Freedom Arms Quality

Gather App
Guns.com Vault
29aholic

For freedom arms factory fitted grips you need to only send your grip frame to them. They told me they will still match the original finish--I have a field grade 475 that needs to lose the pachmayers and be adorned with black micarta!

I will be sending mine in to them right after the holidays!

ron
 
What is the difference between the Model 83 and the Model 97?

It appears that a manual safety bar (what is that?) is fitted to the 83, while the 97 has a (Ruger-style?) transfer bar system.

Anything else?

Thanks -

Monty
 
Monty.... differences between FA Models 83 and 97 sugar off to three:

1) M83----Original Dick Casull single action.
* Large frame.
* Designed around .454 Casull.
* Safety----Activation manual; requires manipulation of hammer and trigger.
* FA instructs to carry with hammer over empty chamber.

2) M97
* Medium frame; not for big boomers.
* Safety----Activation passive; transfer bar cannot engage unless trigger is pulled.
* Safe to carry with all chambers loaded.

There are other differences. For me those differences begin with the grip. My hand and the M97 do not get along.

Quality of FA revolvers is peerless.
David Bradshaw
 
Got the Freedom bug early this year. I now have two M97's, 44 SP and 41 Mag.

file-3.jpg


and a M83 in 44 Mag

pix246052609-1-1.jpg


In some respects I am sorry I started this as a M97 45C and a M83 475 Linebaugh are on the wish list.

If you like pretty toys, they can't be equaled.
 
Size wise…. the 83 top, 97 bottom.
The 83 frame is smaller than a New Model Blackhawk.

FAs.jpg
 
I tried the new model 97 today. Feels great and seems very accurate.

When I cock the hammer is does feel like there is a lot going on inside. Not smooth like a Ruger or S&W. Will this smooth out after a while?

Also, I hade a few rounds (reloads) that wouldn't chamber. Probably burrs around the base of the case.

The cylinder got stuck a few times when I tried to eject the rounds. I returned the hammer to the fired position and then back to half cock. Everything worked ok after that.

Does anyone shoot .38 in their .357? Or just download the .357? I called FA and they said don't shoot .38 in a .357. Maybe because the fouling would make the chambers too tight when I went back to .357!? The said they would be glad to fit a .38 cylinder for about little over $400. I think I can live with .357 for now.
 
Same here, selling my Rugers. Sold two, two more to go.

FA's fit tight, so reloads have to be perfect. Learning that the hard way. Loads that worked perfectly in my Rugers required resetting primers.
 
claimbuster said:
Same here, selling my Rugers. Sold two, two more to go.

FA's fit tight, so reloads have to be perfect. Learning that the hard way. Loads that worked perfectly in my Rugers required resetting primers.
Click to expand...
You will probably find your brass life to be very good.
 
One of these months I'll post a reason to keep your Rugers. The Ruger and Freedom Arms revolvers complimeny one another. That said, a handgun is personal. When it does not feel personal, what is that person doing with it?

As for shooting .38's in .357 chambers, or .44 Specials in .44 mag chambers, interchangeability has worked perfectly out of the same cylinder with S&W and Ruger revolvers for years.

Ostensibly, Freedom Arms cautions against shooting the shorter cartridge in the longer chamber on the grounds of a potential to raise pressure when the longer round is pressed into a chamber fowled by the shorter cartridge. FA chambers tend to SAAMI minimum, whereas S&W and Ruger are more generous. I believe another gremlin may be at work: the risk of not seating a cartridge properly in the chamber, which could bind the cylinder. That and the possibility of a handloader NEGLIGENTLY attempting to force high primer ammunition into the cylinder, may present a hazard.

If erosion were a problem shooting .38's in a .357 mag chamber, I should have ruined a few S&W cylinders. (The same may not be true of firing beau coups thousands of .22 Shorts in a .22 Long Rifle chamber, as many .22 barrels are, or were, of softer steel than centerfire barrels.)

When you order a FA .454 Casull, by all means order a .45 ACP cylinder at the time of purchase, And a .45 Colt cylinder as well, unless you learn to load light with .454 brass. I speak personally, as enjoy hugely the .45 Colt and .45 ACP cylinder in my FA .454 Casull.
David Bradshaw
 
Has anyone ever had a trigger job done on a FA? The hammer on mine seems kind of gritty and clunky. Trigger pull is great, just cocking the hammer doesn't feel smooth like I thought it would.
 
rsmith99 said:
Has anyone ever had a trigger job done on a FA? The hammer on mine seems kind of gritty and clunky. Trigger pull is great, just cocking the hammer doesn't feel smooth like I thought it would.
Click to expand...
FA offers an action job, but from experience they smooth out fairly quickly. You are right, there is a lot going on when you cock the hammer due to FA's unique safety system.
 
