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Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,793
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,793 |
Every time I handle or shoot my 83 it astonishes me.
After a couple years, you'd think I would be used to it. But after nearly 50 years of using "normal" handguns, the FA still stuns me with its precision.
I think every serious handgunner ought to have at least one in his life.
If you decide it is just too much of a good thing, sell it. They don't depreciate like a Wal-Mart gun.
USMC 0351
We know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,243 Likes: 11
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,243 Likes: 11 |
I just read an article about a Freedom Arms Model 97 in one of the gun rags. The author made the gun sound like the best thing since sliced bread, as if he were simply a shill for the company.
Is the Freedom Arms revolver worth the nearly $3K they are charging for it? I'm a casual shooter, and do not compete, but i do appreciate excellence. I've read a number of comments from folks who love their FA revolvers, but does anyone have anything less than stellar to report about them? Any downsides, other than their hefty price tags?
Vacillating over whether I should put them on my "gotta have one" list. I have a tuned Ruger Blackhawk that shoots lights-out, and i wonder if the FA is seriously worth four times the Blackhawk. I owned a 4" 97 chambered in .44 Special. Round butt and ebony micarta. When I found it and bought it I thought I had found nirvana in the single action world, but after shooting it and carrying it a good bit, it started to leave me cold. The tolerances were (for me) too tight. You cannot thumb them as casually as you can a Colt or Ruger. They are tank like and by all accounts will remain that way for a long, long time. The chambers are cut so tight that I would often have to push on the cartridge HARD to get it fully seated to the point that the cylinders would rotate. This annoyed me greatly. The tight tolerances are like any aspect of engineering. While annoying, they also yield extreme accuracy that you'd not expect from a 4" single action. However, I cannot take advantage of that type of accuracy because I can't hold 1" groups in the offhand with a handgun. And I'm an exceptional shot with a handgun. Another aspect that I found irritating was that I needed a different front sight to get it zeroed. And Freedom Arms don't drop that schit in the mail for free. I promise... LOL Yes they are worth what they cost. Anything built to those standards is worth the price of admission. But it was not worth it for me because I'd much rather drop my rounds into my well worn Flattop and shoot the hell out of it in a way that I think a single action should be shot. in summary: Worth it? Yes. For me? No. This is as honest of an answer I can give you. Yeah, they are pretty tight. I saw one guy using a pair for cowboy action shooting. They’re sorta tight for really fast shooting, though he did pretty well. To me a looser gun is what you need for CAS. You don’t need FA precision to succeed in that sport. It’s more about speed and there are smiths who specialize in making Colts, clones and Rugers run really fast. That’s not where the FA shines. FA is a super precise and accurate revolver. For what it’s designed to do, it’s in a class by itself. Maybe not for everyone and I do think it’s worth the cost. I like mine; it’s a keeper. DF
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Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,054
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,054 |
Every time I handle or shoot my 83 it astonishes me.
After a couple years, you'd think I would be used to it. But after nearly 50 years of using "normal" handguns, the FA still stuns me with its precision. I feel the same way, always “re-amazed”.
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,556 Likes: 1
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,556 Likes: 1 |
Had the itch for years for a light(er) weight .45 Colt. Have a 5.5” Ruger Bisley that Hamilton Bowen tuned up years ago that I love, just want something a bit more “packable”.
I can’t seem to get a S&W Mtn. bought (and they’ve doubled in price in the last decade), a Bowen lightweight would likely cost more than the FA 97.
A little 4” round butt flinging 260-280’s at 950ish would pretty well do all I’d need it to and still be fun to shoot. It’d just get toted around the lease and under a coat in the winter on occasion just because. The fact that by all accounts they shoot like lasers doesn’t hurt.
DeFlave made some great points to be aware of, but sometimes you just want to try something because you can.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,729 Likes: 9
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,729 Likes: 9 |
Had the itch for years for a light(er) weight .45 Colt. Have a 5.5” Ruger Bisley that Hamilton Bowen tuned up years ago that I love, just want something a bit more “packable”.
I can’t seem to get a S&W Mtn. bought (and they’ve doubled in price in the last decade), a Bowen lightweight would likely cost more than the FA 97.
A little 4” round butt flinging 260-280’s at 950ish would pretty well do all I’d need it to and still be fun to shoot. It’d just get toted around the lease and under a coat in the winter on occasion just because. The fact that by all accounts they shoot like lasers doesn’t hurt.
