Freedom Arms Model 97 - The Sixgunner

It was no easy decision for Freedom Aims to add a chambering other than the .454 Casull that had been their one and only offering since the very first five-shot, Premier Grade revolver left the Wyoming factory. That was 1983 and it was uphill all the way to convince the majority of writers and shooters what a magnificent sixgun the .454 was. Three years later, with more than a little controversy and soul-searching among the top echelon of Freedom Arms, the decision was made to also chamber what is now known as the Model 83 in .44 Magnum. That same year, 1986, I was consulted when it came to offering a Silhouette Model chambered in the .44 Magnum.

It's always much easier to look back to the certain past rather than the uncertain future, so I can say with confidence, that I do not believe Freedom Arms would have survived had they not made the decision to diversify. Everyone simply does not need, or even want, what at that time was billed as The World's Most Powerful Revolver. The .44 Magnum immediately became very popular with silhouette shooters, at least as soon as the infamous price ceiling rule which effectively blocked its use was lifted. Suddenly, the majority of the top shooters were using Freedom Arms revolvers.

The .44 Magnum was only the beginning of the diversification and it was followed in 1991 with a .22 Long Rifle version; then the .357 Magnum was added in 1992; the .50 Action Express in 1993; .41 Magnum, 1997; and .475 Linebaugh in 1999. This gives shooters seven choices, for everything from varminting to silhouette shooting to big game hunting all on the same basic single action revolver platform. It would be impossible for anyone to argue against the fact these revolvers are the finest factory produced single actions ever. With their price tag, they better be!

More Good Thinking

Another major step occurred in 1997 when the decision was made to offer a smaller sized revolver. Actually, the decision had been made earlier; it was just a matter of timing and practicality. The first Model 97 arrived in 1997 as a six, not a five-shot revolver. Even when chambering the .22 LR and .357 Magnum in the original Model 83, they stayed with the five-shot capability introduced with the .454 Casull, and they have maintained this through all seven chamberings of their big gun.

The Model 97 was arrived at by basically "shrinking" the Model 83 by about ten-percent. In fact, for a while it was referred to as the "90-percent gun" and also as the Mid-Frame until they decided to use the Model 83 and Model 97 designations. After all, if using the year of introduction as the model number was good enough for all of the great Winchester and Marlin leverguns of the past, it was certainly good enough for Freedom Arms. The Model 97 in the .357 Magnum chambering was, and is, available with either fixed or adjustable sights, barrel lengths of 4.25", 5.5" and 7.5". and can be had with an extra cylinder chambered in .38 Special.

The Model 97 .357 Magnum was joined by a five-shot .45 Colt one year later; a .41 Magnum version, also a five-shooter, in 2000; and now we have a six-shot Model 97 once again. The newest version is chambered in .22 Long Rifle with a Sporting Grade cylinder with extra cylinders available in .22 Long Rifle Match Grade and .22 Rimfire Magnum. After shooting the test model with the Sporting Grade cylinder in place, I can only dream about how it would be possible to come up with a cylinder that would shoot even better than this one does.

.22s Are Tops

If there is a more enjoyable handgun than a .22 I certainly don't know what it is. In the past, after getting beat up with some of the largest and most powerful big bore sixguns imaginable, it's always been a true joy to take a deep breath, step back, pick up a fun shooting .22 revolver or semiauto and get back to basics. Now it's even more enjoyable to test .22 handguns, as I have grandkids to help me. In fact our first session with the Freedom Arms .22 turned into one of those days that come all too seldom.

Several bricks of 22s, an assortment of semi-autos and revolvers chambered for the .22 Long Rifle, and four grandkids, were all loaded into the pick-up along with the Freedom Arms Model 97. I heard things like, "Gee Papa, you can't miss with this one!" as nay youngest grandson Brian shot a .22 mounted with a red dot scope. This was also the day Whitney, one of my granddaughters, discovered how much fun a .22 semi-automatic pistol can be.

"Oh, Papa, it's an automatic and I'm afraid I will mess up!" I assured her there was nothing to worry about as long as she did exactly as instructed. When her fourth shot not only hit the bull's-eye, but the x-ring as well, we couldn't keep the magazines full fast enough for her. After shooting so many rounds so quickly through the semi-autos, she also learned the great relaxing pleasure a single action sixgun can be. No, the Freedom Arms revolver cannot be fired as quickly as a semi-auto, however, it is a rare semi-auto that can shoot as well as this sixgun.