Traditions 1873 357 Magnum 4.75 in. – Superb Case Hardened Revolver

Description

The Traditions 1873 357 Magnum 4.75 in barrel length is the short, fast handling version of the 1873 pattern, chambered for the cartridge that makes a single action worth shooting regularly. The frame wears a color case hardened finish, the barrel and cylinder are deep blued, and walnut grips fill out the backstrap. A transfer bar safety updates the design without changing how it looks.

Traditions 1873 357 Magnum 4.75 in. Barrel and Chambering

Four and three quarter inches is the gunfighter length, and it earned that name honestly. The barrel clears a holster faster than the longer options, the balance sits back toward the hand instead of out front, and the revolver is compact enough to wear through a whole match or a whole day on horseback without becoming a nuisance.

Chambering in 357 Magnum is what makes this one practical rather than ornamental. The same cylinder accepts 38 Special, which is inexpensive, mild and stocked nearly everywhere, so practice does not cost what practice costs with 45 Colt. When a full power load is wanted, the magnum is right there. Short barrels do give up some velocity with magnum powders and produce a brighter muzzle flash, which is worth knowing before a first range trip.

Finish, Action and Loading

Color case hardening is a heat treatment, not a coating. The frame is packed in a carbon rich medium and brought up to temperature, and the mottled blues, straws and greys are what the carbon leaves behind as it migrates into the surface. The frame comes out harder than it went in, which is why the process was used on working tools long before anyone called it attractive, and no two frames finish identically.

The action is single action in the true sense. The hammer is thumbed to full cock for each shot, which turns the cylinder and sets the sear, and the trigger then only releases the hammer. Traditions fits a transfer bar that rises between hammer and firing pin solely when the trigger is pressed on purpose. An original 1873 rests its firing pin on a chambered primer, which is why the old rule was five rounds and an empty chamber under the hammer. This one carries six.

Loading is unchanged. Bring the hammer to half cock, open the loading gate on the right side, and the cylinder turns freely to accept rounds one at a time. The ejector rod beneath the barrel pushes empties back out through the same gate.

Specifications

• Model: Frontier Series 1873 Single Action
• Manufacturer part number: SAT73-006
• Caliber: 357 Magnum, also accepts 38 Special
• Capacity: 6 rounds
• Barrel: 4.75 in.
• Action: Single action
• Frame: Steel, color case hardened
• Barrel and cylinder finish: Blued
• Grips: Walnut
• Safety: Transfer bar safety system
• Sights: Fixed, traditional 1873 pattern
• UPC: 040589018126

Why Buyers Choose the Traditions 1873 357 Magnum 4.75 in. Revolver

Original Colt Single Action Armies are collectibles now and current production Colts cost several times this. That leaves room for a revolver with the right silhouette, the right finish and a proper single action trigger that can be shot every weekend without anyone treating it as an investment. The 357 chambering stretches the budget further still, because a case of 38 Special costs a fraction of what 45 Colt does.

The transfer bar answers the last practical objection to the platform. A revolver knocked off a bench or a hammer that slips off a cold thumb no longer has consequences, and the cylinder can be filled rather than run one light.

Who Should Buy It

The Traditions 1873 357 Magnum 4.75 in. model suits the cowboy action shooter building a pair around cheap 38 Special practice, the buyer who wants an authentic 1873 profile in the quickest handling barrel length, and anyone who wants one gun that shoots both a mild target load and a serious magnum. The short barrel also makes it the easiest of the three lengths to carry in the field.

Learn more from Traditions, or browse the rest of our firearms selection.

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