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The Wild West was tamed a long time ago, right?
Cowboys, outlaws, panning for gold–all a thing of the past. But their guns aren’t!
I know you’ve eyed these guns before, in the local store, on the web, or at a match near you. But do they really live up to the price tag?
Pull up a chair, partner, and let’s talk a while about Cimarron, Pietta, and how flipping awesome these guns are.
Who Are Cimarron and Pietta?
Both of these names are legendary in the cowboy gun world, but most people don’t really understand their connection to each other. Simply put–Cimarron is the designer and retailer, Pietta is the manufacturer.
Cimarron has a wonderful video on the subject of how these two brands came to work together if you’re interested.
But the short version is that Pietta is an Italian company that has been making guns since the late 1950s, these days they are owned by Benelli who is in turn owned by Beretta.
While Pietta’s manufacturing has always been outstanding, their designs often left a lot to be desired. Enter Cimarron.
The Guns
I grew up in Southern California, in horse country, going to rodeos and trail rides. To me, the West was still very much alive. So when the chance came to play with some cowboy guns, I couldn’t turn Cimmaron down!
Frontier Stainless Steel, Cavalry
The Frontier Stainless Steel comes in a wide range of options and, while it’s not the most authentic of guns, I picked it because it looks awesome and stainless steel is simply far, far more durable than the other options.
The awesome thing though is that it simply EATS recoil. 158gr American Eagle .38spl felt like a .22lr and .357 Magnum felt like 9mm. This makes for a very pleasant shooting experience and makes using heavy hitting .357 magnum rounds much more do-able.
1873 Short Rifle
The complete name for this rifle is actually the 1873 Short Rifle, 20″ Octagon Barrel – but that is way too long of a name for a sub-title!
Are They Useful?
Granted, most people getting these kinds of firearms aren’t looking to use them for home defense or SHTF–and I wouldn’t recommend that you do. So… what does one do with guns of a bygone era?
Loading and Unloading
If you’ve never used these types of guns before, take some time to handle them and get to know them before heading out to the range.1873 Short Rifle
Unlike the Henry style of lever-actions, the 1873 sports a King’s Patient Loading Gate on the side of the receiver. In my opinion, this is a LOT easier to use and load, but it might take some more hand strength.Frontier Stainless Steel
Single action revolvers come with several notches in the cocking cycle. Safety notch, half-cock, and full-cock. If you plan on carrying your revolver loaded and in a holster, set the hammer to the first notch or the safety notch so that a blow to the hammer won’t set off a cartridge. For loading and unloading, the half-cock is used. This frees the cylinder to spin freely in one direction. Once freed, simply open the loading gate and feed a cartridge in. Rotate the cylinder one position and repeat until loaded.
Fit, Finish, and Function
These guns are well near works of art. Hands down, these are two of the most aesthetically pleasing firearms I’ve ever held.Frontier Stainless Steel
This Frontier model revolver is basically perfect. Even disassembled, I can’t find anything to complain about. From the depth of the markings to the glass like the smoothness of the action and trigger, it’s all just outstanding.
1873 Short Rifle
Again, the outside is perfect. The case hardening is lovely and rich, the grain of the wood is supple, and the color is a wonderful deep mahogany. Spend a moment and put a thin coat of protective oil on the gun and it will shine like you wouldn’t believe. However, the internals is not as nice as the outside would lead you to believe. The action has some grit to it and the brass elevator especially has some defined tool marks visible.
Shooting, Groups, Ammo, Oh My
One thing that sucked about the Old West was the sights. Really, if you haven’t handled an Old Timey gun in a while–do so and you’ll be 10 times more amazed at the skill it required for those old Gunslingers to… gunsling.
1873 Rifle
Out of the box, the rifle came basically zeroed, depending on what ammo I used. I also tested everything from 158gr .357 magnum down to 90gr .38spl, every single one round through the rifle without a hitch. Zero malfunctions, zero problems.
$20
at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
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25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
$25
at Lucky Gunner
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
Frontier Stainless Steel
I’m not sure why, but I was expecting this pistol to be much less accurate than it was. In fact, it turned out to be amazingly accurate.
What Not To Do
Fan The Hammer
I know some of you have played too much Red Dead Redemption lately and the first thing you’ll want to do with your new pistol is to fan the hammer… just don’t.
+P and +P+ Ammo
Keep in mind that most of these older designs were made for much lower pressure ammo than what we can make today. With modern improvements to metallurgy and manufacturing, Cimarron’s guns are totally safe to use… with standard loading ammo. If you read the users manual, you will note that they clearly state to not use any kind of +P or +P+ ammo or it will not only void the warranty, but you can get hurt.By The Numbers
Frontier Stainless Steel
Reliability 5/5
Zero problems to report. I ran several boxes of 6 ammo types though it and never once had any kind of stoppage. The only thing I found was that some .357 Magnum loads were hard to get out of the cylinder, but that was solved by a stiff hand with the unloading rod.Accuracy 4/5
Very accurate for an old style pistol. Sights were usable and the grip, once you get used to it, was decent.
