EMF'S Great Western II stainless - Out of the Box

Guns Magazine, Sept, 2003 by Dick Williams

I have long thought a well made, stainless steel, 1873 single action Colt replica would be well received. EMF apparently thinks so too because this year they have introduced a stainless version of their Great Western II Model 1873.

As you have guessed, this is a replica of the old peacemaker, built in Italy by Pietta and imported by EMF. If you're concerned about the "well made" part, let me say the Italian manufacturers of cowboy handguns seem to have resolved their quality problems over the years. The guns I've handled recently, both black powder and smokeless powder replicas, have looked and functioned beautifully.

My test gun was actually stainless steel plated, but I'm told all-stainless guns are on the way. My sample in .45 Colt with the short, 4.75-inch barrel is really very, very nice. Metal to metal and wood to metal fit is excellent with no mismatched edges or sharp corners. Grips are dark walnut with an attractive grain and have a light oil finish. Cylinder lockup was so tight there was absolutely no rotational wiggle and just a fraction of end-to-end play. Like the original Colt, there is no transfer bar system so only five of the cylinder's chambers should be loaded and the gun carried with the empty chamber under the hammer.

To pass the import safety laws, the cylinder rod can be locked in two positions by the spring-loaded cylinder release pin. Pushed all the way into the frame, the rod blocks the hammer from reaching the frame. With the rod in the normal position, the hammer-mounted firing pin can reach through the frame and strike the cartridge.

The Great Western II has the standard flat main spring but incorporates a coil spring for the hand. A minor change but major improvement is the wide rear sight notch with parallel sides and wide front blade that replaces the skinny "V" shaped sights on the old guns. What a boon to older eyes! It's not exactly a Patridge sight, but it's a huge improvement. Otherwise, the gun looks the way cowboy. shooters want it to look.

The shooting session was short, sweet, and effortless. Dipping into my ammo can of .45 Colt handloads (255-grain SWC Bull-X cast bullets over 6.0-grains of Hodgdon Titegroup) produced two to three-inch groups at 35 yards. This load clocks 771 fps from the short barrel of the Great Western II and is a joy to shoot. The target was a paper plate stapled to a downed log, and all firing was done standing with a two-hand hold.

The groups were located near the bottom edge of the plate, but windage was perfect. Corrective options include some filing on the front sight, working with my sight picture, or trying different loads. The only problem encountered was that the extractor rod needed a tap to start moving and eject the first case after firing a cylinder full of ammo. I never learned the cause of this because the problem went away after firing a dozen or so rounds. To paraphrase a much-used quote, "Maybe this is the gun Sam Colt wanted to make."

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Model: EMF Great Western I

Caliber: .45 Colt

Barrel: 4.75 inches

Capacity: 6 shots

Weight: 35 ounces

Material: Stainless steel

Sights: Fixed blade and notch

MSRP: $600

FOR MORE INFORMATION: EMF Company, Inc.

[949] 261-661 1

www.emf-company.com