I will admit to being a fan of pushing the limits in any field to be the absolute best. I have heard a lot and read a lot about Freedom Arms, the word is that they are the most precise revolvers money can buy. I hear they bore the cylinders in a special way that improves the accuracy, and that many people use them in competition or even out in the wilderness as bear guns due to the larger caliber options. Being single action, I was sort of surprised to hear some people use them as Bear guns (especially when you could have a high powered rifle or shotgun with slugs) but this interested me.

Essentially my question is, are they worth the high price tag? If so, what qualities make them that much better than a Ruger Blackhawk or Smith and Wesson 686 or other high quality revolvers?

If anyone owns any, feel free to post pictures because I think they are beautiful guns. Please share your experiences with them and why you chose to shell out for one.

I really like Ruger and S&W revolvers, and have owned my share over the years. But the build quality of the FA guns is on another level. So YES, IMHO the Freedom Arms revolvers really are worth the price of admission. I've owned mine for years. It is as precise and locks up as tight today as it did years ago. Mine is in .454, with an aux. .45ACP cylinder. Both cylinders have ~.002" B/C gaps, with no detectable end shake. Lock up really is that "bank vault" tight that some have described. I have no real use for a big powerful SA revolver. But this is the last revolver I'd ever want to sell. They are that good..

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

Pick one up, look it over, and examine it. You will know you are holding a revolver that is sublime.

I had a model 83 in 454 but sold it some years ago. The crème de la crème.
Visited the factory about 8 years ago, just about a hour+ south of the Tetons.

This is it, the factory.

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I’m your Boogie Man, uh huh.

This is going to sound funny but I own one of the mini 22 revolvers they made decades ago. While not a bear gun they have every bit of the precision of their big brothers.

Something you don’t hear much about is their warranty. I bought my mini 22 in 1982 and a few years ago whim I was shooting it the front sight came off. I figured I’d get it silver soldered on one day but stuck it in the back of my safe. Fast forward to this year when I ran across it in a dusty back corner of my safe.

I posted some photos on this forum and someone said they have a lifetime warranty. Well I called the manufacturer and sure enough they have a lifetime warranty. All I had to do was produce the original receipt which I actually had filed away in my safe.

I emailed a copy of the receipt and SN of my gun and sure enough they had the warranty card I sent in, date of purchase and dealers name on file. I wound up sending it in and a few weeks later it was returned with a new sight silver soldered on and the gun had been inspected for ant issues. No charge and great service.

I’m sure they backup all their guns that way and that kind of warranty is worth a lot especially when you buy a premium priced gun.

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I have a Freedom Arms M83 Field Grade 475 Linebaugh, 6” barrel, that I was fortunate enough to buy BNIB for $1600 a year ago! I just posted about it recently. I’ve not seen prices remotely close to that since! Still, I think good deals can be had on used ones.

They are precision engineered with extremely tight tolerances and of the finest craftsmanship. Mine is supremely accurate but when shooting full house 475 Linebaugh, I limit myself to 6 rounds a session. I feel FA are the Rolls Royce of SA revolvers as far as production SA revolvers go.

I heartily recommend one, in any caliber really!

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I have a Freedom Arms model 97 deluxe(45LC) with express sights. It's perfect as single actions go. No other can compare with FA's fit and finish.
Close your eyes and run a finger nail over the joints......You can't feel "em" or where the grips meet the frame.

So, YES. They do live up to the hype.

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S&W Accumulator

This is the "small" frame Model 97. 4 1/4" 45 Colt with 45 ACP aux cylinder. From mild to wild (lite 45 acps to 340gr T Rex Stompers) it is quite versatile and At 35 oz it makes a "perfect packing pistol".
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I bought it used 17 yrs ago and have put over 25,000 rounds thru it. One of my favorites.
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Paul

I used to have an 83 in .454 Casull and a 97 in
45 Colt. Yes. They really are that incredibly accurate, strong, and well made. My issue was that they were both TOO tight for my preferences.

My son had a Webley Mk5 that had been converted to .45 ACP. I made some mild loads for it and took him to the range. I brought the 45 ACP cylinder for my 97, just to share a caliber and had fun. I got about....two dozen rounds through my FA before it was too dirty to load and shoot. At that time, I didn't carry a good cleaning kit. So...my son had a blast shooting all my ammo out of his $500 Webley while my $2K piece of shootable art sat on the side line.