DeFlave made some great points to be aware of, but sometimes you just want to try something because you can. Outside of the round butt, check out the Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt with the 4.6 inch barrel.
My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost.
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,482
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,482 |
Every time I handle or shoot my 83 it astonishes me.
After a couple years, you'd think I would be used to it. But after nearly 50 years of using "normal" handguns, the FA still stuns me with its precision.
I think every serious handgunner ought to have at least one in his life.
If you decide it is just too much of a good thing, sell it. They don't depreciate like a Wal-Mart gun. One thing that bothers me about the model 83 is that it doesn’t have a safety transfer bar. Can you carry it with a live cartridge under the hammer? I think I’ve read that you can if you half cock the hammer - is this true? I wonder why they haven’t fixed this. The model 97 has a transfer bar and can be carried with a full cylinder.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 59,187 Likes: 3
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 59,187 Likes: 3 |
I just read an article about a Freedom Arms Model 97 in one of the gun rags. The author made the gun sound like the best thing since sliced bread, as if he were simply a shill for the company.
Is the Freedom Arms revolver worth the nearly $3K they are charging for it? I'm a casual shooter, and do not compete, but i do appreciate excellence. I've read a number of comments from folks who love their FA revolvers, but does anyone have anything less than stellar to report about them? Any downsides, other than their hefty price tags?
Vacillating over whether I should put them on my "gotta have one" list. I have a tuned Ruger Blackhawk that shoots lights-out, and i wonder if the FA is seriously worth four times the Blackhawk. I owned a 4" 97 chambered in .44 Special. Round butt and ebony micarta. When I found it and bought it I thought I had found nirvana in the single action world, but after shooting it and carrying it a good bit, it started to leave me cold. The tolerances were (for me) too tight. You cannot thumb them as casually as you can a Colt or Ruger. They are tank like and by all accounts will remain that way for a long, long time. The chambers are cut so tight that I would often have to push on the cartridge HARD to get it fully seated to the point that the cylinders would rotate. This annoyed me greatly. The tight tolerances are like any aspect of engineering. While annoying, they also yield extreme accuracy that you'd not expect from a 4" single action. However, I cannot take advantage of that type of accuracy because I can't hold 1" groups in the offhand with a handgun. And I'm an exceptional shot with a handgun. Another aspect that I found irritating was that I needed a different front sight to get it zeroed. And Freedom Arms don't drop that schit in the mail for free. I promise... LOL Yes they are worth what they cost. Anything built to those standards is worth the price of admission. But it was not worth it for me because I'd much rather drop my rounds into my well worn Flattop and shoot the hell out of it in a way that I think a single action should be shot. in summary: Worth it? Yes. For me? No. This is as honest of an answer I can give you. Yeah, they are pretty tight. I saw one guy using a pair for cowboy action shooting. They’re sorta tight for really fast shooting, though he did pretty well. To me a looser gun is what you need for CAS. You don’t need FA precision to succeed in that sport. It’s more about speed and there are smiths who specialize in making Colts, clones and Rugers run really fast. That’s not where the FA shines. DF Good post, and spot on...
Ex- USN (SS) '66-'69 Pro-Constitution. LET'S GO BRANDON!!!
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 7,010 Likes: 3
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 7,010 Likes: 3 |
I have owned several FA m83's over the past 38 or so years- I still have this one, a .454 Casull, with a 10" MagNaPort octagon barrel and factory trigger job. It has taken a fair amount of game, mostly hogs and whitetails. When I originally ordered it from FA as a custom order, if I recall correctly, it cost around $1100. To order the similar build today would cost well north of $3K, and a wait time of over a year to get it. I also own a BFR in .475 Linebaugh, which I really like. Both are wearing Ultradot Gen 2 red dots. The FA is a well-made piece of work, to be sure, and the most accurate revolver I own. But, the BFR in my opinion equals it in quality, plus it has features like the reverse pawl allowing the cylinder to move freely in either direction, and a transfer bar safety. The FA nowadays gets shot with lighter-weight bullets at moderate velocity, while the Linebaugh gets the heavy, Cast Performance bullets at a bit less than max velocity, for bigger stuff. Is the FA worth more than a Ruger Super Blackhawk, in a similar caliber? If I were pondering the choice today, I would simply split the difference, and get a BFR- I think it's the best value for the money.
I'd rather be a free man in my grave, than living as a puppet or a slave....
