Single action wheel gun shooters

[Adam in WI]

I like single action revolvers. I started on Dad's SBH .44 Mag. That was actually the first gun I loaded ammo for when I was ~14. Oregon Trail Lazer cast 240s and Alliant Blue Dot were the first components I put my fingers on. I didn't usually load full house stuff, I actually used 44 special data mostly. I just this week picked up a 1973 Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt for grins. I said I like single action revolvers, I never said I was good with one. For those that are; what is your best advice for being accurate, besides decades of practice? Grip technique? Finger position? Etc.... I'd like to eventually be proficient with 250 grain ~1100 fps or hotter loads.

 

[Bill K]

Goggle the S.A.S.S. site or some of the other single action forums, plenty of information and probably way more than you will find here.
Then to partially answer your question, find a good and accurate load for your single action, the practice, practice, practice.

 

[jcm800]

The SA hog leg grip is designed to roll in your palm under hard recoil. Don't fight it with a death grip. Ride the recoil. Sticky rubber grips will only punish your wrist. Other than that it's the same as any handgun....sight alignment, trigger control, grip. I prefer to start at a low 6 o'clock and slowly raise the pistol with the sights aligned and break the shot when centered. Much easier than trying to hold dead center where your constantly fighting the wobble.
Have fun!

 

[Chappy]

The only thing that really improved my handgun shooting was making sure the front sight had the sharpest focus and image.

 

[SSL]

Practice, practice, practice! One of the best things you can do is replace the factory cylinder pin with an over-size one if your revolver shows any evidence of 'cylinder shake'. I do this as a matter of course for all Rugers I acquire. Helps keep chamber/bore alignment correct. A decent spring kit to lighten the trigger pull and a polishing of the hammer notches by someone who knows what they are doing and you've done the basic things for accuracy without spending a fortune. Bore/bullet match is critical, especially with cast bullets. The .45 Colt cartridge is an interesting, versatile and fun cartridge to work with. The revolver in my avatar is also a 1973 vintage Ruger .45 Colt that I acquired in horrible shape. I like to try to revive old guns, so it got the barrel shortened to 4.5", aluminum grip frame and ejector housing replaced with a steel, oversize cylinder pin, Bisley style hammer and complete polish and bluing and grips. It is fun to shoot as well as accurate. Enjoy yours and as I said above, PRACTICE!
...and don't forget to have fun while you're at it!

 

[JSH]

You can shoot and practice all you want, that is wonderful.

Number one is what your going to load. As mentioned, cast bullets, size is king period. If you want to fudge some go to the plated or coated. Everyone seems to think a hard bullet is the way to go, far from the truth. The shallow rifling of 45’s tends to let a hard bullet skid rather than grab and spin, thus leading.

I would check cylinder throat size and barrel size to see if it is usable without any work.
Then you can throw money at it however you want ;-).

 

[potatojudge]

Recent discussion on the topic

Developing precision with a single action | Single-Actions

After receiving some terminal ballistics help from folks here who set me on a good path to developing a hunting load, I then began trying to develop proficiency with my custom BH in 45 Colt

singleactions.proboards.com

The Sixshot sling is actually really nice, especially if you're back up against a tree or tire.

Sixshot Sling

Good friend and Sixgunner Dick “Sixshot” Thompson has shot more game with sixguns than most folks have ever seen in the field. He came to me recently with an idea for a field shooting aid, and this is what we came up with. The adjustable strap loops around your knees, and the sling presents...

barrantileather.com

Have Fermin check and correct your cylinder throats. Free minus shipping if no work is needed, reasonable price and fast turnaround if the cylinder needs help.

Fermin C Garza - Customized Shooter's Resources

Blending Old and New; Forging ahead as we proudly walk in the footsteps of Giants

fermincgarza.com

Upgrade your sights. Most of us like a vertical white line front sight with a white outline rear, but if your front sight is soldered on you can just do a target rear sight

Ruger Target-Style Rear Sights : +Parts Store+, Bowen Classic Arms

+Parts Store+ : Ruger Target-Style Rear Sights - Ruger Target-Style Rear Sights Ruger Rough Country Rear Sights S&W Rough Country Rear Sights DX Front Sight Bases Front Sights Cylinders Lanyard Rings & Studs Miscellaneous Parts BCA Baseball Caps Book Tools

parts.bowenclassicarms.com

If you find the grip frame doesn't agree with you

Welcome to RW Grip Frames

Read everything you can find on marksmanship from David Bradshaw

David Bradshaw Photos Vol. LXXVII - S410N Silhouette Super

Indicative of Heel Index grip on Ruger S410N Super Blackhawk, an air gap separates middle finger from trigger guard. One of first shipped 10-1/2-inch .44's. Leupold LER 4x with Leupold mount & rings. Two point bag rest. For a long barrel, it is imperative barrel nestle front bag. The rear...

