Worthy of The Title

Unfortunately for us taxpayers, there’s no news about tycoons and politicians downsizing their ambition, but a couple of years ago, the shooters and handgun hunters who run Freedom Arms donned their downsize thinking caps, and the end result may be the best 357 Mag. revolver ever. It’s designated the Model 97, and while it’s downsized to about 90 percent of the big Freedom Arms revolvers, the cylinder on the new gun holds six rounds instead of five.

 

Freedom fanatics need not panic; downsizing the gun’s dimensions has not affected quality. Existing manufac­turing techniques and processes like line-boring, close tolerance fit, and meticulous hand-finishing are all being applied to the new gun.

Barrel-cylinder gaps are still set .003″ and trigger pulls at 3 lbs. Like its big brothers, sight options on the Model 97 still include the fixed sight (notch in topstrap and silver front blade), and the same style adjustable sights with black front ramp and blued rear sight scaled down to fit the small­er channel cut in the topstrap. The adjustable sights on the Model 97 are like those on the large Field Grade guns rather than the Premier Grades (i.e., a clamping screw must be loos­ened to adjust for windage).

Little Big Gun

Barrel lengths are either 5 ½” or 7 ½”, both with either fixed or adjustable sights. The rear notch on the fixed sight version is square rather than a “U” or a “V.” The stainless front sight is also square, but not as wide as the black blade on the adjustable sight­ed gun.

Interestingly, while the fixed sights are more difficult to see (at least for older eyes), and less precise than the adjustable sights, the stainless front blade is more visible in dim light condi­tions. Sight picture with the adjustable sighted Model 97 was indistinguishable from that of the big frame guns.

Ergonomics, balance and handling characteristics are superb on the smaller gun. It rivals the original Colts (and imported clones), while offering a slightly longer grip for proper posi­tioning of the little finger of the shoot­ing hand as opposed to having the pinkie pushed under the gun butt.

At the same time, the Model 97 doesn’t have the overly large “club” feel of a full size Bisley grip. It’s the right-sized grip to handle the recoil of full .357 Mag. ammo, or even some­thing heavier like a .41 Mag. or what­ever caliber Freedom next offers in this gun.

In short, the grip is “right” for the gun because it will allow the shooter to handle any level of recoil suitable for this size revolver. This may not be of much interest to cowboy shooters who will hold velocities to something under 800 fps, but it’s important to handgun hunters, and in the adjustable sighted version, this is one dandy hunting gun.

 Semi-Serious Informal Shooting

I acquired an adjustable sighted gun with a 5’/2″ barrel because I envi­sioned spending some relaxed “trail time.” along with doing a bit of semi-serious hunting, and 5″ to 6″ barrels are my preference for these kinds of endeavors. As long as I can see iron sights, (and my vision is still OK in daylight hours), unscoped belt guns are my number one passion in hand­gun hunting.

Despite preferences, the little gun was equipped with a scope for sighting in and a trip to the YO Ranch involving both a hunt and a handgun hunting-style match. The petite Model 97 was fitted with the smallest handgun scope on the market, Leupold’s 2x EER pistol scope, and a modified T’SOB scope base from SSK. SSK will be making scope bases properly sized for the new gun soon.

The 2x was entirely suitable for my purposes, and anything bigger tends to overwhelm the gun, both aesthetically and in terms of handling characteristics. However, the balance of the small­er frame gun with the 7.5″ barrel is also excellent, and the longer barrel offers a couple of advantages to the handgun hunter. You will eke out a bit more velocity from the extra 2″ of bar­rel, and the gun’s longer overall dimen­sion encourages, or at least allows, the use of a larger scope, perhaps a vari­able power. Your choice.

 Too Good For His Own Good

Prior to the hunt I put a few hun­dred rounds of cowboy ammo through the gun. Cowboy action shooters like smoke; so factory ammo for cowboy shooters produces smoke along with lots of cruddy residue. This is not a problem for the gun functionally, but over time, it makes the gun filthy. Not dirty, filthy!

