Hunters, woodsmen, hikers, fishermen, and other
woods-roaming types are always looking for the perfect packin’
pistol. One’s definition of perfection will vary somewhat with
the terrain, activity, and geographic location, along with
personal preference. A Tennessee fisherman might want to pack a
pistol along for snake protection, and obviously doesn’t need
the same pistol as a salmon fisherman in Alaska who might share
the stream with a few brown bears. While a packin’ pistol does
not necessarily need to be the primary arm of a hunter, it
should be able to fill that role if the need arises. A hiker
might want a handgun along for protection from predators
of the human and animal kind, unless of course they are the
Volvo-driving, tree-hugging, sweater-tied-around-their-butt type
of hiker who would prefer to try to pet the pretty mountain
lion. A man working cattle needs a handgun with enough power to
put down a mean bull, if the need arises. Anyway, there is
certainly no definitive answer to the need to go armed while in
the great outdoors. However, there are many fine handguns that
can fill the need. As a rule, a packin’ pistol must be
relatively compact, lightweight enough to carry comfortably, and
powerful enough to handle any situation that might arise.
While I can often be found wandering the woods with a good .22
Long Rifle chambered revolver or pistol on my hip, if I were in
an area where bears, cougars, or felons might be apt to appear,
I would certainly carry a more powerful weapon, which I do when
in those areas.
In my daily emails from Gunblast readers, I
often am asked for recommendations for a good handgun to carry
while in areas in which a bear might be encountered. While most
encounters with large bears can be avoided, it is always a good
idea to go armed, just in case. Bears have been killed
with the twenty-two rimfire cartridges, but it is not recommend.
Should you need protection from a wild animal, the need will
most likely arise very quickly, so the weapon must be readily at
hand. As outlined above, a packin’ pistol must be handy. If
you are on a stream bank, and the bear is between you and your
weapon, you had better be a good swimmer. A packin’ pistol
must be at hand at all times, preferably in a good holster.
It has been about six months now since I first
reviewed the new .500 Wyoming
Express from Freedom Arms. As I stated in that article,
I believe that this is the best of the fifty caliber revolver
cartridges to date, considering its power-to-weight ratio. The
.500 S&W certainly exceeds the power of the .500 Wyoming
Express, but at the cost of a considerable increase in weight
and bulk. I do not consider the .500 S&W revolver to be a
packin’ pistol, but instead a primary hunting revolver. The
seven and one-half inch barreled revolver tested in the earlier
article is an excellent weapon, but for a packin’ pistol, I
prefer a shorter barrel. For a primary hunting revolver, I
prefer the seven and one-half inch tube, but for riding on the
hip, a shorter barrel just packs better. I have since
obtained a Model 83 Freedom Arms revolver with a four and
three-quarters inch barrel, and it indeed is much more packable
for a daily carry gun in the woods or field.
This would be as good a place as any to state
that I realize that there is a difference between a pistol and a
revolver, but the term "packin’ pistol" just sounds
better than "packin’ revolver", so I will continue
to refer to both pistols and revolvers as such in this context,
however incorrect that it may be.
The short-barreled Freedom Model 83 balances
very well, with the balance point being exactly where the front
of the trigger guard contacts the grip frame, resulting in
a relatively lively-feeling handgun that seems even lighter in
weight than it is. The weight of the .500 WE with the 4 ¾ inch
barrel is only two pounds and fourteen ounces. I compared this
to other handguns in my safe. It weighs slightly less than
my five and one-half inch Ruger Bisley .45, and just six ounces
more than the new small Ruger Vaquero. It is the same weight as
my Dad’s six inch .357 magnum GP100, and is handier and much
more powerful. As you can see in the picture, Boge
scratched up the grips on that .357 a bit. The .500 WE is
definitely packable. It also packs plenty of power. Going from
the seven and one-half inch Model 83 to the four and
three-quarters inch gun gives up only about sixty
feet-per-second (fps) velocity comparing the three factory Grizzly
Cartridge Company loads tested in the two guns. That is a
fair trade-off, and nothing hit with those big fifty caliber
slugs can tell the difference of sixty fps. Grizzly has since
introduced four more loadings for the .500 WE. They have added
the excellent Belt Mountain
Punch Bullet to their full-power loadings, and also are
offering their 370, 400, and 440 grain Cast
Performance bullets in reduced velocity loadings, listed
at a nominal 950 fps from a six-inch barrel. The Grizzly loads
tested in the short 4 ¾ inch barreled Freedom are listed in the
chart below. Air temperature at the time of testing was around
sixty-eight degrees, with the PACT chronograph sensors
twelve feet from the muzzle. All velocities are listed in
feet-per-second.