www.rugerforum.com

And the Bradshaw trigger job

New Model Ruger Trigger Job by Bradshaw | Single-Actions

David Bradshaw asked me to post these drawings of what he refers to as a "country simple" New Model trigger job. Enjoy. Photo #1 1) HAMMER: Reduce DOG (full cock lug) on hammer. Proceed

singleactions.proboards.com

Lots of guys get great accuracy with lead bullets, but the Hornady XTP is probably the easiest bullet to get shooting well. Same for the Sierra jacketed bullets.

While Keyle at Belt Mountain makes a great base pin, I don't think the pin alone necessarily improves accuracy. An oversize pin might change vertical cylinder to barrel alignment and vertical cylinder slop, but that could be for the better or for the worse, and will do nothing for lateral alignment. End shake won't be changed by the pin. Thankfully most Rugers have acceptable barrel to cylinder alignment from the factory- there is a measurable amount of bore to chamber offset that will not show on target. I wouldn't get into changing the guts of the gun without shooting it a lot first.

 

[dhagerty40]

The SA hog leg grip is designed to roll in your palm under hard recoil. Don't fight it with a death grip. Ride the recoil. Sticky rubber grips will only punish your wrist. Other than that it's the same as any handgun....sight alignment, trigger control, grip. I prefer to start at a low 6 o'clock and slowly raise the pistol with the sights aligned and break the shot when centered. Much easier than trying to hold dead center where your constantly fighting the wobble.
Have fun!

Right here he hit on the single largest error that people do with single action revolvers. A light consistent grip will make a Huge difference in accuracy, letting the gun recoil. All other things like trigger control, sight alignment, etc is the same as any handgun.

 

[ronsatspokane]

Google the pistol correction chart. This is the one I use.



I suck.

 

[Forum Boss]

If you are considering a Ruger single action, I strongly recommend the Ruger BISLEY variant. This has a lower hammer and a significantly longer grip that is much better for two-handed use.

For many years I competed in SASS Cowboy action. Virtually every fellow competitor who tried my Ruger Bisley revolver said they preferred the longer grip and ergonomics.

Ruger Bisley Super Blackhawk:


Ruger Bisley Vaquero:

 

[Adam in WI]

A few more bits...
The cylinder throats seem uniform. Bullets sized to .452" pass through all with no resistance. So their not too tight, which is good. The next issue is finding the ideal size. Rim Rock Bullets will size bullets up to .454" but only on their 270 grain Keith SWC. Seems overkill, but I may take his suggestion and try a pound of each sized to .453 and .454.

I tried a few rounds from a previous New Vaquero loaded with 250 grain SNS .452" RNFP. A few of those rounds fired over an impromptu rest suggests that the pistol has potential. So it mostly becomes a matter of practice. A finer front sight would be nice, but I don't know if I'm ready to start filing on it just yet. I also need a suggestion for a good powder. One that covers 900 to 1100 fps would be nice. I'm going to burn up what I have left of Accurate #5 and #9. I also have a little H110, but I don't think I'm ready for that kinda sauce yet

 

[Darwin]

I like single action revolvers. I started on Dad's SBH .44 Mag. That was actually the first gun I loaded ammo for when I was ~14. Oregon Trail Lazer cast 240s and Alliant Blue Dot were the first components I put my fingers on. I didn't usually load full house stuff, I actually used 44 special data mostly. I just this week picked up a 1973 Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt for grins. I said I like single action revolvers, I never said I was good with one. For those that are; what is your best advice for being accurate, besides decades of practice? Grip technique? Finger position? Etc.... I'd like to eventually be proficient with 250 grain ~1100 fps or hotter loads.

Firm grip on the rubber, no muzzle flip.
Center hold. Trigger is creepy so every shot is a surprise. My front sight is the opposite of fine.
13/18, 240’s at 1350,
18x24, 220 yards two hands standing.
Ruger Super Blackhawk, Pachmyar grip.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

I like single action revolvers. I started on Dad's SBH .44 Mag. That was actually the first gun I loaded ammo for when I was ~14. Oregon Trail Lazer cast 240s and Alliant Blue Dot were the first components I put my fingers on. I didn't usually load full house stuff, I actually used 44 special data mostly. I just this week picked up a 1973 Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt for grins. I said I like single action revolvers, I never said I was good with one. For those that are; what is your best advice for being accurate, besides decades of practice? Grip technique? Finger position? Etc.... I'd like to eventually be proficient with 250 grain ~1100 fps or hotter loads.

