Have I done something stupid - Vaqueroes with 4.62" barrels??

[McCrower]

I have sold my Uberti revolvers, and then got a good deal on a pair of Ruger New Vaqueroes with 4.62" barrels which I have ordered, Mod. 5107's. But after looking at the top cowboy action shooters on youtube, I see that they mostly use 5.5" barrels. Is there a big difference between those two barrel lengths when shooting cowboy action? Difference in recoil and sighting?



McCrower
Norway

[pony express]

There may be some tiny difference for the .01% of "top shooters", but for the rest of us....just shoot what you like.

[Baltimore Ed]

My first vaquero was 5.5 in and my second was 4.5 in and I discovered that I could shoot the shorter bbl faster. It pointed easier and was more balanced to me. I bought a third in 4.5 and had the 5.5 cut down to a storekeepers model with a 2.5 inch bbl. By the way, I have always shot duelist. My fourth vaquero had a 3.5 in bbl and the birdsheads grips. I can shoot this as fast but with a miss or two. I just liked the way it looks as feels. My last one was a New Model birdshead that I bought for my daughter inlaw to use. It's too small for my hands but looks nice and she liked it and it fit her small hands. The shorter the bbl the quicker the draw imo. You did ok.

[Reverend P. Babcock Chase]

Howdy McC,

You did great. IMHO, that the 4.5 inch barrel is the best balanced, coolest looking size. I have a pair of Rodeos in that length, as well as open tops with long barrels. Schofields with 5.5 inch barrels even a full length schofield and even a dragoon conversion. I think that they all are cool, but the rodeos are my faves. Just shoot them and enjoy.

You might try someone's longer barrels, but I think you'll like what you have.

Reverend Chase
Who's trying to figure out which six-guns to take to the next shoot.

[Coffinmaker]

OH MY WORD!!

You have totally screw the Pooch.  You may never recover unless you immediately package em up and send them to ME!!  No .... wait ..... I don't shoot rugers worth spit.  Not to mention there is no place to put the Caps.  Never mind .... Don't send em to me.  Get them out of the Box and shoot the heck our of them.

MEVER MIND what the "top" shooters on U Boob are shooting.  Meaningless.  Shoot what you like.  Additionally, PLUS ONE to Rev P. B. Chase.  But .. without the decimal points.  Rugers are 4 5/8" and everybody else is 4 3/4" SO THERE!!  Give some other consideration as well.

A.  Are you in your Twenties??  Probably not going to be one of the "top" shooters anyway.

B.  Are you going to shoot at least a Thousand rounds a week in dedicated practice??  Probably not gonna be one of the "top" shooters anyway

C.  Are you going to shoot 4 to 5 matches per month plus all those really "Big" matches??  Probably not gonna be one of those "top" shooters.

If you like the fit and feel of Rugers with 4 5/8 barrels, what those other shooters are playing with doesn't really matter at all.  Here is the PLAN!!  "THE PLAN" > > > >  HAVE FUN !!  Nothing else matters.  Oh, safely .... don't shoot yourself inna foot.


WHOOPS!!  ADDED!!  PS: (and all that).  NO.  You haven't done something stupid.  (short answer to original question)

WHOOPSIES!!  ADDITIONAL ADDED!!  PSS: (and all)  Pistol barrels over 3 1/4 in length are wasting steel.  Pistols that don't have nipples for the Caps hold no interest at all.  Playing the game without BP or Subs is BORING!!  I don't like Uberti.  I am NOT Opinionated.  I just have PREFERENCES.

[McCrower]

 

[Bibbyman]

I had a pair of Rugers in 45ACP I shot frontier cartridges gunfighter by loading C45S cases.  They had 3.5" barrels and birdshead grips.   I shot them just as well as my 5.5" Uberti Cattleman.

[LongWalker]

As everyone has said, what barrel length works for you is kinda personal; your identical twin may shoot a different length barrel just as well, or better.  For me, 5.5" is the sweet spot.  I'd rather have almost anything than the 4 5/8" barrel.  A buddy of mine prefers  his 4 5/8" barrels and nothing will change his mind.  

Go with what works for you, ignore what everyone else is doing.  

[hp246]

You're talking very small fractions of seconds.  The longer barrels give you slightly longer sight planes and may be fractionally more accurate and quicker to get on target.  The shorter barrels may be fractionally more efficient and faster to draw than the longer barrels.  I used one of the Montados with 3 1/2 inch barrel for awhile.  Didin't notice any difference in accuracy with my 4.62 or what ever the it was.  Go with what you feel comfortable with.

[Baltimore Ed]

It's about how the gun balances in your hand. If you're shooting using both hands to operate the gun the bbl length is less important as you are holding the gun with two hands and have a lot more control over it. A long bbl gun held in two hands would not necessarily feel muzzle heavy. Also using two hands would mitigate recoil making for a faster operation. A short bbl gun should balance better for a duelist. The better a gun balances the easier it is to aim, cock, fire and recover from the recoil.  Of course, all of this assumes that you are going to shoot a caliber and a load that creates recoil. If you are shooting mousefart loads with no recoil then it's just esthetics. Shoot what appeals to you. And as I've said on other threads, a shorter bbled firearm is generally faster than a longer bbled firearm. My personal preference is a 24 in rifle, a just barely legal pump sg and 4.5 bbl SAs or 5.5 or 6 inch DAs. Have fun, don't spend any money until you try it out if possible. See what works for you. It's a great sport, enjoy.

[cpt dan blodgett]

If you like them they are the absolute best gun for you.  If that changes then sell them and buy the flavor of the week.

[Garand]

I have 5 pairs of Vaqueros (4 pair Original, 1 pair New Vaquero) all have 4.62 inch barrels. I started back in 1997 with a 5.5" Vaquero and found that the shorter barrel allows me to clear leather faster and more importantly reholster faster with less chance of dropping the gun. Plus when you move around props the longer barrel length can get in the way. Accuracy is about the same in both barrel lengths.

[August]

After using both barrel lengths for a couple of decades, I'd make the following observations: Shorter barrel is much easier to reholster, no faster on the draw.  Long barrel has longer sight plane, therefore fewer misses in the long run. 

A 'missed' reholstering with a long barrel takes, perhaps, two seconds to recover from.  A missed target with a short barrel takes five seconds to recover from. 

You reholster pistols 24 times in a 12 stage match.  You shoot 120 pistol targets in a 12 stage match.

No matter what, pistols are usually the fastest firearm type on a stage.

[Coffinmaker]

If ........ your as well seasoned (OLD) as I am ....... simply doesn't matter at all.  Atz why I shoot Cap Gun Snubbies with 3 1/4 inch barrels.  As a gunfighter yetz.

[ChuteTheMall]

The 5.5" barrel does get the muzzle 0.88" closer to the targets than the 4.62",  but you still have to aim.