This is the one occasion where the tight tolerances and stainless steel of Freedom Arms’ guns may not be fully appreciated. To avoid problems, just clean and lubricate periodically, espe­cially the cylinder pin, to insure the cylinder rotates freely. Also, clean the barrel after shooting lots of lead cow­boy ammo before you start popping jacketed bullets down range

I failed to do so before sighting in and the first 20 or so rounds of factory jacketed ammo produced depressingly large groups at the 50 yard range. When the barrel had finally been scraped clean, things settled in, and the little gun started turning in 1″ to 2″ groups with the 2x scope, depending on what ammo was being consumed.

After putting nine different factory loads through the gun over sandbags. I had what I wanted: a variety of suit­able factory loads, up through a 180 grain deep-penetrating bullet, for hunt­ing small to medium-large game.

The accuracy of Freedom Arms revolvers is not surprising, nor is it a mystery. The precise alignment of each chamber with the barrel results from the Wyoming factory’s line-boring manufacturing technique, allowing bar­rel forcing cones of only three degrees to be used on Freedom revolvers.

Typical forcing cones on mass-pro­duced revolvers are much higher to compensate for misalignment of cham­bers and barrels that result from loos­er manufacturing tolerances. Use of a higher power scope might have pro­duced even better accuracy, but as stat­ed, my search was for a compact hunt­ing handgun.

 Whacking Everything In Sight

The trip to the YO Ranch could hardly have been more successful. With the Leupold scope in place and using Winchester’s new 180 gr. Partition Gold ammunition, I collected a Sika buck at about 70 yards and went through the handgun hunting match successfully, whacking almost all the targets I saw. 

While my performance at the match was less than stellar, it was vision failure on my part in locating tar­gets, and nothing that could be blamed on the Model 97. The Nosier partition bullet performed perfectly on the Sika, giving every indication that the gun, when matched with appropriate heavy­weight bullets, can be used satisfacto­rily on larger game animals.

One other major caveat is required, and it’s not about a shortcoming in the Model 97, but rather a recalibration of the handloader’s mindset when work­ing with a Freedom Arms revolver. The Model 97’s cylinder is smaller than those on the large frame wheel-guns, but it has six chambers instead of its big brother’s five. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that since there is less metal around each cham­ber, our pressure vessel will not handle the same pressure levels that we rou­tinely deal with when loading the five-shot revolvers.

If you have handloads for your five-shot Freedom Arms .357 that generate in excess of 50,000 psi, do not shoot these in your Model 97! You now have a normal size .357 that was built to deal with normal .357 ammunition. Follow the load limits contained in your load­ing manuals for regular .357s, which is somewhere in the 30,000 psi range.

Besides abhorring a vacuum, nature isn’t terribly fond of anyone who doubles the recommended pres­sure levels in revolver cylinders. Stick with standard .357 loads for the Model 97, and make sure you can tell the dif­ference between the standard stuff and your Cape buffalo .357 loads.

My personal trick is to use brass-colored rifle primers in the high pres­sure loads and silver-colored, magnum small pistol primers for normal loads. Do what works best for you, but be sure it enables proper identification of ammo when separated from its box.

 What More Do You Need?

To my way of thinking, no hunting handgun is ready to go afield without a holster, or at least a reasonable carry technique. I threw in the “carry tech­nique” because some single shot hand­gun hunters like to use a sling. That works for the longer barrel, scoped single shots, and even long barrel scoped revolvers, but not for the beau­tiful little Model 97.

Sans scope, the small frame gun is perfect for a belt holster, preferably one with minimal bulk. I used a suede-lined Bianchi lawman for the 5.5″ bar­rel for a strong side carry. The only drawback is that the lawman and the Model 97 aren’t compatible in barrel length, but the 6.5″ holster worked well and shouldn’t be too difficult to shorten.

For a cross draw, perhaps best for belt carry of a 7.5″ revolver, you might try the Bianchi Cyclone. This rig can be worn either cross draw or strong side simply by sliding your belt through a different slot on the holster.

