with it, unless someone knowledgable in the art has drilled them properly a few times.

Regardless of where your sights are pointing, your shots should be very close together, if you are aiming at the same point every time, and if your shooting technique is good. Even so, you can still have a bad habit that causes you to miss, that you are reproducing consistently.

I recommend that you shoot light .38 loads and start out up close. Shoot at paper so you can see where your shots hit. As you start to improve, increase the distance. (And clean the cylinders well, after shooting .38's, because you may get a lead build-up that prevents the .357 rounds from chambering fully.)

I would do a lot of things, and have other people test the gun, before I started filing the sights. It may be necessary, but you only get one crack at it, and you want to get it right the first time.


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## Brian T (Jun 30, 2009)

Hey guys that sounds like good advice. I am pretty inexperienced with a hand gun and most likely the fault is all mine. Up here in canada, buying a handgun is such a pain that you go right to what you want and not start out with something to learn on which i agree sounds like a good idea.
Brian


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