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It
seems as if the rise in the popularity of nineteenth century
style firearms will never end. More and more shooters are
discovering the Cowboy Action shooting sports, and the demand
for authentically styled firearms is ever increasing. There are
several importers of replica firearms that will sell a passable
copy of an old Colt or Winchester. The quality of
these guns varies from poor to outstanding.
In
the world of replica nineteenth century firearms, one company
has continually strived to achieve perfection in the quality of
fit, finish, and authenticity. That company is Cimarron
Firearms Co. of Fredericksburg, Texas. Cimarron has been
selling fine quality replica firearms for about twenty years,
with an emphasis on authenticity and quality. While Cimarron has
an extensive line of rifles and other handguns, their Model P
revolvers are the guns that are in the greatest demand, and are
the subject of this review.
The
Cimarron Model P is a replica of the legendary Colt Peacemaker,
or Single Action Army. The Peacemaker was the epitome of
the nineteenth century single action revolver; the culmination
of the best of revolver design of that period, and a design
which is still, to this day, one of the finest handguns
ever built.
Cimarron
offers the most extensive line of replica Colt revolvers
available anywhere. Even at the height of production and
popularity, the Colt company never offered as many varieties of
its own sixguns as does Cimarron.
I
recently received for testing a couple of variations of
Cimarron’s Model P revolvers. Having handled and fired many
Cimarron revolvers in the past, I was expecting to find a pair
of well finished and good shooting sixguns, and I was not
disappointed in these latest two that I received.
The
Cimarrons received represent two of the most popular
variations of the Model P. One was the seven and one-half
inch barreled Cavalry model with the old style frame and "bull's-eye"
ejector button, the other was a four and three-quarter inch
barreled sixgun built on the modern style frame. "Modern
style" in this case meaning the style of frame that Colt
used after about 1895. Both sixguns wore well fitted one-piece
walnut stocks, with the Cavalry model stocks embossed with the
authentic cartouche of U.S. Army inspector O.W.
Ainsworth, as were many of the originals. While both sixguns
were beautifully finished, the Cavalry model wore Cimarron’s
exclusive custom U.S. Finish featuring authentic Colt-style case
colors. Both guns were chambered for the legendary .45
Colt cartridge.
Shooting
the two Cimarrons was indeed a real pleasure. With a variety of
loads, the pair of sixguns functioned perfectly, without
failure of any kind. Cylinder rotation was smooth and the
trigger pulls on both guns were in the three pound range, with
the Cavalry model having the better of the two.
After
firing both guns for awhile, I found myself really favoring the
seven and one-half inch Cavalry model. This sixgun, with the
U.S. Finish, old style frame and bull's-eye ejector button, just
seemed to reek of nineteenth century charm. With my
standard .45 plinking load, I just could not miss with this
sixgun. The sights were well regulated and hitting the target
came easy. It is ironic that this Cimarron is more like an
original 1873 Colt than a modern genuine Colt is. For a
replica Colt on an old style frame, you won’t be disappointed
in the Cavalry Model P.
For
a closer look at Cimarron’s extensive line of fine handguns
and rifles, check out Cimarron online at:
www.cimarron-firearms.com
For quality, authenticity, value and shootability, I highly
recommend the Cimarron Model P.
Jeff Quinn
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Click pictures for a larger version.
Cimarron's excellent Model P sixguns. The gun pictured
at top in these photos is the author's favorite, the Cavalry
Model P with 7-1/2" barrel, "U.S.. Finish",
old-style frame, bull's-eye ejector button, and authentic
stock cartouche. At bottom is a Model P with 4-3/4"
barrel and "modern-style" frame. Both examples
exhibit the flawless fit and finish for which Cimarron is well
known.
Detail of the 4-3/4" Model P. Cimarron takes great
pains to assure that their reproductions are as historically
accurate as possible, and their
love for the originals is evidenced by their craftsmanship.
4-3/4" Cimarron Model P, shown in the excellent Mernickle
high-rise cutaway holster.
The beautiful case-hardened finish on this example is
representative of the authenticity of the Cimarron
product.
The Cavalry Model P's one-piece stock features an
authentic reproduction of the O.W. Ainsworth inspection
cartouche. All Model Ps feature beautifully-fit one-piece
stocks.
The Cavalry Model P also features the old-style
"bulls-eye" ejector button, as well as the old-style
(pre-1895) frame. Cimarron is making some of the finest
reproduction Old-West style guns available today, with
craftsmanship equal to many custom makers at a fraction of the
price.
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