For the scoped Model 97, or any other scoped gun, market offerings for the handgun hunter are bleak. There are rigs available, but they seem to be saddle scabbards altered for people carry. They are incredibly bulky and rigid, and they either severely restrict physical movement or flop loosely with any change of body posture or position.

The only answer I’ve found, and it’s a dandy, is a nylon shoulder rig designed by handgun hunter Phil Briggs and now manufactured by JoAnne Conn in Montana. She’s a handgun hunter that stopped by the Wyoming factory in the summer of ’96 to shoot the handmade prototype guns and give some “female feedback” to Freedom president Bob Baker.

The holsters, or pouches, are avail­able in two size holsters. The small one comfortably accommodated the Model 97 with the 2x Leupold pistol scope, but will handle scoped revolvers with up to 7.5″ barrels or scoped single shots with barrels up to 10″. The longer barrel holster handles up to a 10.5″ revolver or 15″ single shot.

Once the straps are adjusted to fit the owner, the rig can be carried com­fortably all day and hides easily under an outer jacket or rain poncho for pro­tection from the elements. I never encountered any inclement weather at the YO Ranch, but the scoped revolver rode in the nylon shoulder holster for three days in total comfort.

Freedom Arms did a great job in their downsizing effort. The end result is an outstanding combination of trail gun, hunting handgun, and cowboy “hogleg.” Although the hue and cry has already started about what would be the best next caliber for the Model 97, the .357 Magnum now being offered is arguably the best general purpose handgun caliber ever devised.

Skeeter Skelton once wrote an arti­cle about the one gun-caliber dilemma. He selected the .357 Mag., and while he chose a different manufacturer’s gun, it would be interesting to see what his selection might have been if the Model 97 had been available. Freedom’s new .357 certainly is a can­didate for the one-gun man or woman.

Published:  GUNS – September 1998

 

 

 

The Dreaded Assault Single-Shots

We live in an age of labels. Worse still, most of these labels are assigned with political motives to achieve a calcu­lated emotional effect. Shooters suffer as much or more than any other group from this 20th century phenomenon.

Some of the best known examples include:

If it has a black, plastic stock, it’s an assault weapon.

If it’s a military related development, it’s only possible purpose is to kill people.

If it’s a small, relatively inexpensive handgun, it’s a Saturday Night Special.

Perhaps the most ridiculous example here on the West Coast was our gover­nor’s stated rationale when he signed the bill banning the T/C Contender single-shot with a .45 Colt/.410 pistol barrel in California: “We want to keep these guns out of the hands of the gangs.” Well, you can imagine how much safer I feel!

In my usual, rambling fashion. I have subtly introduced the contents of this article and you, the reader, have grasped the nuances of my title. But just in case my brain is becoming dysfunctional (another popular ’90s label that tends to absolve adults of personal responsibility for their actions), we’re going to look at the currently available single-shot pistols in .223 caliber.

No, they clearly are not assault weapons. But they all fire a round devel­oped for military use (even though we renamed it for the civilian market) and there is black plastic or rubber on some of the guns. What they do represent is possibly the most accurate group of handguns on the planet, and every one of them, in its own way, is a thing of beauty in form or function.

T/C Contender

We’ll begin with the gun that, more than any other started the American handgunner’s current love affair with sin­gle-shot pistols. And in return for that love, T/C has made numerous improve­ments over the years in response to field inputs.My test gun was blued, had a 10 inch barrel, very attractive wood forend and grip with the rubber insert at the back of the grip. Optics consisted of a stream­lined set of T/C base and rings and the company’s 2.5-7x variable lighted pistol scope.

The scope has an extra turret, or con­trol knob, on the left side that holds a bat­tery and allows you to dial lighted crosshairs. It works like the dot scopes, but you only use it in dim light condi­tions; otherwise, the normal crosshairs are available for use.

With its 10 inch barrel, it was the lightest and easiest handling gun in the group. What it lost in velocity with the short barrel, it more than made up in holsterability and off-hand shooting comfort.

It was amazingly tolerant of almost everything I fired through it. Specifically, of the 21 factory and handloads tested, only two loads failed lo shoot 2″ or less at 100 yards! And these are five-shot groups I’m talking about.

