Messing With The Cimarron .45 Colt

[JimT]

Last June I picked up a Cimarron in .45 Colt. It has 2 cylinders, one in .45 ACP. And the dealer gave me a good deal on the gun and then knocked off 20% because I was a Veteran.

The gun was in good shape and apparently had not been used much. I posted photos of it on here earlier but ..

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The trigger pull was heavy but it did not have a long pull. I installed a Heinie trigger and bolt spring and worked on the pull until it was to my liking.

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The gun is well built and finished pretty nicely inside and out. No rough castings like I have seen in early Italian guns. They did change the spring for the cylinder hand from a flat spring to the Ruger style coil spring that goes into the frame above the backstrap screw.

The flat spring on the hand can break .. I have had a few over the years .. and I understand the reasoning behind this change. I like the old Colts but ....

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Because the guns are imported, it had to have a Safety. They accomplished this by making the cylinder pin extra long and with 2 detents. The first detent is the FIRE position. The second detent is the SAFE position. It keeps the hammer from falling all the way to the primer.

I have no use for such stuff and don't want anything interfering with the gun going off if I need it to, so I cut the end off the cylinder pin and use the forward detent only.

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The one problem it had was that I could not remove the cylinder bushing. It obviously had a removable bushing, but it was locked in. Using an aluminum rod I drove the bushing out. When the rear gas ring cleared the cylinder the bushing dropped out.

After checking it over I found that the rear gas ring was too big. Apparently "hand fitting" meant just driving it in place. I chucked it in my electric drill and with a sharp file turned down the gas ring.

Then I discovered that the bushing itself was also too large at the forward end. Again, a little metal removed and polishing and it slips in and out just like intended.

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If cutting the rear face of the gas ring did not increase barrel/cylinder gap it would at least introduce "end shake" .. fore and aft movement of the cylinder

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So the gun is working to my satisfaction. I have not cut the front sight yet as I have not settled on a preferred load. That will come in time.

It ain't a Colt or a USFA but it does scratch an itch I had.

[Bill in Oregon]

Some of the Italian sixguns have pretty good bones.

[JimT]

Yessir they do. They have improved a lot from the early years. Overall this seems to be pretty good. It could have used a little more hand fitting in places but it wasn't bad. It did not affect the way the gun shot.

I have to say that there are some guns coming from American manufacturers that should have never left the plant!

[Malamute]

Looks pretty good Jim.

I also came into a cimarron this past summer, their "Old Model P" by Uberti, a 45 4 3/4" First shots were WAAAAAAY low at 300 yards with my regular 8.5 grs old Unique and 250 gr generic cast bullet. I got a piece of cardoard and sharpie and brough the POI up about 10 inches at 15-20 yards to just hit to the top of the front sight blade, then stopped until more fine t\uning ws possible. Next shots at the 300 yard rocks were where I expected them and whacked several in the first cylinder. The only time I chrono'ed that load it ran 925 fps in a 4 5/8" Ruger vaquero.


I ground back the base pin, replaced the too light main spring, and fitted a set of take-off Colt eagle grips. Oh, and replaced the bullseye ejector rod with a crescent, the bullseye was making the holster fit too snug. I ordered an ACP cylinder and fitted it, it was pretty easy. I have fair amounts of acp ammo and about zero interest in shooting autos any more.

The Miles City holster looks good, but its stretched out from forcing a Ruger into it, the Cimarron now falls out easily, Ive dropped it out of the too loose holster once in the dirt and rocks driveway when putting it in the truck to go to town. It gets carried daily around the home place or dog walking in the hills where bears arent generally found.

A Lawrence K frame No 8 shoulder holster fits it fairly well other than the barrel sticks out a bit. I have another decent shoulder rig that needs a new shoulder strap setup, its a K frame 6" holster, slightly long but still holds the cylinder OK in the spring clip zone. Im liking it more all the time. If I can get a good shoulder rig worked out it may replace the 2 1/2" smith 19 as a general concealed carry gun for cooler season use.

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[JimT]

That is a nice looking sixgun Malamute! Sounds like you got it running OK.

My Cimarron hits about POA at 20 yards with the Keith SWC over 8 gr. of Unique. At the same distance my .45 ACP loads are about 1 1/2" low. I have not cut the front sight yet. It's close enough that I can shoot both. I will probably cut it so the .45 Colt loads hit POA at 25 yards and that will put the ACP loads about POA at 20 yards.

[Scott Tschirhart]

I’ll cut my front sight on my USFA but I really want to nail down the load. I may be getting really close.

I was shooting a variety of bullets over various charges of TiteGroup last weekend. Here is what the barrel looked like after 90 rounds with hard cast bullets. It cleaned up with the first patch.

[JimT]

That's excellent Scott! The bore on the Cimarron has stayed clean as well. That makes me happy.

[Scott Tschirhart]

That’s great Jim. I’m reluctant to file the front sight just yet. It’s close enough for now and I want to see it over a couple of hundred more rounds.

Paul Persinger has my Colt and I’m not sure when I’ll get it back. But I’m happy carrying and shooting this USFA while I wait.

[Bill in Oregon]

Wow. Lawrence shoulder holsters, made in Portland before Oregon went way blue. Wow. Memory lane.

[Ysabel Kid]

Very nice! I need to shorten the cylinder pin on a couple of my SAA clones. It is very annoying!

I don't remember - does Cimarron sell both Uberti and Pietta made revolvers, or just Uberti ones?

[JimT]

I don't remember - does Cimarron sell both Uberti and Pietta made revolvers, or just Uberti ones?

As far as I know their guns are made by both Uberti and Pietta. They usually go to some effort to put the Italian maker marks out of sight.

Top of the barrel

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Bottom of the barrel

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[Ysabel Kid]

So, Pietta will hide their hideous marking for Cimarron, but not for their own guns? I need to offer my services for their marketing department!

Thanks Jim!