97 vs 83 action question

[SJPrice]

I have two FA's that are almost identical but are big and little brothers.  Both are premiere grade, both are 4 inch (give or take a quarter inch) barrels, both have custom Indian Sambar Stag grips custom fit by Eagle Grips, both have express sights with green fiber optic fronts, both have crisp light triggers, both came with one ragged hole test targets and both shoot great groups with heavy for caliber hard cast loads at approximately 1,000 fps..  One of them is an 83 in 475 Linebaugh and the other is a 97 in 45 Colt.  (By now you are wondering if there is a question coming)  So my problem is this, the 83 has the smoothest action of any SA I have ever handled.  The 97 on the other hand feels gritty and sluggish.  They are as different as Nancy Pelosi and Sarah Palin.  I carry and use the 97 much more as the 45 colt is more useful for most situations, but I am spoiled by the action on the 83.  I know the actions are completely different designs, but can the smooth 83 action be matched by the 97 given the differences?

[Ken ONeill]

It seems to be popular to say "No, it's easier to get a good action on an 83"...but 2 of my 3 97's have stock actions as smooth, with triggers as light, as any of my 83's, some of which have had factory trigger jobs. I can't explain it, don't intend to argue about it, and don't have much else to say on the topic...but I prefer the 97 action, based on my guns. So...in my view, yes, it's possible. The 97 action and hammer fall is already shorter, out of the box.

[Graybeard]

All my FAs both 83s and 97s had factory action jobs and I honestly can't say I was able to tell any real difference between any of them.

[SingleFan]

FA's gunsmith John Carey will tell you himself that the 83 action can be made smoother than the 97.  I have both.  They both have factory action jobs...the 83 is much better than the 97.

[Ken ONeill]

Yes, John has said that. Neverthelesss....

[calibros]

I have two FA's that are almost identical but are big and little brothers.  Both are premiere grade, both are 4 inch (give or take a quarter inch) barrels, both have custom Indian Sambar Stag grips custom fit by Eagle Grips, both have express sights with green fiber optic fronts, both have crisp light triggers, both came with one ragged hole test targets and both shoot great groups with heavy for caliber hard cast loads at approximately 1,000 fps..  One of them is an 83 in 475 Linebaugh and the other is a 97 in 45 Colt.  (By now you are wondering if there is a question coming)  So my problem is this, the 83 has the smoothest action of any SA I have ever handled.  The 97 on the other hand feels gritty and sluggish.  They are as different as Nancy Pelosi and Sarah Palin.  I carry and use the 97 much more as the 45 colt is more useful for most situations, but I am spoiled by the action on the 83.  I know the actions are completely different designs, but can the smooth 83 action be matched by the 97 given the differences?

Hi I am new on on this forum so I hope I am making this right
I operate from Norway and is also a fan of FA revolvers. I have been hunting a lot with one mod 83 in 454 and two Mod 97`s in 357 and 45Lc. I do act as a gunsmith up here and I must say that no way I can get the mod 97 as good as a 83. Both mod 97`s are honed and after that shot at least 1500rds (45LC) and 4000 rds (357 mag) but they are not in the neighborhood of the 454. The 454 has 8000 rds but was way smoother right from the box than the 97`s are now. But I love the 97`s anyway and when crawling around i South Africa with a 97 5,5" in a crossdraw i forget all about the lack of "actionsmoothness"

Best regards Cali..

[Humbo]

Cali, a little OT, do you prefer your 97 over your 83 in Africa? Do you bring both? Handgun hunting is still unchartered territory for me, but I would like a trip sooner or later to take down medium size game, let's say up to wildebeest. The .45 with 300+ grains solids should be sufficient?

[calibros]

Cali, a little OT, do you prefer your 97 over your 83 in Africa? Do you bring both? Handgun hunting is still unchartered territory for me, but I would like a trip sooner or later to take down medium size game, let's say up to wildebeest. The .45 with 300+ grains solids should be sufficient?

Hm tough question... I have used a M83 with a 7,5 inch barrel for 7 years in South Afrika. First 4 with open sight and the last 3 with a doctor optics.
If I could have only one FA I would have a 6" mod 83 with a doctor optic red dot sight. Nothing beats it when comparing power versus ease of carry (remember I am Norwegian regarding gramaticks) I use a 378gr modified Lyman mould pushing the bullet to 1350fps. This load in a m83 is capable for everything including Buffalo.
The 97 in 45 LC will do exactly the  same on any animal, exept for the Buff. (had a 378gr bullet going 90 degrees in a buff sholder last year would not have belived it if I had not seen it) A 5.5" 97 in 45 lc feed with Lymans 325gr GC (1100fps) or your 300 solid will take them all, but with a little less margin. The 97 is a dream to carry and after a while the m83 feels heavy and bulky when comparing. This year wife will use the 97 in 45 lc with the 325 and I will use the 97 in 357 mag pushung a Sierra sportsmaster JSP (8340) to 1400fps. Both carrying Doctor optic`s red dot sight.

[Humbo]

Cali, no worries, your grammar is fine. Vi kunne selvsagt tatt diskusjonen på norsk, men da skjønner de nok ikke bæret her My 97 will arrive tomorrow, I'll have to spend some time figuring out what boolits it likes due to the limited OAL. I've never fired any other FA than the 83 (except my small buckle revolvers), so how this gun recoils will also be new to me.

I guess I can leave my 83 at home then, at least for the first trip. As a not too experienced hunter, at least with handguns, I will leave the bigger game alone, and focus mainly on how things work and proper hunting exercise on smaller and easier game. I don't think I will mount any optics on my 97, I got it for its less bulky properties than the 83 and putting a scope on it will make it too bulky for a good packer. Maybe a red dot later on, but for applications where optics are needed, I'd rather grab my 7.5" 83 with a 2X Leupold.