By R.K. Campbell | Contributing Editor
For many years Cimarron firearms, through a partnership with Italian maker Uberti, has offered among the finest made single action revolvers ever to grace these shores.
While they closely resemble the original Single Action Army revolver the fit, finish, steel and other material is far superior to anything available in the Old West. I enjoy reading about the West and I have visited Tombstone, Arizona and other former hot spots where quite a few brawls took place. I would not have wished to live in that time but it is interesting.
Notably little has changed in the way of the things men fight over. Women, money, business and politics played a role in most of the gunfights of the day. The unregulated alcohol of the day had mind bending properties. Unlike modern Chicago and other urban wastelands, the men who fought and died in Tombstone had a reason for fighting, good or bad.
The Single Action Army, introduced in 1873, is regarded as one of the finest revolvers ever made. It certainly has exhibited longevity! The SAA requires the hammer be placed on half cock and the loading gate opened to load the chambers. The chambers are loaded one at a time. To safely carry this revolver, the drill is to load one cartridge, skip a chamber, load four chambers, cock the hammer and rest the firing pin on an empty chamber. The hammer is cocked and the trigger pressed to fire the handgun. The system worked well.
It should be noted that lawmen such as Tom Threepersons carried the SAA revolver well into the 1920s. Frank Hamer, another Texan of note, carried his SAA on the trail of Bonnie and Clyde. The end of the trail for those murdering scum came soon enough.
I think that the reason the SAA revolver lasted so long on the front line is its balance and easy pointing. Nothing quite feels like a SAA revolver in the hand. Double-action revolvers required a long trigger press and were larger and heavier than the SAA when chambered in big bore calibers. Quite a few Rangers skilled the double action revolver altogether and went straight to the 1911 semi-automatic pistol. But that’s history. There are better choices today in defensive handguns. I am certain a person who shoots cowboy action could make a good defense with the SAA. I often carry my .45 on the trial when the more likely threat is an animal-and just because it feels right. That said, the first of the many times I apprehended a criminal – a burglar in this case- I was off duty and the gun in my belt was a Colt Single Action Frontier!
Cimarron’s Thunderer isn’t an historically accurate revolver. There were quite a few short barrel SAA handguns including the famous Sheriff’s Model and many custom pieces. The custom work ranged from hacksaw in the blacksmith grade to artistry. Many dispensed with the ejector rod. A barrel length of three and one half inches is as short as you may go with the SAA and still have a useful ejector rod.
The Cimarron features the early ‘Black Powder’ frame. Rather than a spring locked plunger, a screw holds the cylinder in place. The non-standard grip frame provides the revolver’s name. There were quite a few birds head’s grip revolvers but never a SAA type. Colt’s double action .38 was the Lightning and the similar medium frame .41 the Thunderer. Cimarron calls the short barrel SAA their Thunderer. The bird’s head grip is certainly different. The recurves fits most hands well and the beak of the grip pretty much makes certain the revolver doesn’t squirm in recoil. We call the original a plow handled grip since it resembles a plow handle. The SAA is famous for its slow rolling recoil. While I liked the way the bird’s head grip felt I wasn’t certain how it would feel in recoil.
As it turned out there were several advantages. Recoil simply isn’t a problem with the soft rolling .45 Colt loads I used and even a couple of heavier loads. The grip also seems to aid in quickly moving the thumb up to cock the revolver for follow up shots. I can find no decrement in the bird’s head grip frame.
Another advantage is the trigger. Cimarron has specially tuned this trigger. It is ready for competetion as issued. The trigger is the best I have ever used no matter what the make of the gun or the gunsmith who put it together. I tested sear engagement and found it good. There is but little take up and the trigger breaks at a clean 2.5 pounds.
The sights are the simple groove rear and round blade front sight. They were delivered properly regulated for 250-grain loads. As for the grips, the supplied grips are fine. No problem with the grips or their quality. I added a set of Magna Tusk grips from Arizona Custom Grips. The results are simply gorgeous. More durable than ivory but with a similar look.
I had a surprise when firing the Thunderer. Recoil was milder than expected. The bird’s head grip is very comfortable. Shooting was as fast as it gets with a single action revolver and faster than any other SAA type I have used. The balance of a heavy 3.5-inch barrel revolver makes for fast work. The light trigger is especially appreciated. Most cowboy type loads average 700 fps or a little less. That is fine for cowboy action shooting. Most factory jacketed hollow point loads are little faster in deference to older handguns.
If you don’t handload- or cannot find primers and powder- Buffalo Bore offers a 225-grain lead semi-wadcutter hollowpoint. This load hits hard. Accuracy is good and recoil isn’t bad at all, about like a steel frame 1911 .45 ACP. After all, the Cimarron Thunderer weighs 2.5 pounds loaded. The milder loads are more fun but if you put the revolver to field and home defense use the Buffalo Bore load stands at the top of the heap.
I often check out a new gun during my daily walk and the longer walks my rescue animal and I take weekly. Lucy the Canine Lupus Dingo isn’t a dog but is halfway domesticated and certainly makes for a lively walk. If the revolver isn’t comfortable for those few miles it wont be during a hike or scouting before a hunt.
Carrying the Cimarron .45 in a Threepersons holster seems right. Tom Threepersons designed what is still one of the best all around holsters for carrying the SAA. This one is crafted by Lobo Gun Leather. Their rendition of the Threepersons rig is well turned out with excellent scrollwork. My example is several years old and looks great.
The Cimmaron offers a touch of the Old West and also a modern revolver of the best steel for cowboy shooting. It is a great handgun to have on the hip when in the wild for ‘just in case’. The .45 Colt has anchored every shape and size of threat for more than one hundred forty years and will do so again if need be. But that is a small part of the appeal of this revolver. It is a beautiful pistol that shoots well.
Note- the revolver is also available in .357 Magnum. That version will shoot well with .38 Special loads and probably makes the most sense in this day and time when .45 Colt ammunition is not only twice as expensive as .38 Special but much more difficult to locate.
BALLISTICS
Load Velocity 15-yard group
Hornady Cowboy 680 fps 2.0 in.
Black Hills Cowboy 701 fps 1.9 in.
Fiocchi Cowboy 690 fps 2.25 in.
SIG Elite 230 grain JHP 780 fps 3.0 in.
Buffalo Bore 225-grain
LSWHP 903 fps 2.25 in.
