Steve
.30 Stingray
Posts: 211
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Post by Steve on Feb 3, 2011 8:44:50 GMT -5
I am considering taking up Cowboy Mounted Shooting. I see that the Ruger Montado is designed specifically for the sport. I have always had a problem however with being able to reach the hammer on Rugers for fast follow up shots. Can anyone tell me about the grip frame and hammer angle on the Montado. I find my best for my hand is a FA 97 with a round butt.
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Post by taffin on Feb 3, 2011 13:52:48 GMT -5
GRIP FRAME IS STANDARD RUGER; HAMMER IS SUPER BLACKHAWK STYLE.
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Steve
.30 Stingray
Posts: 211
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Post by Steve on Feb 3, 2011 16:32:48 GMT -5
Thank you Mr. Taffin. May I ask which style Ruger hammer is easiest to reach with a short thumb. I seem to remember it was the Bisley, but I am not sure. Also are the different Ruger hammers interchangeable?
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Post by taffin on Feb 3, 2011 17:43:00 GMT -5
ALL HAMMERS "SHOULD BE" INTERCHANGEABLE WITHIN MANUFACTURING TOLERANCES EXCEPT THE BISLEY. IT REQUIRES MODIFICATION. THE MONTADO HAMMER SHOULD BE FAIRLY EASY TO REACH.
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Steve
.30 Stingray
Posts: 211
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Post by Steve on Feb 3, 2011 18:59:52 GMT -5
Thank you again. Looks like it will be worth my while to find one (or two) Montado(s) to try the feel. It is my understanding that there is a model with a rounded cylinder to allow for easier re-holstering and 3 1/2 inch barrels for easier handling while mounted. My preference would be Colts, but to get started and see if it is a long term pastime, I think the Rugers would be a good idea.
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Post by taffin on Feb 3, 2011 19:16:55 GMT -5
YOU HAVEN'T MENTIONED A HORSE; THAT IS ABOUT 95% OF THE GAME.
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Post by joeg0812 on Feb 3, 2011 20:49:32 GMT -5
Boy, that is the truth. And being able to ride it to the level needed.
Montados are used by a lot of riders in cowboy mounted shooting. They have had several changes made specifically to adapt them to the mounted shooting and black powder game.
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Steve
.30 Stingray
Posts: 211
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Post by Steve on Feb 3, 2011 21:04:37 GMT -5
I have the horses already and have been riding, cutting, penning, roping etc for a lot of years. I also hunt horseback and my best horse enjoys hunting. I have shot off him on more than one occasion. I have not however tried drawing, emptying one, re-holstering, drawing a second and emptying it as well. That would be a lot of coyotes, or some really bad shooting.
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Post by jimmarch on Feb 3, 2011 21:29:59 GMT -5
To expand a bit, there's some very good "comparison pics" of the various hammers here: www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=46133&sid=e260c2e5c53431668273d6ea95a32415The Bisley is the lowest. The Montado and SBH hammers are identical in overall shape and profile as seen from the side. The one difference is the thumb-pad checkering pattern - the SBH hammers have side-to-side grooves and nothing else. Montado hammers have a border and then a diamond cross-hatch pattern in the middle that looks a bit more "old west". The regular hammer is higher. The drop from the regular hammer to the SBH/Montado hammers is bigger than the drop in reach from the Montado/SBH hammers to the Bisley. In other words, most people find the "reach" nicely reduced when going down to the SBH/Montados and don't need to go as far down as the Bisley. To fit a Ruger Bisley hammer to a non-Bisley gun, you have to shave away metal on the back inside edge of the hammer. This is NOT where the critical sear surfaces are, so this is a homebrew-capable situation. All you do is lay your new Bisley hammer on top of your original hammer, note where the obvious "extra material" is at the back of the lower "circle" area (the part that stays in the gun) and start shaving . Ron Powers at Power Custom has Bisley hammers pre-altered for standard grip frames that also support half-cock reloading if you want to go there. Kind of expensive...