Factory fodder preference went to Winchester 53 gr. H.P. and Hornady 55 gr. S.P. Both crowded the 1.5″ mark with Hornady clocking 2,555 fps and Win­chester an impressive 2,700 fps. The magic one MOA mark was achieved with three powders: WW 748, Hodgdon 322, and AA 2015. Bullets of choice were Speer’s 52 gr. H.P. and Nosier’s 50 gr. B.T.

The break-open, or tip up, action of the T/C lacks the rigidity of a bolt gun and allows some flex with hotter loads. Although there was a feeling of “sticki­ness” when opening the action after firing the hotter factory loads, the gun func­tioned reliably with everything fired through it.

I rate the T/C with a short barrel as an excellent walk-about hunting handgun. Flat enough to holster, comfortable enough to shoot from any position, and accurate enough to take game humanely.

For sustained shooting from a single location overlooking a prairie dog town, you might opt for a longer, heavier barrel. The least expensive way to add that capa­bility is with an extra 14″ T/C barrel. There ain’t no down side with T/C, which is probably why so many people buy their guns.

Remington XP 100

This is the gun that introduced bolt-action rifle performance to handgunners and is still the accuracy standard against which other handguns must be measured.

But the gun in this test is a far cry from the stubby, plastic-stocked Fireball of the Sixties and Seventies. We’re up to a 15″ barrel (courtesy of the silhouette shooting community) and a production

 Remington wood stock! It’s a smooth, oil-finished, laminated wood stock that feels and looks great, a stock guaranteed to produce envy, not ridicule, from your most competitive friends.

Slapping on Burris bases, rings, and their masterpiece 3-9x pistol scope pro­duced accuracy results that were exactly what we have learned to expect from XP’s over the years.

Every factory load but one crowded or surpassed one-inch groups at 100 yards. Hornady 55 gr. S.P. put four shots into one hole at 2.960 fps with the fifth open­ing the group to 0.75″. Remington 55 grainers and Federal’s 40 gr H.P.s stayed under an inch, with velocities of 2,900 fps and 3.300 fps respectively.

Just about every handload pushed the magic MOA mark with some doing noticeably better. Superior performance came from Hornady 50 gr. spire point in front of either Reloader 12 or AA 2015. and 52 gr. Speer hollowpoint backed by H335. I should mention that all reloads were held to the mild side to insure easy extraction.

Judging from the factory loads, I had another couple of hundred feet available in the XP. Preferences might change at the higher performance levels, but the gun produced excellent results with some combination of every powder and bullet tried. Try your favorite powder and bul­let, or whatever you have available— this gun isn’t going to disappoint you.

If I were to start work tomorrow as an employee of Rodent Control Inc. and my first work station was a hillside overlook­ing Prairiedogville. USA, the Remington XP 100 would be the first item into my company tool box.

With this baby laid out across an improvised sandbag. I would cheerfully agree to payment on a quota basis. And while there might be some work slow downs or stoppages due to heating of the XP’s slender barrel, my family would be adequately supported financially and I would be one of the world’s happiest employees.

On the other hand, if I was the chief supplier of furry victuals to a raptor recovery center, and did most of my hunt­ing in the walk, stalk and shoot mode. I would set the XP reluctantly aside and select a different candidate.

MOA Falling Block

Not widely known outside of silhou­ette shooting circles, the MOA falling block with its 11″ bull barrel (actually it’s 10³/»”) is a remarkably compact, very rigid and extremely accurate firearm.

Its sloping, “plow-handle” grip with the loop lever is nostalgically western looking and. indeed, feels very much like a cowboy gun. For single-action revolver aficionados, it is the perfect transition into single-shot handguns.

I selected the shorter bull barrel because the gun gets quite muzzle heavy with the 14″ version, and with the shorter barrel, it appeared to be a reasonable can­didate for a roving hunter. Topped with Leupold’s 2.5-8x variable pistol scope, it was ready to go to work.

The gun showed a tremendous prefer­ence for handloads. Only Winchester’s 55 gr. FMJ and Remington’s 55 gr. spire point pushed the MOA circle at some­thing over 2,650 fps. Conversely, lots of handload combinations went into an inch.

