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Post by Alaskan454 on Apr 14, 2016 11:57:56 GMT -5
Did a little fund raising and there is an original 3.75" 45 Colt Vaquero en route. There will soon be an aluminum grip frame to fit as well, I'm going to work up some max loads and see how I like it at ~33oz before I start shaving off more weight. After playing around with some different mock ups I think I'll keep the factory barrel length and reshape/serrate the front sight to start. After an action job and free spin pawl we should be in business. I'm excited!
The idea was to see if I still enjoy something this light with 30k psi loads, if so there may be a light weight 500 JRH or 480 Ruger in the works next year. Along the lines of Bowen's 50AE lightweight but without going to titanium route. JRH seems to be the man for this type of project.
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Post by Encore64 on Apr 14, 2016 12:01:23 GMT -5
My 22 ounce Bulldog gets excited quick with 250 grn Bullets loaded +P. Ditto for my 36 ounce FA97 45 Colt.
Your project sounds interesting, just approach with caution.
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Post by Alaskan454 on Apr 14, 2016 12:14:17 GMT -5
I'm going to approach the weight reduction slowly. My first 44 was a 329PD so I've had a good deal of experience with hot loads in a 26 oz gun, I don't want to go that light in a single action. I'm guessing ~30 oz will be as light as I would want to touch off the full power 320+ gr loads with regularity.
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Post by Alaskan454 on Apr 16, 2016 16:59:35 GMT -5
Aluminum grip frame showed up today, took about 4 hours to get all the black finish off, true up the surfaces, and refinish to 400 grit. Not sure if I want to high polish the grip frame or do a fine brushed finish on the rest of the gun.
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Post by Alaskan454 on Apr 21, 2016 17:34:42 GMT -5
Swapping grip frames ended up at 34.2 oz, going to run some stiff loads through it tomorrow and see how it goes.
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Post by alukban on Apr 21, 2016 19:53:34 GMT -5
Pics man! Pics!
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Post by Alaskan454 on Apr 21, 2016 22:14:34 GMT -5
Updated picture! I shot a few 255gr and 300gr bullets over 12-12.5 gr of Longshot this morning. It's not quite a peppy as 4227 but gets you most of the way there. The grip frame was quite comfortable once I got used to it, I'm going to polish up the internals, serrate the front sight, and ditch the ERH this afternoon.
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Post by Colt45r on Apr 22, 2016 9:59:45 GMT -5
Nice. I like that. Great little packer and super caliber.
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Post by Alaskan454 on Apr 22, 2016 11:56:15 GMT -5
Thanks, it should be a great little packin' pistol. I was planning to put a Bisley hammer on it but the regular one is pretty nice.
If anyone's curious I measured some factory components to get an idea for how much it could be slimmed down and also to see what a light weight 480 might look like. Here goes:
3.75" ERH Assembly - 1.48 oz XR3-RED Grips (Eagle Gunfighter) - 1.94 oz BH Factory Grips - 2.29 oz XR3-RED Aluminum Grip Frame - 2.79 oz NM Vaquero BH Grip Frame - 7.05 oz Original Vaquero BH Grip Frame - 7.30 oz 6 Shot Factory 45 ACP Cylinder (Medium Frame) - 7.76 oz 6 Shot Factory 45 Colt Cylinder(Large Frame) - 9.03 oz 6 Shot Factory 44 Magnum Cylinder - 9.70 oz 5 Shot Factory 480 Ruger Cylinder - 10.44 oz
Unloaded 3.75" Vaquero with aluminum grip frame and no ERH - 2 lbs 0.77 oz Loaded with six 300 gr rounds - 2 lbs 6.59 oz
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Post by Frank V on Apr 23, 2016 9:29:33 GMT -5
Wow sounds like it'll be a great packing six-gun.
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Post by Alaskan454 on May 21, 2016 15:03:03 GMT -5
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Post by jimtx on May 21, 2016 15:42:14 GMT -5
I like it , you did great work on the sight should work out well at that profile. Overall package looks like and capable of taking care of business. My only thing is personal opinion only for myself, I like the ERH look with the 3.75" barrel. One suggestion is since you removed it wood be to hone the cylinders at aid in extraction especially with max loads, incase you had to reload quickly. Just IMO.
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Post by Alaskan454 on May 21, 2016 21:28:44 GMT -5
Thanks, I'm going to shoot it as is for a while. I have a pile of 300gr bullets and 4227 powder to load for it.
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Post by serialsolver on May 22, 2016 7:47:00 GMT -5
Finger nail notches for extraction.
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Joe S.
.401 Bobcat
Posts: 2,517
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Post by Joe S. on May 22, 2016 9:01:39 GMT -5
Interesting!
And not even enough for the "Glock bulge". Heh heh
Why not just put an aluminum ERH on it? Did it save that much weight this way?
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