Cimarron Firearms and Mernickle Holsters "Evil Roy" Sixguns and Holster Rig

 

by Jeff Quinn

photography by Jeff Quinn & Boge Quinn

September 12th, 2005

 

 

 

Whether or not it was done with collaboration, I do not know, but Cimarron Firearms and  Mernickle Custom Holsters have together produced  what seems to be the ideal sixgun/holster combo for the sport of Cowboy Action Shooting.  Cowboy Action Shooting is a sport where the targets are not especially challenging, but the action is very quick. It is not a game of clearing leather with lightening speed as in the sport of Fast Draw, but being able to re-holster the gun quickly can mean the difference in first place or also-ran. Quick reloading of the sixgun can also be very important in some of the stages of the game. While raw power is not necessary in the sixgun stages of the game, a smooth, slick, easy-to-shoot revolver makes a world of difference to be competitive in the sport, and just about all top shooters have specially tuned sixguns to give them an edge.

Cimarron Firearms markets some of the most popular guns in the sport. Their Model P revolvers are well represented at Cowboy Action matches. They are known for being of the highest quality of the imported Colt Single Action Army (SAA) replicas. Cimarron has worked with Evil Roy to produce a competitive SAA replica that meets all of the needs of top-ranked competitive Cowboy Action Shooters.  

"Who the heck is Evil Roy?" I’m glad you asked! If you are at all into Cowboy Action shooting, you know who Evil Roy is. For those who are not, Evil Roy (All competitors in CAS assume an alias - this is not the name his Mama gave him at birth.) is a world champion shooter in the sport, and has been at the top of the field for several years. He worked with the people at Cimarron to enhance their Model P with features that make the sixgun better for Cowboy Action shooting.  The front and rear sights are just a bit wider than normal, for quicker sight acquisition, and the rear sight is a square notch, instead of a narrow "V" shape. The walnut grips are slimmer, and are available smooth, or checkered as are the sample guns sent to me. They are of the one-piece design.  The sixguns have specially tuned and lightened actions as well.

Evil Roy has also worked together with World Fast Draw champion and first-class holster maker Bob Mernickle to produce a holster rig with all of the features needed to be a top competitor in Cowboy Action Shooting.  Gunblast readers have seen Bob’s work here before. He produces some of the best concealment and field holsters available. He also caters to the top shooters in Fast Draw, and produces some gorgeous Cowboy Action and Hollywood style rigs. Bob recently sent to me a sample Evil Roy rig, and I can without a doubt state that it is the finest looking western rig that I have ever seen. It is expertly tooled, wears beautiful star-shaped silver conchos, and has expertly crafted snake skin inlays.  The belt is of two-ply construction, with a suede surface next to the wearer, to keep the rig from sliding around. The belt measures two and one-half inches wide.  The rig wears two detachable six-shot cartridge carriers that place the cartridges high above the belt for quick access. The tooling on this rig is just perfect. I hate to use the word "perfect" in a review, but dangit, it just is! The holsters are metal-lined for rigidity, and the holster mouths are wide, to funnel the gun quickly into the holster without hanging. There are leather hammer thongs to keep the guns in place, and are wider and better-looking than just a rawhide loop.

Upon opening the two Cimarron boxes containing the Evil Roy sixguns, it was readily apparent that these were quality firearms. They are beautifully blued and case-hardened. The one-piece checkered grips are magnificent. They are perfectly fitted to the grip frame, and holding them feels much better to my hand than do most single action grips. These are only slightly slimmer than most SAA grips, but the feeling is immediately noticeable. Each gun weighed in at 40.4 ounces, chambered for the .357 Magnum cartridge. Of course, they will also shoot any .38 Special load as well. The sixguns are also available chambered for the .45 Colt and .44 WCF cartridges. Available barrel lengths are four and three-quarters and five and one-half inches, with the sample guns being the former.

Working the actions on these two sixguns revealed that the internals have been expertly reworked, just as Cimarron promises.  They have as good a feel to the action as any that I have handled from a custom gunsmith. The timing is dead-on with these two sixguns, and the trigger pulls measured just 29.7 ounces on one gun and 30.5 ounces on the other. Wonderful. The springs are conventional flat springs for both the hammer spring and the trigger/bolt spring, but have been lightened significantly.  Thumbing the hammers on both guns was light and precise, with the sound and feel of an expertly tuned Colt SAA. Beautiful.

Shooting the Evil Roy sixguns was indeed a pleasure. The sights are easy to see. Trying several different .357 Magnum factory and handloads, along with a few .38 Special loads revealed good accuracy, and a tall enough front sight to easily regulate most any load desired. There were no failures to fire with any load tested. Several loads would group into a bit less than two inches at twenty-five yards. The fit and finish on these guns are excellent. The action is wonderful. The ejector rod lines up precisely with the loading trough for quick and easy loading, and the chambers easily released the empty cases without sticking, even when firing hot magnum cartridges.

To keep everything in the family, Evil Roy’s granddaughter goes by the name of Holy Terror, and is also a world class shooter, winning championships in both youth and adult events. Women have different holster needs than do men, due to the shape of their hips. A holster rig designed for a man causes the grips of the sixgun to dig into the sides of a woman. Bob Mernickle also worked with Holy Terror to design the ideal holster rig for the competitive female Cowboy Action shooter. The Holy Terror rig has all of the features of the Evil Roy, with the design changes necessary to fit comfortably on the curves of a woman, and he sent one of these rigs along to me with the Evil Roy rig for review. It is pictured here modeled by Karri, who was graciously loaned to us for the photo shoot by Appleton’s Harley Davidson of Clarksville, Tennessee.  You can see in the pictures that the grips of the sixguns are positioned properly for a quick grasp, and do not hinder the shooter’s movements by digging into her side.

While the Evil Roy sixguns and the Evil Roy and Holy Terror holster rigs are ideal for Cowboy Action shooters, they are also a good choice for anyone wanting high quality, beautiful SAA replicas and quality leather to go along with them, whether you shoot in the sport of CAS or not. I sure hate to box these up and send them back.

Check out the Cimarron’s extensive line of quality replica firearms online at:  www.cimarron-firearms.com.

To order a holster rig from Mernickle Custom Holsters, go to:  www.mernickleholsters.com.

Jeff Quinn

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Click pictures for a larger version.

 

Two of Cimarron Firearms' "Evil Roy" sixguns in a Mernickle Custom Holsters "Evil Roy" rig.

 

 

Cimarron "Evil Roy" sixgun is a great choice not just for Cowboy Action Shooters, but for anyone desiring a superbly-tuned and beautiful Peacemaker.

 

 

Mernickle Custom Holsters' "Evil Roy" rig.

 

 

Mernickle Custom Holsters' "Holy terror" rig, modeled by Karri.

 

 

For some special inlays, I might just send Bob Mernickle this Timber Rattler!