Try RL-12, H322, WW 748. or AA2015 with whatever .224″ bullets you have in your reloading area; it won’t be a lengthy search.

If there’s a down side to the MOA, it’s the reloading process. Slightly slower than most with less access to the chamber in the event of a sticky shell, it’s still rela­tively simple for a hunter on the move. It requires more manipulation of the gun when shooting off bags due to the long, downward arc of the lever, but it’s a skill you’ll master easily within a few rounds.

And its bull barrel heat sink and off­hand shootability make it a better dual purpose gun (over sandbags vs. stalk-and-shoot) than either the T/C or XP.

One of my younger hunting partners borrowed the MOA for a totally success­ful spring javelina hunt. The gun couldn’t be too difficult to load because, despite his lack of familiarity with it, there were more holes in his javelina than I thought possible from a single-shot pistol!

The XL Pistol

Having been in the hands of silhouette match winners for years, the XL pistol (formerly the Merrill) with its break-open design and full-time safety is making more appearances in the handgun hunting fields.

Since all current XL barrels are untapered and have the same external config­uration, RPM varies barrel length (from 8″ to 14″) to achieve proper balance depending on the caliber and intended application. In .223 and with off-hand shooting a requirement, my XL barrel is 12″ long.

With Weaver bases having multiple slots, the scope can be mounted in vari­ous positions to maintain your preferred balance point. I topped mine off with Burris’ new 2-7x variable power pistol scope and ventured range ward.

The XL was tolerant of— but not ter­ribly fond of— factory ammo. It put four rounds of Federal’s factory into one inch at the 100 yard mark, but let the fifth round wander out to two inches. At over 2,800 fps, the Federal 55 grainers (and a few other factory loads) made the XL’s opening latch difficult to release, so their suitability in the field might be question­able in this particular gun without the addition of RPM’s loading latch lever.

PMC’s 55 gr. spire points kept five rounds under 2″ at a more sedate 2,650 fps with no case sticking. Good choice for walking up small game, but for longer range shooting, we have to turn to the reloads.

No problem, since most of the reloads pushed or exceeded the one inch mark. WW 748 with 50 and 55 gr. Nosier boat-tails went under an inch as did H322 with 50 gr. Hornadys. RL-12 and AA2015 with 52 gr. Speers were also both right at an inch.

The XL is the most comfortable of the single-shots (along with the T/C) to carry in a shoulder holster. Its balance, grip angle, trigger reach distance, and overall ergonomics make it the most comfortable off-hand shooting gun of the group for me.

Its bull barrel will heat up more slowly on those extended prairie dog shooting sessions, but eventually it will literally get too hot to handle. It’s more flexible action, which suggests the use of milder loads in the field, is offset by easy access to the chamber in the event of functioning problems. It also offers the fastest barrel change of any single-shot tested.

Pachmayr Dominator

The Pachmayr is basically a conver­sion kit to modify a 1911 frame into a single-shot. The three major parts (besides the frame) are a barrel assembly, forend, and a slide and bolt assembly.

The bolt, which has a shell-holder slot in front, rotates and locks up with lugs inside the barrel assembly, much like a rifle or the XP. The slide assembly comes drilled and tapped, so I mounted Burris bases, rings, and their I Ox pistol scope.

As outstanding as the lOx Burris is for long range bench rest shooting, after range testing, I switched to a 2-7x .Simmons variable scope to take advantage of the Pachmayr’s excellent handling character­istics for field use.

The Dominator did not like most of the factory ammo with one notable exception: Federal’s 40 gr. H.P. put five rounds under an inch at a sizzling 3,300 fps! Nothing else came close to one minute of angle until we went to handloads. And while it was more tolerant with reloads, it still had very strong preferences. With Win 748 and Speer 52 gr. H.P., it pro­duced 5 shot half inch groups at the 1(k) yard line. It stayed under an inch with AA 2015 and Hornady 50 graincrs. It slipped just over an inch with 748 and 52 gr. Sier­ra H.P. H322 and RL-12 would hold 4 shots in .75 inch but would let one shot slip to 1.5 inches. The accuracy is there, you just have to spend a little time finding the right combinations.