Sold three of my Rugers and bought another Freedom Arms. This one is 45LC with a factory trigger job and over travel screw on the trigger. Can't wait to try the action.
 
I've not felt a "gritty and clunky" Freedom Arms. Unless there is something wrong, dryness----if that is what you feel----is best corrected with a good oil or grease. Stainless steel, especially, thrives on lubrication. No exotic gun lube for me. Plain old motor oil and chassis grease on my gun, be it pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun. Light synthetic motor oil, or automatic transmission fluid in the North Country. Graphite or moly disufide in an evaporative medium for firing pins, etc. Moisture in an action or on a firing pin "welds" steel a below-ZERO temps; the dry moly or graphite frustrates the adhesive quality of frozen water.

The Casull revolver submits to a perfectly clean trigger. As does the New Model Ruger. Hammer and trigger are through-hardened. Freedom Arms used to have a policy for a 3-lb. minimum letoff, similar to Smith & Wesson. I prefer the optional screw stop on the FA M83 trigger, and a rod stop on an S&W. The Ruger transfer bar works with a sweep-through pull, neither desirous of, nor needing a stop.

With all revolvers, the trigger must not kick forward at hammer fall; that is the dead giveaway of a fugitive trigger job.
David Bradshaw
 
I did a "trigger job" on my 97, but in fact I actually did so little to it (because it needed so little) that I hesitate to even call it a trigger job, more like minor polishing.
 
I should have mentioned this earlier, but the edge of the slot on the housing for the ejector is razor sharp. There is the real possibility of a nasty cut when trying to eject a sticky case (trust me on this). I suggest taking the assembly off and with a real fine file or stone, carefully knock the sharp edge off. It does not take much, more or less just follow the slot with gentle pressure on the stone or file...it does not need to be flattened. Done right no one is the wiser.
 
OK. So last week I sold 3 of my Ruger Blackhawks in order to buy another Freedom Arms SA.
This one is in 45 Colt. It came with a factory trigger job and a trigger stop screw.

My first FA was a .357. I was dissappointed in the .357 because the hammer was so heavy to pull back and felt kind of clunky.

I have worked on several Rugers, and S&W revolvers and for the most part they are pretty smooth. I also have a Colt Python that feels like melted butter when you pull the hammer back. I was hoping for the same feel from the FA.

I received the new FA 45 Colt this week and again, the hammer feels too heavy. I will admit it is a LITTLE smoother than the .357, but not much.

Is there a way to lighten the hammer spring, like on Ruger and S&W pistols?

Am I expecting too much?

Other than the hammer tension, the FA's are beautiful.
 
How's the trigger? That's the point, no?

Are you after a smooth light hammer? I'm sure you could polish the tightness out of it in exchange for smoothness, but you're not gaining anything in terms of actual function.
Lightening the hammer springs will do nothing but make the hammer lighter to cock, slower to fall and less accurate. Just like it does in Rugers.
 
My Model 83 has a heavy hammer as well. All Freedom Arms guns do. It's not going to feel like a gun tuned for cowboy action, or the newer Rugers with the soft hammer springs. Soft hammer springs will do nothing for your accuracy, and in the case of FA's chambered in the 454 Casull, you might not always pop the harder primers required for that particular round. Considering these guns are carried by people trying to protect themselves from big furry things with teeth and claws, failing to pop a primer can get you killed.

FAs are bank vault tight and have incredible accuracy built in, but you'r not going to win any fanning contests with them. That's not what they were designed for.
 
I am looking into Red Dot sights for my FA. I know Trijicon and JP both have Red Dot sights that will fit. Is either better? Which one is best for 25-50 yrds? Are they the same width? I would like it to fit well.

Thanks!
 
Are you looking specifically for the small reflex sight that fits into the custom FA base?

Seems like the Leupold will fit as well.

If you're not locked into that style and would be willing to try a tube style red dot, might I suggest the Lovell mount and an UltraDot red dot scope.
 