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,556 Likes: 1
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,556 Likes: 1 |
Had the itch for years for a light(er) weight .45 Colt. Have a 5.5” Ruger Bisley that Hamilton Bowen tuned up years ago that I love, just want something a bit more “packable”.
I can’t seem to get a S&W Mtn. bought (and they’ve doubled in price in the last decade), a Bowen lightweight would likely cost more than the FA 97.
A little 4” round butt flinging 260-280’s at 950ish would pretty well do all I’d need it to and still be fun to shoot. It’d just get toted around the lease and under a coat in the winter on occasion just because. The fact that by all accounts they shoot like lasers doesn’t hurt.
DeFlave made some great points to be aware of, but sometimes you just want to try something because you can. Outside of the round butt, check out the Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt with the 4.6 inch barrel. Had one years ago. Plowhandle. Great pistol. Just want a little more…..
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 115,424 Likes: 13
Campfire Sage
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Campfire Sage
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 115,424 Likes: 13 |
Had the itch for years for a light(er) weight .45 Colt. Have a 5.5” Ruger Bisley that Hamilton Bowen tuned up years ago that I love, just want something a bit more “packable”.
I can’t seem to get a S&W Mtn. bought (and they’ve doubled in price in the last decade), a Bowen lightweight would likely cost more than the FA 97.
A little 4” round butt flinging 260-280’s at 950ish would pretty well do all I’d need it to and still be fun to shoot. It’d just get toted around the lease and under a coat in the winter on occasion just because. The fact that by all accounts they shoot like lasers doesn’t hurt.
DeFlave made some great points to be aware of, but sometimes you just want to try something because you can. Outside of the round butt, check out the Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt with the 4.6 inch barrel. Had one years ago. Plowhandle. Great pistol. Just want a little more….. Having traveled a lot of single-action roads that meet your criteria... Birds head Vaquero. 3.75". .45 ACP. TALO Exclusive. Worth a strong look.
Trump being classless,tasteless and clueless as usual. Sorry, trump is a no tax payin pile of shiit. My young wife decided to play the field and had moved several dudes into my house
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 22,005 Likes: 3
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 22,005 Likes: 3 |
The Ruger Bisley 44 Special on the 357 frame an the 44 GPs are also good carry options.
A 24-3 4" too..
All used of course now.
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 42,662 Likes: 12
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 42,662 Likes: 12 |
They are functional works of art in my opinion and very accurate. The down side (if you can call it that) are their extreme tolerances dictate extreme attention to detail when reloading. If you're so much as an "RCH" off, they won't chamber. Mine is in 454 Casull.
A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,924
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,924 |
I just read an article about a Freedom Arms Model 97 in one of the gun rags. The author made the gun sound like the best thing since sliced bread, as if he were simply a shill for the company.
Is the Freedom Arms revolver worth the nearly $3K they are charging for it? I'm a casual shooter, and do not compete, but i do appreciate excellence. I've read a number of comments from folks who love their FA revolvers, but does anyone have anything less than stellar to report about them? Any downsides, other than their hefty price tags?
Vacillating over whether I should put them on my "gotta have one" list. I have a tuned Ruger Blackhawk that shoots lights-out, and i wonder if the FA is seriously worth four times the Blackhawk. My Model 97, in .22 LR with Mag cylinder, would cost $4 K if purchased now. Worth every penny. These are not for the Walmart crowd.
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 606
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 606 |
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,684 Likes: 5
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,684 Likes: 5 |
Paul, that's my favorite...a Premier with the black Micarta grips.
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,651 Likes: 1
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,651 Likes: 1 |
I like the BFR's except for that grip, just can't get past it but they shoot just fine. Here is my octagon FA 41 magnum with factory ivory micarta's. Dick
Last edited by Idaho1945; 10/17/23.
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 656
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 656 |
I bought a 454 Casull in the early 90's and fired A LOT of FULL POWER loads through it. The thing broke three times and had to go back to FA for repair. After the 3rd trip, I sold it.
I currently have a model 83 475 Linebaugh and a 97 in 41 magnum. I have not broken either one of those, but I don't shoot them much either.
Tony
Run it up, until you blow it up, then back it down a bit.
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 606
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 606 |
I bought a 454 Casull in the early 90's and fired A LOT of FULL POWER loads through it. The thing broke three times and had to go back to FA for repair. After the 3rd trip, I sold it.
I currently have a model 83 475 Linebaugh and a 97 in 41 magnum. I have not broken either one of those, but I don't shoot them much either.
Tony What "broke"?
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