FA 97 45 Colt details

[HGunner]

I found a good deal on a used FA 97 45 colt with an unusual 6" barrel.  I am enjoying the 45 more than I thought I would (with its limited bullet selection) -- one or two good bullets is all you really need.  The gun is noticeably lighter than the 44 special which was a pleasant surprise.  However the trigger is at least a pound heavier.  That combination makes it a little harder to shoot offhand than my 44.  I am thinking about sending it back to FA for a 3 pound action job and have the barrel cut to 4.25".  Seems like it would make an amazing light weight trial gun.  What do you think?  Also, should I consider a 45 ACP cylinder while it's there?

[Ken ONeill]

Personally, I prefer the 5 1/2" (or your 6") barrel to the 4 1/4" barrel in a 97. That short barrel doesn't leave a lot of light on either side of the .125" wide front sight. That's a personal preference, of course.
The .45 ACP shouldn't shoot well out of a revover, with that long jump to the forcing cone, but mine shoots very well indeed out of my convertible 97. The ACP cylinders also shoot very well out of all 3 of my Rugers. I can't tell you whether you want one, but I'm a big fan of all mine.

[zac0419]

I'm a big fan of FA's action job even though "factory triggers" are all I have to compare it to. So take that for what it's worth. I also am a fan of the 5.5 inch barrels but if you're sending it in for the action job, they do the cutting pretty cheap. 45ACP, I haven't needed it yet but I could see why people want it.

Congrats on the find, we'd love to see some pictures.

[HGunner]

Well I will say that the 6" barrel points and handles nicely.  I am afraid that I would lose that feel it I cut it.  I think my 7.5" Ruger Bisley handles much better than my 5.5" Bisley and always gets the nod when its time to go hunting.  The temptation comes in that it would be a nice replacement for my S&W mountain gun as an easy to pack power house in a high and tight holster behind the hip.  It's quite a bit lighter than my mountain gun and will easily push a 250 gr bullet 1100 fps.


 The 45 ACP would be nice for inexpensive shooting but it would take a long time to make up for the price of that cylinder.  I do have a Ruger convertible that shoots 45 ACP very nicely but probably only put 100 rounds through it a year.