Getting into Cowboy Action shooting can be an exercise in frustration, considering only the selection of the handguns needed for that lively game. There are hundreds of them to choose from. So Gun Tests magazine chose three likely six-shooters that promise to do everything needed, and do it well. The three are chambered in .45 Long Colt, which they felt offered a lot more than just an historic viewpoint. The big .45 is a versatile caliber in a good revolver, and was their first choice.
Our test guns included Cabela’s Millennium revolver (now $280) with brass frame. Here’s what they found:
They originally tested this revolver in the April 2001 issue of GT. At the time its price was $200, and the gun got the magazine’s highest rating. They found it accurate, well made, and despite its brass grip straps and vapor-blast surface finish, they thought it looked authentic enough to grace the holster of any well-heeled Cowboy Action shooter. There were no options of caliber or barrel length. The Millennium is available only in .45 LC with a 4.8-inch barrel.
The hammer was case-colored and held the firing pin. The Cabela’s gun had the nicest hammer checkering of all three guns, much like that found on early Colts. Today’s shooter will have to fork over $280 for the gun, which they thought was a great price for value received.
They put a few hundred rounds through the Millennium revolver since their first test, and found that it still shot well and showed no signs of shooting loose. They said they understood that serious action shooters put thousands of rounds a year through their handguns, but for beginners, they found this six-shooter still ideal. They said it won’t break the bank, won’t fly apart, and looks good enough that you won’t be embarrassed to show or shoot it. If you wear it out (and in the magazine’s experience that won’t be easy), buy another one. Lockup on the sample was very tight, and there were no flip-up hooky-dookers inside it to make it go bang. It’s a basic single-action revolver, and you have to understand its limitations. Never load six rounds unless you’re in a gunfight. Keep the hammer down on the empty chamber, because a blow to the hammer will cause a loaded round to fire. These features are just like you’d expect from a Colt made a century or more ago, and make the Cabela’s Millennium the close to the “real thing.”
The magazine rated the gun a “Best Buy.” They summed up by saying the following: “We don’t know how you can beat this one for value received. Touching the high points, the machining and fitting of the Millennium were excellent. All the critical parts were of steel, and the well-fitted, one-piece wood grips were a nice touch. The front of the chambers were beveled like original Colts and look great. The chambers were as highly polished inside as those of the Beretta Stampede. The brass could be chemically blackened through the use of “Brass Black,” available from Brownells. We tried the gun for accuracy and it shot as well as the others, and hit exactly where it looked. The trigger broke cleanly at 3.0 pounds. Empties ejected easily. In short, there were no flies on this revolver, and even at $280 we think it’s one of the best bargains in the shooting world, an ideal first choice for assembling your Cowboy Action equipment.”
