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Whether or not it was done with collaboration, I
do not know, but Cimarron Firearms and Mernickle
Custom Holsters have together produced what seems to
be the ideal sixgun/holster combo for the sport of Cowboy Action
Shooting. Cowboy Action Shooting is a sport where the
targets are not especially challenging, but the action is very
quick. It is not a game of clearing leather with lightening
speed as in the sport of Fast Draw, but being able to re-holster
the gun quickly can mean the difference in first place or
also-ran. Quick reloading of the sixgun can also be very
important in some of the stages of the game. While raw power is
not necessary in the sixgun stages of the game, a smooth, slick,
easy-to-shoot revolver makes a world of difference to be
competitive in the sport, and just about all top shooters have
specially tuned sixguns to give them an edge.
Cimarron Firearms markets some of the most
popular guns in the sport. Their Model
P revolvers are well represented at Cowboy Action
matches. They are known for being of the highest quality of the
imported Colt Single Action Army (SAA) replicas. Cimarron
has worked with Evil Roy to produce a competitive SAA
replica that meets all of the needs of top-ranked competitive
Cowboy Action Shooters.
"Who the heck is Evil Roy?" I’m glad
you asked! If you are at all into Cowboy Action shooting, you
know who Evil Roy is. For those who are not, Evil Roy (All
competitors in CAS assume an alias - this is not the name his
Mama gave him at birth.) is a world champion shooter in the
sport, and has been at the top of the field for several years.
He worked with the people at Cimarron to enhance their Model P
with features that make the sixgun better for Cowboy Action
shooting. The front and rear sights are just a bit wider
than normal, for quicker sight acquisition, and the rear sight
is a square notch, instead of a narrow "V" shape. The
walnut grips are slimmer, and are available smooth, or checkered
as are the sample guns sent to me. They are of the one-piece
design. The sixguns have specially tuned and lightened
actions as well.
Evil Roy has also worked together with World
Fast Draw champion and first-class holster maker Bob
Mernickle to produce a holster rig with all of the
features needed to be a top competitor in Cowboy Action
Shooting. Gunblast readers have seen Bob’s work here
before. He produces some of the best concealment and field
holsters available. He also caters to the top shooters in Fast
Draw, and produces some gorgeous Cowboy Action and
Hollywood style rigs. Bob recently sent to me a sample Evil Roy
rig, and I can without a doubt state that it is the finest
looking western rig that I have ever seen. It is expertly
tooled, wears beautiful star-shaped silver conchos, and has
expertly crafted snake skin inlays. The belt is of two-ply
construction, with a suede surface next to the wearer, to keep
the rig from sliding around. The belt measures two and one-half
inches wide. The rig wears two detachable six-shot
cartridge carriers that place the cartridges high above the belt
for quick access. The tooling on this rig is just perfect. I
hate to use the word "perfect" in a review, but
dangit, it just is! The holsters are metal-lined for rigidity,
and the holster mouths are wide, to funnel the gun quickly into
the holster without hanging. There are leather hammer thongs to
keep the guns in place, and are wider and better-looking than
just a rawhide loop.
Upon opening the two Cimarron boxes containing
the Evil Roy sixguns, it was readily apparent that these were
quality firearms. They are beautifully blued and case-hardened.
The one-piece checkered grips are magnificent. They are
perfectly fitted to the grip frame, and holding them feels much
better to my hand than do most single action grips. These are
only slightly slimmer than most SAA grips, but the feeling is
immediately noticeable. Each gun weighed in at 40.4 ounces,
chambered for the .357 Magnum cartridge. Of course, they will
also shoot any .38 Special load as well. The sixguns are also
available chambered for the .45 Colt and .44 WCF cartridges.
Available barrel lengths are four and three-quarters and five
and one-half inches, with the sample guns being the former.
Working the actions on these two sixguns
revealed that the internals have been expertly reworked, just as
Cimarron promises. They have as good a feel to the action
as any that I have handled from a custom gunsmith. The timing is
dead-on with these two sixguns, and the trigger pulls measured
just 29.7 ounces on one gun and 30.5 ounces on the other.
Wonderful. The springs are conventional flat springs for both
the hammer spring and the trigger/bolt spring, but have been
lightened significantly. Thumbing the hammers on both guns
was light and precise, with the sound and feel of an expertly
tuned Colt SAA. Beautiful.
Shooting the Evil Roy sixguns was indeed a
pleasure. The sights are easy to see. Trying several different
.357 Magnum factory and handloads, along with a few .38 Special
loads revealed good accuracy, and a tall enough front sight to
easily regulate most any load desired. There were no failures to
fire with any load tested. Several loads would group into a bit
less than two inches at twenty-five yards. The fit and finish on
these guns are excellent. The action is wonderful. The ejector
rod lines up precisely with the loading trough for quick and
easy loading, and the chambers easily released the empty cases
without sticking, even when firing hot magnum cartridges.
To keep everything in the family, Evil Roy’s
granddaughter goes by the name of Holy Terror, and is
also a world class shooter, winning championships in both youth
and adult events. Women have different holster needs than do
men, due to the shape of their hips. A holster rig designed for
a man causes the grips of the sixgun to dig into the sides of a
woman. Bob Mernickle also worked with Holy Terror to design the
ideal holster rig for the competitive female Cowboy Action
shooter. The Holy Terror rig has all of the features of the Evil
Roy, with the design changes necessary to fit comfortably on the
curves of a woman, and he sent one of these rigs along to me
with the Evil Roy rig for review. It is pictured here modeled by
Karri, who was graciously loaned to us for the photo
shoot by Appleton’s
Harley Davidson of Clarksville, Tennessee. You can
see in the pictures that the grips of the sixguns are positioned
properly for a quick grasp, and do not hinder the shooter’s
movements by digging into her side.
While the Evil Roy sixguns and the Evil Roy and
Holy Terror holster rigs are ideal for Cowboy Action shooters,
they are also a good choice for anyone wanting high quality,
beautiful SAA replicas and quality leather to go along with
them, whether you shoot in the sport of CAS or not. I sure hate
to box these up and send them back.
Check out the Cimarron’s extensive line of
quality replica firearms online at: www.cimarron-firearms.com.
To order a holster rig from Mernickle Custom
Holsters, go to: www.mernickleholsters.com.
Jeff Quinn
 
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Click pictures for a larger version.

Two of Cimarron Firearms' "Evil Roy" sixguns
in a Mernickle Custom Holsters "Evil Roy" rig.








Cimarron "Evil Roy" sixgun is a great choice
not just for Cowboy Action Shooters, but for anyone desiring a
superbly-tuned and beautiful Peacemaker.















Mernickle Custom Holsters' "Evil Roy" rig.






Mernickle Custom Holsters' "Holy terror" rig,
modeled by Karri.

For some special inlays, I might just send Bob Mernickle
this Timber Rattler!
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