Cimarron Thunderer .45 Colt
Model: CA346
Cimarron Thunderer .45 Colt
Model: CA346
Full Specifications
About This Firearm
The Cimarron Thunderer is a single-action .45 Colt revolver built for belt carry and cowboy action shooting. Cimarron still lists it. Its grip is a bird's head shape instead of the plow handle every other 1873 pattern uses, and on the 3.5-inch barrel that makes a short, round-butted sixgun.
The rest is period mechanism. Six chambers through a side gate, a quarter-cock notch, fixed sights, a one-piece walnut grip and a case-hardened frame with a standard blue finish. Nothing adjusts. The manual lists a cylinder base pin safety and a hammer safety bar with the quarter-cock notch, and there is no transfer bar, so the hammer sits on whatever is under it. Cimarron's founder designed the Thunderer around the pre-1896 Old Model frame with a bullseye ejector head.
If you're cross-shopping, the Cimarron Model P is the same action with the traditional plow handle grip and a longer barrel, which gives a longer sight base and a grip that fills a larger hand. The Ruger New Vaquero Stainless is the modern alternative at an MSRP of $1,099, 40 oz of stainless steel with a transfer bar and a loading gate interlock, on a 4.62-inch barrel at 10.25 inches overall.
Best For
Strengths & Limitations
- The bird’s head grip shortens the gun at the back, which is where a plow handle single action is hardest to hide.
- Three barrel lengths are offered on the same grip pattern, so the shape is available in a longer gun too.
- Case-hardened frame and hammer with a standard blue barrel, which is the period finish combination.
- Six chambers, but the chamber under the hammer is traditionally left empty, so carry capacity is one less.
- The bird’s head grip gives a shorter purchase than a plow handle, so a heavy .45 Colt load has less hand to push against.
- Loading one chamber at a time through the gate is slow, and the short ejector rod has less travel to push a case out.
Ballistics Calculator
Calculate trajectory, drop, and energy for .45 Colt ammunition.
.45 Colt Ballistics →Frequently Asked Questions
How many rounds does it hold?
Six chambers, loaded one at a time through the loading gate.
What grips does it come with?
A one-piece walnut bird’s head grip, which Cimarron offers smooth or checkered.
What is a bullseye ejector head?
The rounded button on the end of the ejector rod, in the pattern used on early single actions, which Cimarron fits to the Thunderer.
Who builds it?
Uberti, in Italy. The manual describes the gun as an exacting replica of an Old West single action, and Cimarron’s founder specified this configuration.