Ergonomics 2/5
It’s a replica of a 100+-year-old design. It’s understandable that there are some ergonomics lacking. This isn’t really a problem, it’s just something you have to accept.Looks 5/5
Wow. Just wow.Customization 2/5
Haha, of course, you can’t customize it… much. If you want, there are gunsmiths that will take it in and do some smoothing jobs on the internals–but I would only send it out for this if you plan on using it in CAS and you’re really into it. Otherwise, leave it stock and enjoy it for what it is.Bang for your Buck 4/5
There are cheaper single-action revolvers on the market that you can get to fulfill your Cowboy dreams, but if you want as close to the real thing as possible and you want it to last long enough to pass down to your grand-kids then this is the gun for you.Best Single Action Army
$650
at Sportsman’s Guide
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
Overall 4/5
1873 Short Rifle
Reliability 5/5
5 ammo types and several boxes of each later, I had zero problems. The only thing I kind of ran into was that my .38spl snap caps were too short for the action. I was worried this might be a problem with real ammo, but even shooting 90gr .38spl Hornady Critical Defense Lite I had perfect function. I don’t know why my snap caps are so short, but if you have the same issue–don’t worry.Accuracy 5/5
For an old style rifle, with buckhorn sights, and lacking the ability to easily adjust things – I was very impressed with it. Once you understand your holds for your ammo, it’s very easy to get good hits on reasonably sized targets.
Ergonomics 5/5
After handling this rifle a lot, I can see why it was so popular with hunters, trappers, and cowboys. Even with a 20″ barrel the 1873 is only 8.2lbs. It’s light, handy, shoulders beautifully, and is one of the most natural feeling rifles I’ve ever shot.Looks 5/5
Again, wow. The case hardening and the wood just speaks to me. I love it.
Customization 2/5
You can find lever-actions with things like a drilled and tapped receiver, but this isn’t one of them. Nor would I ever try to do so. Leather wraps for the lever loop and the stock are about all you can find for it, but honestly, I would leave it stock. If you are looking to use this for CAS though, there are short-throw lever kits on the market and a good gunsmith can smooth out the action a bit to make it faster.Bang for your Buck 4/5
If you’re just wanting a plinker than this is a steep price tag for that. But if you want to shoot CAS, have an heirloom rifle to pass down, or want to be the belle of the deer season–then spending the money on something this nice is totally worth it.Best 1873 Lever-Action
$1,100
at Sportsman’s Guide
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
Overall 5/5
Parting Shots
True classics never go out of style, the ’73 pattern lever-action and the single action army pattern revolver proves that perfectly. From Cowboy Action Shooting to a true ranch rifle or a real heirloom that you want to pass down to the great-grandkids someday, you won’t go wrong with Cimarron and Pietta.
Do you have some cowboy guns? What do you like better: Henry or Winchester style lever actions? Let us know in the comments! If you’re looking for a lever-gat packing more punch, take a look at our Henry .45-70 hands-on review!
13 Leave a Reply
Pietta is not owned by Beretta. That would be Uberti. Get your facts straight.
Hey Craig, thanks for commenting. Beretta actually owns quite a number of companies to include Uberti, which it purchased in 2000.
I know, I said that. They own Uberti, not Pietta. Pietta is still owned and operated by the Pietta family.
Hey Craig, no need to be an ass when making a comment. There's better ways to get your point across without being condescending. Just sayin'.
If you're going to write an article, at least research it. This information is widely known by people with more than a passing interest in single action revolvers. My comment was nowhere near "being an ass" as your response to it, nine friggin' months later. Get a life.
The article is wrong, while Cimarron now imports some revolvers from Pietta, all of the references the author makes are to Uberti, Cimarron's longtime partner and the maker of all the Cimarron lever rifles.
Thanks for the feedback, however, the names of the brands and importers were given to me by Cimarron themselves.
Odd since the linked video in the article taking the reader to an interview with Mike (Owner of Cimarron) establishes right away that their manufacturing relationship is with Uberti. You may want to check your notes....and correct your article.
If you plan on carrying your revolver loaded and in a holster, load 5 and rest the hammer on an empty chamber...it has been the "safe" way to carry these guns for 150 years
Henry makes rifles with side loading gates now. And if it can handle 357 magnum it’ll handle +P 38spl from a reputable ammo company. Probably the same instruction manual printed for all calibers.
Yes, and Henry is made in the USA.
This article is a great reminder of just how fugly guns have become. More efficient and higher capacity maybe (though I still think the Indian is more important than the arrow), but I can't think of a modern plastic gun that can hold a candle to the beauty of a classic lever action and a well made revolver. And for the record, I'd be just fine with those two options for home defense. A short, maneuverable carbine loaded in .357 can do a lot of damage very quickly in the hands of someone who knows how to run it well.
Was disappointed when I got my first look at the new 1860 Henry. Whoever they have polishing the barrels does a great job of rounding over the octagon flats. Uberti does a much better job.