I sent my FA model 97 back to FA to get the grip refitted. While it was there I had them do an "action" job. It took about a week to get there and back. Looks and feels great! Really nice people at Freedom Arms. If you are looking for the closest thing to perfection, I highly recommend Freedom Arms.
 
A few weeks ago I sold three Ruger Blackhawks in order to buy a new Freedom Arms model 97. I now have 2 Freedom Arms model 97's. One in .357, and one in .45 Colt. I just wanted to give my impression of the guns.

I sold the Rugers because of the poor fit, finish, and general workmanship of the guns. They were all purchased new and all had problems. The gaps between the cylinder and the barrel were extreem. The fit of the grip frames were poor. The polishing on the S/S model was inconsistant. I take a lot of pride in my guns, and these just didn't make the grade.

Now for the Freedom Arms revolvers. They are both premium grade. Both had factory trigger jobs. One had a very slight gap where the wood grip did not quite meet the frame. I sent the revolver back to Freedom Arms. Total turnaround was 1 week. Now its perfect.

Both of the revolvers look beautiful. I can find no cosmetic flaws in the fit or finish on either gun. They look and feel great. I have never had sore knuckles from the trigger guard like I did on the rugers. The feel of the grip is perfect. The trigger pull is 3.5 and 4.0 on the revolvers. Very crisp and clean. They are both much more accurate than I will ever be.

On the down side. I hate the feel of the hammer as it is pulled back. The way the transfer bar was designed makes the trigger pull nice as the expense of the hammer feel. Also, if you don't pull the hammer back "just right" and pull the trigger "just right" the gun will lock up and you have to fiddle with it for a few minutes to gently get everythinh in sync again. Remember these both had facory trigger jobs. I believe they made the lockwork mechanism too complicated and too prone to jamming. The cylinder to frame tollerance is so tight that your loadeds have to be perfect. I average 2 rounds per box of factory ammo that wont load either due to a nick on the rim, or a high primer. I like perfection. But it comes at a cost.

While I was working on my Rugers, I received help from several very friendly shooters on this forum who gave me advise and either sold or gave me parts for my Rugers. I don't think anyone will give up parts for a Freedom Arms revolver. There just aren't that many out there. If the factory ever closes, the parts will be impossible to find.

If Freedom Arms would change their lockwork to something more like what Ruger uses, and keep their current quality, they would really have a winner. I love the Freedom Arms revolvers and will probably never sell them. But there is still room for improvement.
 
rsmith99,

Interesting post. My experience is that the Model 97 will "shoot quite well". All I've ever done is pull the hammer back to full cock then pull the trigger. A bang follows. The targets usually show very small groups when firing various brands of Factory Loaded ammunition. Yes, you do have to be a very "aware" shooter/reloader to be able to experience the potential of the revolver.

You took the time to "nit pic" the Freedom Arms Model 97 but overlooked your opportunity to proof read your reply.

flatgate
 
I've never worked the action on a model 97. The action on my 83 is smooth, but "strong".

I'm still not sure what rsmith99 is feeling. Have you worked the action on a model 83? Other than the weight, does it feel better to you?

You should not be able to bind up the gun by working the hammer and trigger the way they were designed to be manipulated. Have you mentioned this issue to the folks at FA?
 
Just giving my impression. You can blow it off and criticize my typing if you want. The revolvers are Very accurate. The customer support is excellent.
 
Important to get specific when talking about "prone to jamming, or "jamming." Without revolver in hand, or seeing the handling of it, is impossible to delve deeper.

All revolvers are designed to be cycled straight through, lock-to-lock, whether trigger or hammer cocked. Following load or unload, or spin-check, cylinder is locked. The cylinder is not at rest until bolt engages notch. Protocol applies to single and double action revolvers.

As a Freedom Arms revolver is closely fitted, with stout springs, it is not a prime candidate for fast draw. Against that, it is a shooting machine.
David Bradshaw
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

xTopGun
Air quality today - how do we sue Canada .....
2
Replies
37
Views
1K
dadstillsurfs
D
hittman
S&W quality control
Replies
3
Views
209
hittman
hittman
xTopGun
Freedom Gas - is it near anyone yet . . . . .
Replies
0
Views
74
xTopGun
xTopGun
Joe Chartreuse
Inexpensive Is Not The Same As Low Quality
Replies
6
Views
311
GasGuzzler
GasGuzzler
W
Freedom isn't free
Replies
9
Views
298
blume357
blume357

Latest posts

Back
Top