By R.K. Campbell | Contributing Editor
When I say I like cowboy guns and cowboy shooting I am painting the guns with a broad brush.
I have studied old west history enough to realize that very few of us would care to have lived in those times. I have watched cowboy movies all of my life from John Wayne to Spaghetti Westerns. I still enjoy a good western. I do not get to anguished over the Winchester ’92 appearing in a movie that is supposed to have taken place in 1880, but I am upset by a clean shaven Bill Hickock!
The cowboy guns I fire most of the time are not original Colt, Starr, or Winchester models, but they are authentic. The revolver featured in this review isn’t an original 1880 era revolver but a modern rendition called the Traditions 1873 Frontier offered by Traditions Firearms. (Traditionsfirearms.com) The 1873 revolver is affordable, reliable, and accurate enough for most any handgun chore. Those chores include taking deer sized game to about 35 yards, keeping varmints dusted off the campsite, and cowboy action shooting.
The single action revolver requires the hammer be cocked for each shot. Some of us enjoy firing this type of firearm.
The 1873 is loaded either laboriously or lovingly depending on your view point. The hammer is brought back to half cock and the loading gate opened. The fat .45 Colt cartridges are loaded into the chambers one at a time. After firing, the process is reversed and the ejector rod is used to bump each cartridge out of the respective chambers. It isn’t fast to reload and this is the reason the old time gunfighters sometimes carried two guns. It wasn’t to use them both at once but to keep in action if the first revolver was shot dry.
The Traditions 1873 Frontier is authentic in appearance. The finish is attractive with a nice blue barrel and cylinder and a case hardened receiver. A less expensive matte blue finish revolver is also available, and there are surprisingly affordable engraved versions.
A variety of barrel lengths is available. Some shooters prefer the original length of 7 ½ inches and others like the 4 ¾ inch barrel version. For fun shooting at long range the long barrel is great and it points like a finger. The shorter barrel length clears leather more quickly.
I like the shorter barrel for carrying when hiking or camping. I sometimes carry the piece for protection against animals and I don’t feel particularly disadvantaged in personal defense in the wild if packing a single action .45.
Original single action revolvers featured a hammer mounted firing pin. The modern Pietta features a transfer bar ignition and frame mounted firing pin. This makes the revolver safe to carry fully loaded. I still most often load five- load one, skip a chamber, load four and cock the hammer and lower the hammer on an empty chamber.
The 1873 revolver features fixed sights. The rear sight is wide enough to pick up quickly and the front sight is visible. These revolvers are usually sighted close to the point of aim but if not you may adjust the point of impact by turning the barrel- but be certain it isn’t the shooter first. The barrel must be turned by a qualified gunsmith. Usually the point of aim and point of impact are close and different bullet weights and different velocity changes the point of impact. Pietta has addressed this concern and my revolver is properly sighted for 250 grain 750 fps loads.
When I broke the Frontier revolver out of the box the first thing I did was move the hammer to half cock and open the loading gate. The cylinder indexed properly and the action seemed smooth. The trigger breaks at less than four pounds.
The Frontier has good fit and finish and there are no tool marks. The barrel-to-cylinder gap is tight and the overall package is good.
When cocking the hammer you will note – if you are familiar with the Single Action Army- the hammer is a three position type opposed to the original’s four position hammer. The old saying was the Colt hammer said “C-O-L-T” as it was eared back. The bottom line is back when everyone knew to keep a cylinder empty under the hammer the old system was fine. We now have folks that don’t carry the gun everyday and some revolvers are safe with six and some aren’t. The Frontier may be carried fully loaded.
Grips are oiled walnut and they fit most hands well. The Pietta revolver is affordable and will get folks shooting cowboy action that may not be able to afford a more expensive revolver. But I would wager only a fraction of these handguns are used in cowboy action and Traditions sells many. The primary use is recreation- and that is fun shooting.
Shots Fired
The Traditions Frontier is a nice revolver to own. It is also a good sixgun for those who wish to master a single action. I think that single action revolvers are at their best when fired relatively quickly, cocking the hammer as you come on target. The Pietta is no exception.
Among the loads I have fired to date have been the Black Hills Ammunition 250-grain lead load. Affordable and clean burning this cowboy load breaks 750 fps in the Pietta. At this level of power, the Frontier is a pleasant to fire and use. While it is more fun to fire quickly if the revolver is bench rested for accuracy it will group five shots into 2.5 inches at 25 yards.
For personal protection there are good choices using hollow point bullets. For protection against feral dogs and the big cats- and average bears- Buffalo Bore offers a 255 grain SWC at a stout 936 fps. This load uses the original Elmer Keith designed semi wadcutter bullet. The long nose allows loading most of the bullet out of the cartridge, providing less pressure and more powder space. The flat nose and full caliber driving band result in a bullet with greater wound potential than a round nose or jacketed bullet. Recoil is there but not like a Magnum revolver. This is a credible outdoors load well suited to defense against larger animals or two legged predators.
I have carried the Frontier in a Slim Jim type holster offered by Traditions. This holster is useful for carrying in the field. For casual use on the range I simply open the loading gate and tuck the revolver in my waistline, closing the loading gate as the revolver is drawn. The Galco Wheelgunner is another good holster for outdoors use, riding high and keeping the revolver stabilized. I like the Traditions Frontier a great deal. It is a friendly handgun and a fun gun. But if needed for serious use it is a formidable revolver.