The Pachmayr has the same key nega­tive and positive features as the MOA. The Dominator is the slowest of the sin­gle-shots to reload. The round must be slipped carefully into the shell holder in the bolt face. Same for unloading: emp­ties don’t just drop out into your hand or eject to the side.

And access to that bolt face is restrict­ed with a scope in place. For the meticu­lous handloader who never lets his empty cases hit the dirt, perhaps this is a plus. Either way, the loading/unloading drill can be learned rather quickly even if the end process is a little slower.

But the really great news is that 1911 frame with the grip that many American shooters think is the ultimate in handgun ergonomics. So for all the action shooters racing frantically through several hundred rounds of healthy, therapeutic shooting every weekend, let me suggest that you slow down a little and smell the powder residue.

Pachmayr’s Dominator will show you that there is life— and bullet impact— beyond 50 yards.

Lone Eagle

On first viewing, the Lone Eagle’s appearance invites caustic comments. Like calling it the Lonely Eagle, or even the Ugly Duckling.

But if you instantly dismiss this gun simply because of its physical appearance, you would be making the most serious mistake of your varmint shooting career. This plastic handled club with the big rotary breech and extended metal cocking lever on the left side is brutally simple and the lowest priced gun of the group.

With its compact dimensions (the rotary bolt mechanism extends the overall gun length only about an inch beyond the basic 14″ barrel) it might be the ultimate “truck” or “tractor” varmint gun.

In keeping with its budget market niche, I put on a Weaver base and rings.

and a very economical Bushnell 2-6x variable pistol scope. And the fun began!

Nothing fired in it shot over two inch groups at 100 yards! Three factory loads (PMC 55 gr. SP, PMC 55 gr. FMJ, and Homady 55 gr. SP) all stayed under an inch at velocities from 2.850 fps to 3.050 fps.

With handloads, this gun liked WW 748. It put Sierra 52 gr. HPs into just over half an inch, and 50 gr. Nosier BTs into one inch. AA 2015 and Homady 50 gr. SPs went into % inch. Numerous other hand-loads were between 1 1/4 and 11/2 inches.

I’d start with WW 748 or AA 2015, but if you have something else in the garage, try that first. I suspect you’ll see MOA performance not later than your second trip to the range.

Bottom line on the Lone Eagle? Well, it’s like that great hunting dog out in the kennel that you’re too embarrassed to bring into the house and introduce to your friends, because he’s always breaking wind and nosing lady guests in forbidden places.

But when it’s time to go hunting, he’s the first one in the truck because the great outdoors has a way of dissipating nasty air pockets, and the only thing he’ll get his nose into is your day’s limit of birds!

Summary

There are no bad choices in this group of candidate hardware. In firing several hundred rounds through these six guns, there were some clear advantages and dis­advantages among the different designs.

Some are easier to use for different hunting scenarios. Some are more toler­ant of ammo variations. And some will appeal more to an individual’s personal preferences than others.

Once you have defined your hunting needs, try to get your hands on as many brands as possible to determine personal fit and feel. The Contender, XP, and Magnum Research’s Lone Eagle are available through retail dealers and can be handled in most major gun stores.

You might encounter used XLs. MOAs or Dominators in a gun store or at a gun show, but for a new one, you’ll need to contact the manufacturer. You can see many of these guns (probably in different calibers) at silhouette matches, and if you indicate you’re interested in buying one, you’ll probably be offered a few shots by a competitor at the end of the day. You may even get hooked on silhouette shooting!

If you’re a casual shooter of wheel-guns or self-loaders, try long range shoot­ing with one of these precision single-shots. If you occasionally shoot single-shots, try handgun hunting or silhouette shooting.

And if you shoot anything at all, join the NRA. When politicians are ignorant (or determined) enough to ban a single-shot handgun barrel in California, you have nothing that can be considered safe.

Published:  American Handgunner – September/October 1994