With an MSRP of $1,780, you have the right to expect a lot from Cimarron’s latest vintage Western movie replica. I’m glad to report that, like the 1967 film Hombre from which it was drawn, it is very, very, good. It showed great accuracy, shooting 50 yard groups with Black Hills Ammunition’s 158 grain JHP .357 Magnum that averaged 1.82 inches and 1,774 feet-per-second. You could easily target shoot or deer hunt with that rifle/cartridge combo. My only complaint about the test rifle was its 9.5 to 10 pound trigger pull, though in testing the gun still shot superbly
In Old West times, the lighter, better balanced button magazine Winchesters probably appealed most to hunters who wanted a quicker handling gun and used them in areas where a 50 percent reduction in ready magazine capacity wasn’t likely to be a lethal handicap. This John Russell holds only six rounds in the short button magazine tube. Winchester doesn’t seem to have charged any more for its button magazine rifles than it did for its standard full length magazine guns; but the button magazines weren’t anywhere near as popular and had to be special ordered from the factory. Today, original button magazine Winchesters from the 19th century are pretty rare which makes the John Russell stand out at the range.
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The rifle is available in .357 Magnum or .45 Colt in blue finish with a round barrel, walnut rifle style forend and crescent buttplate buttstock, traditional buckhorn, step adjustable elevation, rear sight and a dovetailed square front sight post. Modern markings on the gun are discretely placed and the outstanding “Model 1873” marking on the tang is very close to the original and will likely lead to some assuming it is a genuine vintage Winchester. There are certainly less expensive .357 Magnum lever actions that shoot comparably, as well as guns of similar high quality, but none with the unique historical flair of the button magazine Cimarron John Russell. For more information visit www.Cimarron-FIrearms.com.