Another time, I was carrying my 83 out caribou hunting. I went to answer the call of nature and found a very nice bull, well within range. I drew my FA and went to cock it. Nothing. Would not cock. Re-holstered it and ran to camp for my rifle. In the end, I did not get my animal. I looked at the gun and finally found a tiny, itsy bitsy amount of grit around the cylinder.

It wasn't much later I met a grumpy bear with a single action Ruger in my hand. I used soft, sweet words and got my family away safely, but in that moment, I realized I'm just not the salt of the Earth, nerves of steel tough guy that's comfortable addressing angry half ton creatures with a single action handgun

I no longer own a Freedom Arms, and never will again. I also don't go out into serious near country without a DA revolver in a caliber that starts with "4".

I'm sure there are a ton of dudes out there who have killed half a dozen of every critter that ever walked, crawled, or slithered off of Noah's Ark. I'm mighty proud for them, but I ain't among them. S&W on my hip, slug loaded 870 in the camp. Helps me sleep out on the ground fairly comfortably.

On the day my grandson was born, a little more than two years ago, I bought a Freedom Arms Model 97, in .357 Magnum (with a second cylinder in 9mm) that will be his twenty-first birthday present in 2042.

It's a work of art, just beautifully machined, with tighter tolerances than I've ever seen on any revolver. It's also very robust, with some unusual design features (such as the transfer bar being in the hammer rather than the frame).

I didn't intend it to be a safe queen for 21 years, and I have put about 50 rounds through it so far. The action is smooth, the trigger is crisp, and it's more accurate than I will ever be.

Are they worth the high price tag? That depends upon what's important to you. For me, the answer is yes...

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Where Law Ends, Tyranny Begins

I hope this doesn't draw hellfire down on me :-)

I have two FA's, a mod 353 .357 Mag and a 97 .17HMR.

Regarding accuracy... I only ask that a handgun shoot as good as I do, that being sub left ventricle / right ventricle at ~75 feet or so. Should I go afield with either they will do well at sane handgun distances for the intended game / caliber.

Both of my FA's easily do that but then again so do my Ruger Blackhawks.

Do my Rugers fit like two glass microscope slides floating on a drop of oil? No but they DO work and as a bonus if needed I can buy grips and spare parts anywhere, not so for FA. I'll tinker with my Rugers, Not so for FA. I'm afraid if I dorked it up it would be a costly misteak :-)

If "fit / finish" and strength floats your boat, FA's are second to none and anything else WILL disappoint you.

Is a FA "worth" the price? I got mine used, so the used price WAS worth it. New? Not me but I'm waaayyy out voted because FA has a year plus backlog to deliver a new one.

PS, regarding "strength"... Ruger is designed to safely handle any SAAMI rated caliber roll engraved on the frame, reloaders who push the envelope will likely be more satisfied with the FA or even a BFR.

As a revolver enthusiast, it is one of those revolvers I definitely could see myself getting someday. Good to see they function as good as they look

I have fondled a few, and really wanted one, but could not get past the price.

Freedom Arms are superior revolvers

Mine is a 454 Casull.

It is one of many firearms I have unfortunately not photographed yet

I consider this like asking a a Ferrari really worth the money over a Dodge Demon

This is not something that can be easily put into words because if you have not experienced the Ferrari you just do not have a point of reference. Except price

The fit is on a level that is just not found in production guns. Performance is also well above the average, strength is equally elevated

I see you are in Ohio, unfortunately I am in Central Florida or I would agree to meet you so that you can handle and fire my revolver.

As an Instructor, I often offer to meet with Forum Members to share my firearms. I know there is no substitute for the Experience of a fine Firearm or Automobile

Perhaps we have a member in Ohio that would be willing to make you the same offer. If not, and you happen to vacation in Florida I will make it happen.

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"Acta non verba"

My brother lives in Central Florida, next time I plan on coming down I will PM you, I would be thrilled to get to shoot one. I may move to Central Florida in the next few years myself.

I own 5 of them. Yes they do live up to the hype.

