I have a Ruger Vaquero 45lc one of the older models and I was wondering how stout of loads it will handle. Is it ok to use the "RUGER/TC" loads or does it require softer loads. Ive heard some say the older vaquero's are as strong as the blackhawks and others say they are not but I figured you guys would know fore sure. It is the beefier old vaquero not the new vaquero's of recent production.

they will handle the same loads the Blackhawks will.

Matt,

I had no problems with the Ruger/TC loads in mine, other than top end was no fun ;^) Mine, and several others that I shot/handled tended to shoot left, and if you are not up to snuff on measuring/understanding cylinder throats/bore relationship, might want to read up. I never saw a first gen Vaquero that did not have undersize throats.

Have fun, and hang on......

Craig

What does an undersized throat do? I would assume pressure increases. I probably wont load it to the max but maybe try to get it on par with 44 mag performance.

Matt,

Far from expert here, but the general consensus is that if your throats are undersized to the bore, then the bullet will get squeezed some as it goes through the throat and end up being slightly undersized when it hits the barrel. It is generally thought to not help with absolute accuracy, and it can posibly lead to leading issues with cast bullets.

The extreme cases are exemplified by older generation Colt revolvers which had throats significantly larger than the bore. To optimize accuracy and leading issues with these guns the typical method is to measure, and buy bullets that better fit the throats.

With that said, I am a fuss for shooting everything, a lot before going crazy with things like this, as it may not matter. But it is easy to measure them, and if the gun refuses to group to your ability, or it has leading issues not resolved by other means, then it can be addressed. When you buy premium or custom revolvers, the throats and barrel are always mated properly, so it is something worth being aware of.

Craig

If you are not going to be shooting cast, I wouldn't worry about it unless it shoots erratically.

Spot on IMHO!

Also, just for what it is worth. I am just as worried about the throats being different sizes. That will also give you "issues."

Thanks for all the advice for now Ill probaly just be using either 240gr xtp's or 300 gr xtp's. Might try cast loads later.