by Phil W. Johnston
Handgun Editor

Freedom Arms introduced the Model 97 in-are you ready-1997. We got a look at an early prototype a couple of years earlier and we got a bit excited to say the least. We've had a long-time relationship with Freedom Arms single-action revolvers, say the least and the thought of a new model tickled us.

The original model was introduced in 1983; chambered for the .454 Casull cartridge-a round capable of generating a ton of muzzle energy. Handgun hunting hasn't been the same since. My favorite load launches a 300-grain slug at 1,700 feet-per-second (fps) from my old 7°-inch gun. I've taken an Alaskan brown bear, several bull elk, a mountain goat, a Dall sheep, and countless deer with the revolver and it has never let me down.

Largely because of cowboy shooting, Freedom Arms decided to down-size their big stainless steel single action in the mid-1990s and the Model 97 was the result. Roughly 15% smaller than the "big" gun, the new Model 97 seems like a perfect companion to the larger rig.

While the working parts of the Model 97 are reduced in size, Freedom Arms wisely decided to stick with a grip design and size that matches the big Model 83-and that was a wise decision to be sure. The Freedom Arms grip, when equipped with smooth wooden or micarta panels, is probably the best single-action grip in the world-in our humble opinion, of course. The smooth grip surfaces allow the big single-action to roll in the hand without removing flesh, dispersing recoil along the way. We've shot a full-house .454 with sticky grips-once, and don't care to do that again. Let it roll, let it roll!

.357 Magnum First
The Model 97 was originally introduced as a six-shooter, chambered for the oldest magnum cartridge-the .357. We looked at this gem in these pages when it was first introduced. It remains one of our favorite handguns to this day.

Shortly after the original Model 97 was introduced, several gun writers, including myself, asked Freedom Arms to introduce a Model 97 chambered for the .45 Colt round (some still call it the Long Colt). We reviewed that gun in these pages, too. I used this rig to take a nice 4X4 buck on our farm last fall, using a cast SWC and an ample supply of Blue Dot powder. If I were forced to pick a favorite revolver, this one would be it.

Two years ago, Freedom Arms added a .41 Magnum chambering to the Model 97 lineup (these chamberings are available in the "big" gun, as well). Like the .45 Colt, the .41 Magnum is a five-shooter. Like all Freedom Arms wheelguns, the .41 is a tackdriver.

The .41 Magnum cartridge has been struggling along since its introduction in 1964. Originally conceived for law enforcement, the new .41 offered a close match to the "ideal" .40/200/1,000 rule (caliber/grains/fps). The initial two loads consisted of a medium power law enforcement load as well as a high powered hunting round.

Timing Is Everything
There's nothing wrong with the .41 Magnum cartridge to be sure. In fact, we surmise that had the .41 come before the .44, things would have been different. We tend to think that the lineup might have ended up like this: .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum, .45 Colt, and .454 Casull. Now don't get your dander up; there's nothing wrong with a .44 Magnum, either. Still there's not much reason to have both a .41 and a .44. Either cartridge will do the same job equally well. In reality, the .41 Magnum cartridge launches a bullet that is .02-inch less in diameter than the .44 Magnum, matching velocity nicely. Put a round from either cartridge in the "X" ring or boiler room of a game animal and the result will be the same. Both offer great penetration with most loads and most good hunting ammunition these days expands nicely, to boot. Both cartridges are capable of gilt-edged accuracy, as well.

At any rate, because a few knowledgeable handgunners maintain a continuing love affair with the only true caliber-sized magnum, Freedom Arms obliged with another great Model 97.

As we said earlier, the Model 97 is roughly 15% smaller than the Model 83. As such it features a cylinder that measures 1.625 inches in length by 1.575 inches in diameter. The shorter cylinder makes it mandatory that one pay attention to overall cartridge length. If you're loading heavy, long, Keith-style SWCs, for instance, you'll have to load 'em with the crimp gripping the front of the driving band-not the crimping groove you'd "normally" use. The same premise applies to factory ammunition. When we were looking through our ammo locker, we managed to find one factory load-Cor-Bon's great 265-grain bonded core JSP-that wouldn't fit the Model 97 chamber. Every other factory round loaded to SAAMI specifications fits perfectly, however.