$160 or so for a hammer and trigger together, but it's also supposed to be one hell of a good drop-in trigger job. Between the Montado and SBH hammers, I prefer the SBH because my thumb slips naturally off the side of the hammer at the end of the cocking stroke. NOTE: I'm purely a strong-side-thumber and I assume any horseman will be too! SBH hammers are usually not too hard to find - at any one time either Brownell's, Midway or Ruger themselves will have some in. You might have to settle for putting a stainless hammer in a blue gun - that's what I did with my NewVaq357. Still works just fine. Montado hammers (same as now used on the "SASS Special" New Vaqueros) are more or less impossible to find as a retrofittable piece. Nobody has 'em. A Montado is nothing particularly special. It's a New Vaquero with a 3.75" barrel and the Montado hammer. Early ones had extra grooves on the grip frame; SASS ruled those illegal for non-horse shooters and Ruger promptly dropped that feature. The SBH and similar lowered hammers were recently declared legal for all aspects of SASS shooting. You can take any standard NewVaq (or original Vaquero large-frame if you want) and graft an SBH hammer on it. I think you'd do fine on horseback with a 4.68" tube and an SBH hammer, if you can't find a factory Montado.
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Post by nonpcnrarn on Feb 4, 2011 23:57:54 GMT -5
IIRC There are now SASS New Vaqueros with 4 5/8" barrels and SBH hammers already installed. I don't remember if they are a stock item or a Lipsey's or Davidson's special.
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Post by rexster on Feb 5, 2011 0:20:19 GMT -5
I have much shorter thumbs than I think should be proportional to the size of my hands, and really like the Montado hammer. As indicated already, it is the Super Blackhawk spur, but it is checkered differently. I believe the Montados are Davidson's exclusives. Collector's Firearms in Houston usually has one or a few in stock, if you are near Houston.
I actually favor the Ruger Bisley grip frame, but the Montado/SBH hammer makes the Vaquero/Blackhawk grip much more acceptable.
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Post by jimmarch on Feb 5, 2011 4:59:25 GMT -5
Grafting a Bisley hammer onto a non-Bisley gun is SASS-forbidden last I heard . Which to me is pathetic - we're talking about a sub-$40 mod to make the gun fit your hand properly. And that's banned? Say what?
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Steve
.30 Stingray
Posts: 211
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Post by Steve on Feb 5, 2011 7:33:31 GMT -5
I believe you are correct about SASS forbidding modifications to the hammer, however the mounted folks are more sensible and reasonable. Go figure, people who ride rather than walk are more sensible. Anyway, I think CMSA does allow such a modification.
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Post by rexster on Feb 5, 2011 10:04:51 GMT -5
The Montado was made to meet CMSA specs, and was not SASS-legit at the time it was introduced, according to the write-ups at the time. I don't know what is SASS-OK these days, as the long gun rules and some shooting match "safety" rules caused me to lose interest in CAS, though I seem to recall many handgun rules were relaxed.
Steve, are you anywhere near the SE part of Texas, or anywhere in the eastern or southern half? If you can't find a Montado near you, perhaps I and my Montado, and Bisley, too, could make a road trip. There is no substitute for hands-on experience.
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Post by nonpcnrarn on Feb 5, 2011 12:34:03 GMT -5
The Montado was made to meet CMSA specs, and was not SASS-legit at the time it was introduced, according to the write-ups at the time. I don't know what is SASS-OK these days, as the long gun rules and some shooting match "safety" rules caused me to lose interest in CAS, though I seem to recall many handgun rules were relaxed. SASS did away with the gun type categories and went to age based categories. Modern guns can now be shot with traditional guns in all but a few categories. So now Super Blackhawk and Montado hammers and adjustable sights can now be used in many categories. B Western for example still has strict rules. Now SASS has Wild Bunch Matches with 1911s, go figure.
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