| Load |
Velocity |
| Grizzly 440 Punch |
1166 |
| Grizzly 440 WFNGC |
1195 |
| Grizzly 400 Bonded Core |
1244 |
| Grizzly 370 WFNGC |
1296 |
| Grizzly 440 WFNGC (reduced) |
970.1 |
| Grizzly 400 WFNGC (reduced) |
956 |
| Grizzly 370 WFNGC (reduced) |
973.8 |
These are the only factory loads for the .500
Wyoming Express of which I am aware. However, this is excellent
ammunition, and the Grizzly loadings should cover just about any
need for which the big 500 should be called upon to fill. In the
chart above, WFNGC stands for the Wide Flat Nose Gas Check
bullets from Cast Performance. The Grizzly Cartridge ammunition
is some of the best that I have ever tested as to consistency
and accuracy, with average deviation readings from their high
velocity loads in the high single digits, and the reduced
velocity loads with even lower deviation readings. These bullets
are also available from Cast Performance for handloaders, and
the 440 grain WFNGC is one of my favorites. For a good, all
around general purpose load, I like the 440 WFNGC loaded to
moderate velocity. I use 11.8 grains of Hodgdon Tite
Group powder to push that bullet to 1156 fps average from the
short-barreled Model 83. Recoil is manageable, and inflicts no
pain upon the shooter. I also like the Keith style bullets
from Dry Creek and Mt. Baldy.
For a lighter hollowpoint bullet for use on lighter game such as
whitetail deer, the Barnes 275 grain X should be just
about perfect from the .500 Wyoming Express. For pressure tested
load data, I refer the reader to the Freedom
Arms web site.
Another feature of the Model 83 reviewed here is
the optional round butt on the grip frame. This makes a world of
difference to me in the controllability of the weapon. It makes
the Model 83 easier to hang onto, and eliminates the sharp edges
of the grip. It is well worth the extra price, and I highly
recommend this option for the heavy kickers.
This Freedom Arms Model 83 revolver, as expected
and demonstrated by all Freedom Arms models, is one of the
tightest production revolvers in the world. The fit and finish
is impeccable. The black Micarta grip panels fit perfectly. The
grip frame fits the cylinder frame perfectly. The trigger pull
measures a crisp two pounds and fifteen ounces. Perfect. The
adjustable sights on the Model 83 offer a very good sight
picture, and it is also drilled and tapped for a scope mount. I
tried to measure the barrel/cylinder gap on the Model 83, but I
had no feeler gauge that would enter the gap. The .002 inch
feeler would not enter. The gap is .001, or less. That is ten
times tighter than the acceptable gap from some of our revolver
manufacturers. Lest you think that this might be too
tight, through firing hundreds of rounds of factory and
handloaded ammunition, with both cast and jacketed bullets, and
without any cleaning, the Model 83 never tended to bind or gum
up. The cases fall easily from the chambers, no matter how heavy
the load. The test gun also proved capable of firing
sub-one-inch groups at twenty-five yards with several different
loads. Nobody builds a revolver like the folks in Freedom,
Wyoming. With an ideal balance of power to weight, along
with its handy size, the .500 WE is a very packable handgun.
A packin’ pistol needs a good holster to
protect the weapon and keep it handy at all times, while
offering all-day comfort. Freedom Arms sells some very good
field holsters. I have a couple of their cross draw holsters
that I use often. However, for this revolver I wanted a
holster that offered full protection for use in freezing weather
and other rough conditions. A full-flap holster offers the best
protection, but I have never been really fond of them, as the
flap seems to always get in the way, particularly when trying to
re-holster the weapon one-handed. Pictured here you will
see a new holster style offered by Rob Leahy of Simply
Rugged Holsters. Rob hand builds his holsters in Alaska, one
at a time, and the quality of his work is readily apparent. This
new holster he calls the Flip Top, and it is an ingenious
yet simple idea. The Flip Top protects like a full-flap holster,
but the top, as the name implies, flips up out of the way for
quick access to draw or re-holster the handgun. The operation of
flipping the top out of the way is silent, and takes almost no
time from the draw of the weapon. It protects the finish
of the handgun from scratches and from freezing rain or snow,
insuring that the weapon will work when needed. The Flip
Top can be worn as either a cross draw, or as a strong side
holster, as the situation warrants. It also comes supplied with
a snap strap to replace the flip top if the owner so desires. It
is one of the most practical field holsters that I have ever
used. It has all of the advantages of a full-flap holster,
without the disadvantages. It is as fast to access the gun as
any holster with a strap, but offers better protection. What a
concept! Rob builds these to fit most revolvers and a few autos,
such as the 1911. He currently sells these for a very reasonable
price of between eighty-five and one hundred bucks, depending
upon the gun for which it is built.
While there can be no one single handgun that is
the best for every purpose, I believe that the Model 83
chambered for the .500 Wyoming Express comes very close. It
offers enough bone-breaking power to take any animal that walks.
It is relatively light, very handy, and extremely accurate. It
can be loaded down for whitetail deer, and loaded hot for
thick-skinned, heavy-boned animals. My Dad told me a long time
ago something that has stuck with me. He said; "Son, you
never regret buying the best". The Freedom Arms is the best
revolver in the world, and this particular one could very well
be the Perfect Packin’ Pistol.
Check out the fine Freedom Arms revolvers
online at: www.freedomarms.com.
For factory loaded ammunition, go to: www.grizzlycartridge.com.
For quality fifty caliber handgun bullets, go to
www.castperformance.com,
www.mtbaldybullets.com,
www.beltmountaion.com,
and www.barnesbullets.com.
To order one of Rob Leahy’s Simply Rugged
Holsters, go to: www.simplyrugged.com.
Jeff Quinn
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