Bought my first FAs, a 6" .454/.45 Colt, about 1998. Extremely accurate and well made... Have owned about 15 of them over the years from the .224-32 to a .500 WE/JRH. Zero issues with any of them.

97/41 Magnum
97/.22-.22 Magnum
83/.41 Magnum
83/.475
97/.327 Federal

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The Freedom Arms revolvers are lovely, but gnappi already said pretty much everything that represents my personal thinking about whether I need one.

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How God has blessed us!

A Lamborghini will get you from Point A to Point B. A Gremlin or Pinto would likely do the same. If all you want to do is move from Point A to Point B, the FA revolvers are not for you. If you want to move from Point A to Point B in style, in the very best there is, just because you can, and you can afford it, then the FA is what you want. Nobody needs the very best of anything but some just want it. I sure can't afford the Lamborghini but I can afford the Freedom Arms I own, and I consider it money well spent.

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Everybody could shoot

I've seen some very good groups fired with Freedom Arms revolvers. It's always bugged me that you had to pay extra for a "honed action", it seems to me that for the money that ought to be standard.

One thing that hasn’t been mentioned is grip size and shape. I’ve owned Ruger single actions of all frame sizes from 44 Magnum down to 22 rimfire, in Bisley and Blackhawk versions. And a couple of Colt SAA’s. None of those had grip shapes that really fit my hand.

Earlier this year I purchased a Freedom Arms model 97 in 32 H&R which also had a 32-20 cylinder. I had never seen nor handled one so was taking a bit of a chance that this one would fit my hand. And it does.

This one was originally purchased new 20 years ago, so it is one of the first-year 32 H&R’s that Freedom Arms produced. To date I have put 433 rounds through it, as many as 45 at one range outing, with no hint of cylinder binding or other problems. All my loads use cast bullets.

Another plus for the Freedom Arms revolvers is that the front sights are easily changed out and the top strap is drilled and tapped, making scope or red dot sight installations easy.

The Freedom Arms 97 grip shape is different from the larger-framed model 83 and each has its fans and detractors. Try to handle one before purchasing, if possible.

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S&WCA #1955, S&WHF #818

I think this is a good analogy. While I can't spend that kind of money now, I will be able to eventually and have always wanted a very crisp single action revolver with bank vault lock up. This sounds like that kind of gun so it will be something to work towards. The only thing I'm torn on is caliber at this point.

One part of me feels like these guns should be in a big bore caliber like 454 Casull, considering Dick Casull was part of forming this great company. The more practical side of me wants one in 357 magnum because that is my favorite round of all time and then I could use my 357 ammo I already have in abundance through it.

I love the fit, finish, and precision, but I don't like their grip design.

Except a Korth

Or a Manhurin MR 73.

As others have said FA are very nice in fit, finish, and accuracy - have a few.
I would suggest you look at BFR which are in my opinion very close at a lower price point.

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be safe
Ruggy

Yes, they are worth every penny.

One thing about FA revolvers that hasn’t been mentioned yet; since they started building them the quality has never been “cheapened”. They continue to build to the same level of quality that has existed since 1983. Not many of the other manufacturers can say the same.

Dan

I picked up a used .357 years ago and the fit was better than any other guns had and accuracy was great. So a couple years ago I ordered a .22 as I knew I could shoot it often and well into old age. Unfortunately I had problems when cocking then hammer slowly the cylinder would not turn all the way. Started working after awhile. Then the trigger wouldn't pull all the way . Had another trigger issue then after many dry fires things work fine. Think there may have been a metal chip causing the iss. Can't say I am over impressed with the accuracy. But it was during the lock downs with covid and I let it slide. I shoot it occasionally but the honeymoon is over.

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balin
NRA Life Member

I picked up a used .357 years ago and the fit was better than any other guns had and accuracy was great. So a couple years ago I ordered a .22 as I knew I could shoot it often and well into old age. Unfortunately I had problems when cocking then hammer slowly the cylinder would not turn all the way. Started working after awhile. Then the trigger wouldn't pull all the way . Had another trigger issue then after many dry fires things work fine. Think there may have been a metal chip causing the iss. Can't say I am over impressed with the accuracy. But it was during the lock downs with covid and I let it slide. I shoot it occasionally but the honeymoon is over.

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balin
NRA Life Member