Premium Grade Only
The Model 97 is available only as a Premier Grade gun, featuring a nicely brushed finish. We've long preferred the finish found on Freedom's Premier Grade handguns anyhow. This finish can easily be touched up to remove light scratches. It can also be lightly sanded with fine-grit sandpaper to remove shiny holster wear, making the gun look like new after years of use.

Typical of anything leaving the plant in Freedom, WY, fit, finish, and everything that goes along with these attributes was perfect on the sample. Out of the box, the trigger broke cleanly at 4° pounds with no creep and little over-travel. While Freedom Arms does offer an "action job" for all of their revolvers, we'd not mess with this one. The Model 97 is equipped with a black ramp front sight that is replaceable and an adjustable rear sight that fits snuggly into a milled channel in the receiver.

There's nothing wrong with Freedom Arms' sight package, but we're beginning to have a real tough time seeing the front sight to be quite honest. Aligning it with anything is downright impossible. If we're going to do any handgun justice-or load for that matter, we're going to have to replace open sights with some type of crutch. Enter J.D. Jones and SSK Industries (590 Woodvue Lane, Dept. GWK, Wintersville, OH 43953; phone: 740-264-0176; fax: 740-264-2257; e-mail: info@sskindustries.com).

Jones offers a great aluminum base that fits a Freedom Arms revolver (either model) like a rubber glove. The SSK base attaches to the receiver with three Allen screws that engage holes that Freedom Arms drilled and tapped at the factory. The SSK base engages the receiver so tightly that it may have to be tapped into place with a plastic mallet the first time it's installed. Once in place, the base will take any recoil that any cartridge can dish out. We thought it only fitting to clamp three of Jones' aluminum rings around a crystal-clear Burris 1°-4X variable scope (Burris, 331 E. 8th Street, Dept. GWK, Greeley, CO 80631; phone: 970-356-1670), and then attach the combination to the SSK base. With the scope attached, we grabbed some ammo and headed for our outdoor range.

Test Firing
We set up our R/C target roller and bullet trap at 25 yards and set up a pair of Oehler 35P skyscreens. The first set 15 feet from the muzzle with the second set immediately in front of the target paper. We did all shooting with the Model 97 rested solidly on a Dog-Gone-Good™ sandbag, while seated on the same BR-Pivot shooting bench we use for prairie dog blasting.

When the smoke cleared, the 7°-inch .41 Magnum Model 97 gave a good account of itself. Two loads averaged under an inch at 25 yards with Remington 210-grain JSPs taking the edge with best group honors-.61 inches center-to-center. CCI's great aluminum-cased 210-grain Blazer ammo also averaged .92 inches, center-to-center. The Remington load left the scene doing 1,421 fps, accounted for 941 foot-pounds (FP) of instrumental energy, while maintaining 858 FP at the target. The CCI Blazer load is more sedate-departing at 1,189 fps, generating 582.7 FP.

Cor-Bon's two tested loads took punch-of-the-day honors, to be sure. Both of these loads generated over half a ton of instrumental energy 15 feet from the muzzle, while the 250-grain hard-cast flat point bullet generated 1,230 FP at 15 feet and an even more impressive 1,106 FP at the 25-yard target. This 250-grain cast slug left the rig doing 1,489 fps.

Neither Cor-Bon load matched the accuracy potential of the more sedate Remington or CCI load, but we'd part with just a bit of accuracy for this downrange clout if hunting were the intention. The Cor-Bon 250-grain load has enough punch for very big deer and this load would nicely penetrate a deer from front to back-or the other way around, for that matter. We'd put this Cor-Bon load up against any .44 Magnum load in the business. As you'd expect, recoil was stiff with the Cor-Bon loads.

Yep, we still like the .41 Magnum. We might not replace a .44 Magnum or a .45 Colt with one, but it's sure a great cartridge, just the same. If we'd drawn a deer tag this year, we probably would have used this rig to put venison on the table.

Carrying a suggested retail price of $1,576, the Premier Grade Model 97 isn't inexpensive to be sure. Still, we tend to think that most of the time; we get exactly what we pay for. In that light, a Freedom Arms revolver never disappoints us.

For more information about the entire Freedom Arms line, contact them at: One Freedom Lane, Dept. GWK, Freedom, WY, 83120, or you can hit 'em on the Internet at: www.freedomarms.com.