Cimarron .44 Magnum Bad Boy

The gun’s nearly three-pound weight helps mitigate the recoil impulse, and the gun rolls back in the hand nicely. And whether it’s punching holes in paper or pigs, or tagging along as a backup in bear country, the Bad Boy is definitely capable of getting the job done when it’s pushing proper bullets for the intended purpose.

Using Federal’s hot (1,452 f.p.s. out of the Bad Boy) 240-grain Fusion round as an example, that’s roughly 1,125 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle and more than 900 foot pounds of energy at 50 yards. I don’t subscribe to the school of thought that dictates that you need, say, 1,000 foot pounds of energy to kill a deer (or any other animal, for that matter). It’s the damage caused by the bullet on the terminal end that counts, and history clearly demonstrates that proper bullets in .44 Rem. Mag. at these velocities will handle most North American game animals at rational handgun-hunting distances.

The bulked-up Bad Boy weighs nearly three pounds, but that bulk is necessary because Old West SAAs were never chambered for potent, high-pressure rounds like the .44 Rem. Mag. Recoil may be a bit heavy for beginning shooters, but anyone experienced in shooting single-action revolvers should find the Bad Boy’s recoil tolerable. The trigger on the gun broke crisply at an average and consistent pull weight of 3 lbs., 9 oz.

At the range I found the Bad Boy to be wonderfully accurate. Testing from the bench with five different loads shot at 25 yards produced average groups ranging from 1.75 inches to a bit over two inches, with the best performance coming with Federal Premium 240-gr. Hydra Shok load at an inch and a quarter for five shots. I’m certain the gun is capable of even better accuracy in the hands of someone who shoots handguns from the bench better than I do with my less-than-youthful eyes. That has never been my favorite way to test or spend time with handguns, anyway. I infinitely prefer to see how they perform by shooting them offhand, because that’s how they’re used in the real world, and the Bad Boy shot quite well for me when shooting from a standing position at a variety of distances.

At just under an inch and a quarter for five shots, Hornady’s 240-gr. XTP load gave the best performance at 25-yards, although the other loads tested gave performance that was right in the same ballpark.

The revolver comes with a “five years to life” warranty, meaning factory defects found on new guns will be repaired for a period of five years from the purchase date, and defects in the barrel, cylinder and frame are covered for the life of the original purchaser. MSRP is $687.70, which we thought was a respective bargain. For more information on the 2018 On Target Editors’ Choice Award winning Bad Boy, contact Cimarron Firearms, Dept. OT; Tel.: (877) 749-4861; Web: www.cimarron-firearms.com

SPECIFICATIONS

Cimarron Bad Boy .44 Rem. Mag.

Caliber: .44 Rem. Mag.

Action: Single-Action Revolver

Barrel: 8-inch Octogonal

Frame: Pre-War

Capacity: 6

Sights: Adjustable

Finish: Polished Blue

Length: 13.75 in.

Weight: 2.75 lbs.

MSRP: $687.70