If you want to stay true to the single action cowboy heritage then instinctual shooting is the best in my opinion. You don’t even use the sights. When you start hitting where you want it feels way more rewarding. Just takes a lot of practice to lock down your muscle memory.

Instinctual shooting is a great practice for concealed carry weapons as well. Sometimes you may not have the time to get the gun up in front of your eyes to line up a sight picture. I’ve become pretty decent at hitting a 12”wide x18”tall target at 5-7 yards straight out of the holster from the hip and from the traditional stance without using the sights. It’s a lot like shooting a long bow. Focus solely on the target and let the weapon follow thru muscle memory. It’s an extremely fast method of shooting but you have to practice regularly. In competition and plinking targets at the range sights are great, but in a real world defense situation, having to use sights to hit your target can be a big hindrance and cost you valuable time you may not have.

 

[MClark]

RSB, 44 mag.
It has trigger job, polished here, bead blast there.
Fiber front sight and peep rear.

 

[K22]

I have four suggestions:

1. Having a stock that fits your hand and positions you trigger finger in alignment with the trigger is essential for precision shooting. I replaced my Ruger's factory stocks years ago and my ability to shoot consistently improved dramatically. So, the first thing I'd do is evaluate your current stocks and how well they fit your hand and your ability to manage recoil. For most, those factory stocks will not allow for precision shooting.

2. Next I would test the load off the bench off sandbags to verify that the load meets your accuracy standards.

3. Third, I would learn the basics of precision pistol shooting. The best resource I ever found was the Army Marksmanship Pistol Manual. The principles promulgated therein can apply to any type of pistol. Mastering or at least understanding the fundamental is an absolute for precision pistol shooting.

4. Forth, practicing with a purpose in the only way I found to become an expert pistol shooter. (I qualified NRA Distinguished Expert). What does practice with a purpose mean? It means focused practice on the fundamentals, calling your shots, analyzing the shot, making correction to your technique. Frequent, practice is essential - that doesn't mean shooting a lot of rounds in one range session, it means shooting 20 to 30 in meaningful practice often.

 

[farmerjohn]

Since nobody has offered I'll step up and say that Unique powder is your friend, some of the newer ones might do as well but they can't do better for loads between 800-1100fps with a 250-60gr cast bullet properly sized for your chambers and barrel. Been using it since 1960, 8 through 11gr, standard primer, good crimp. Start low and go up to your desired level. I personally don't go past 9 in my Colt although some do, by the way pay close attention to @potatojudge , he's a pretty smart feller, John

My two favorite toys,

 

[6ShotsOr5?]

I have a Single Six and a Single Seven. Following a tip from a well known Ruger fan‘s website, I unhooked one of the two trigger springs on each of these revolvers. The trigger pull dropped in half from about 4# to 2#, still just as smooth.

 

[Gabe22BR]

I like single action revolvers. I started on Dad's SBH .44 Mag. That was actually the first gun I loaded ammo for when I was ~14. Oregon Trail Lazer cast 240s and Alliant Blue Dot were the first components I put my fingers on. I didn't usually load full house stuff, I actually used 44 special data mostly. I just this week picked up a 1973 Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt for grins. I said I like single action revolvers, I never said I was good with one. For those that are; what is your best advice for being accurate, besides decades of practice? Grip technique? Finger position? Etc.... I'd like to eventually be proficient with 250 grain ~1100 fps or hotter

This is the best way to practice https://www.cowboyfastdraw.com/gene...x-bullets-and-5-shotgun-primer-brass-sampler/

You can get as many wax bullets as you want, but only need 5 cases.. b/c your gonna reuse them over& over…

This is the route I went, and now compete… pretty fun - cheap!!!

 

[Adam in WI]

So, I think like earlier that the gun has potential. This was a cylinder full of 250s under an almost max load of AA #5 fired at 25 yards. Not a rock solid rest, but rather a towel under my wrist. Recoil is quite manageable, but I did not chrono the load. I think the first modification I would like to do is to the front sight. I would prefer if it were a touch narrower, and I wonder if I could get someone to take a dovetail cutter to the back of it to give it a partridge profile. The factory front sight is about right on the 7-1/2" SBH, but on the 4-5/8" barrel it's taking up every last little bit of the rear sight opening.

 

[WayneShaw]

Let me just say, I have learned more about wheel guns in this short thread, than ever. I can see there is a world about wheel guns, just as there is this world about bolt actions and accuracy. You get your head stuck in a rifle, but there are those doing the same thing about wheel guns!

Awesome, and thanks!