The Perfect 10: Freedom Arms
Two favorite 10" Freedom Arms for hunting are these Model 83s
chambered in .41 Magnum (top) and .454. John had Mag-na-port
add swing swivels and a muzzle brake to help tame the recoil of the latter.
In October 1983, the first factory built five-shot .454 Casull left the Freedom Arms factory located in the Star Valley area of Freedom, Wyo. In March 1979, Wayne Baker and Dick Casull had gotten got together and began Freedom Arms by producing .22 Mini-guns. Four years later, the .454 Casull revolver was a reality. However, it would be several years before it was widely accepted by the general shooting public.
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In 1985 I decided to call Wayne Baker and found a most personable man who was willing to trust me with one of his expensive revolvers. He sent me a 10″ Premier Grade .454 which was soon outfitted with silhouette sights. I used it for long-range game, switched to standard sights or a scope for hunting.
Along the way, both Wayne and Dick became special friends. They were men of integrity, honesty, resourcefulness and patriotism representing what America used to be. Wayne was a World War II vet who flew many bombing missions and I don’t know of any man in my lifetime I respected more.
Dick Casull was a firearms genius. Like so many sixgunners before him, and especially those from his generation, Casull looked upon the Colt Single Action as the best vehicle for not just practical shooting but also for experimenting.
Using the first five-shot cylinders, loads utilizing the 250-grain cast bullet attained muzzle velocities of 1,300 fps. Casull wanted more. In the search for more power and above all adequate safety for his .45 Magnum, the answer would have to be to build a new frame. Starting from scratch, Casull built frames from 4140 steel and five-shot cylinders from 4150 steel. Parts were engineered as needed and the then-labeled .454 Magnum became a reality.
Wayne Baker and Dick Casull are both now gone from this vale of tears. As this is written, Wayne had just passed last month at the age of 98. As they say, they are both hard acts to follow.
Over the past nearly 40 years, I have had extensive experience with seven Freedom Arms revolvers set up with this particular barrel length. Let’s take a look at the following examples:
.454 Casull Model 83 — Of all the Freedom Arms sixguns I shot over the past 40 years, this one has probably seen more use than all the rest put together. When I first received the 10″ Model 83 from Wayne Baker, I asked him about loads and he told me it was impossible to hurt this gun when using traditional pistol powders. I took him at his word and although I shot thousands upon thousands of heavy loads, it is still as tight as it was four decades ago.
Freedom Arms wildcat varmint cartridge (above) chambered in the Model 97 is the .224/32. Targets shot at 100 yards (below) with the Freedom Arms .22 Long Rifle exhibit its extreme accuracy.
.44 Magnum Model 83 — In February 1986 Freedom Arms offered their first Model 83 chambered in .45 Colt, no longer available, followed one month later by the .44 Magnum. Offering the .44 Magnum was a very wise move as not everyone wanted or needed the power available with the .454. My 10″ Freedom Arms .44 Magnum was originally set up for long-range silhouetting with a special rear sight matched up with a radically undercut front post sight. I chose to leave it with this same setup for hunting.
.41 Magnum Model 83 — In 1997, the Model 83 .41 Magnum arrived. I had discussed the .41 Magnum project with the folks at Freedom Arms in 1996 after informing them available factory .41 Magnums at the time would not handle heavy bullets — anything over 220 grains — very accurately. The problem had to be barrel twist and Freedom Arms addressed this with a barrel twist of 1:14. Heavyweight bullets would now work and I soon found the Cor-Bon 265-grain Hard Cast and the Federal 250-grain Hard Cast factory loads, designed specifically for hunting, would stay in 1″ at 50 yards.
.22 Long rifle Model 83 — In January 1991, the first five-shot .22 Long Rifle Model 83 (originally known as the Model 252) arrived and it quickly became the revolver of choice with the .22 silhouette shooters. The test gun I had was so accurate I hesitated to publish the results knowing many would find it hard to believe. It was no simple matter for a .22 to make silhouette weight when chambered in the large-framed Freedom Arms Single Action. The cylinder was shortened and the barrel extended back through the frame.
A big game rifle shooting into 1″ with three shots at 100 yards is a joy; the .22 Model 83 revolver will do it with a full cylinder of five shots. Both Winchester T22s and CCI MiniMag +Vs put five shots into 1″ at 100 yards.
Freedom Arms wildcat varmint cartridge (above) chambered in the Model 97 is the .224/32. Targets shot at 100 yards (below) with the Freedom Arms .22 Long Rifle exhibit its extreme accuracy.
Triple .32 Model 97 — Currently, my favorite 10″ Freedom Arms is the Model 97 fitted with three cylinders. Named for the year it was introduced, the Model 97 is slightly smaller than the Colt Single Action Army. At this stage of my life I no longer need the heavy loads possible in the Model 83, which is why this little .32 Freedom Arms is such a favorite. It covers virtually everything with three cylinders chambered in .327 Federal Magnum, .32 H & R Magnum, both of which will also handle the .32 S&W Long and .32-20. They all work fine on varmints and small game and are just pure pleasure for plinking or long-range shooting.
.17 HMR Model 97 — The .17 HMR (Hornady Magnum Rimfire) is the same basic sixgun as the .22 Rimfire version with a slightly smaller hole in the barrel. The 10″ Model 97 .17 HMR with a Redfield LER 4X scope in place has proven to be exceptionally accurate. Federal’s .17 HMR TNT HP does 2,304 fps and 0.307″ at 25 yards. The one drawback to the .17 is the fact it is very wind sensitive and my area of SW Idaho is rarely lacking in wind.
.224-32FA Model 97 — To arrive at this fast-stepping .22 requires necking down the .327 Federal Magnum. Freedom Arms offers a full kit consisting of Model 97 chambered in .224-32FA, dies, and if desired, a scope mounted in place. RCBS dies are used to form the case, which must be trimmed to the proper length and then fire formed. The .224-32FA operates at muzzle velocities in the 2,200-2,300 fps range, making them dynamite on varmints.
This is my Lucky Seven 10″ Freedom Arms sixguns. They have afforded me extreme pleasure over the past four decades. The big bores are now retired while the small bores remain active.
