aprayinbear
Member
First Impressions & Range Report,
A few weeks ago I asked opinions on the EAA Bounty Hunter. I got mixed reviews, but I decided to go ahead and pick one up from Bud's. Mine is the .44 mag Bounty Hunter with charcoal blued frame and 7 1/2" blued barrel. The grips on this model are longer (extending beyond the frame) then a traditional SSA. I've already made a more traditional set of grips for the BH, but I find the factory grips very comfortable and may just leave them for the time being. Many people talk about the heavy trigger on the BH, but I found mine to be crisp and quite serviceable, definitely not a 2 pound target trigger, but quite respectable none the less. Fit and finish seem very good and lock-up is excellent. The charcoal blued frame is good looking, but I'm sure it is produced with chemicals, not traditional methods. The Bounty Hunter comes with the transfer bar safety, so it is safe to carry with all 6 chamber loaded as opposed to the original ssa models where you loaded 5 and left the hammer on an empty chamber for safety.
This gun is really built, and is definitely not a lightweight. That being said, I seem to prefer shooting single handed. Because of the heft, recoil was easily absorbed with both .44 special or magnum loads. It points easily and target acquisition is fast and accurate. Mine shoots about 1-2" to the left out of the box at 10 yards, but is quite accurate at 10-25 yards if I do my part. I was surprised at the accuracy. I test fired mine with moderate .44 special and magnum reloads.
The down side..............
While I'd rate the fit and finish as VG in general, the ejector shroud slot was poorly machined and caused the rod to chatter and even get stuck when pushed fully in. Thanks to the kind advice from Duelist1954 I was able to smooth the slot with a jewelers file. Took me about two minutes and now the ejector runs slick as a whistle! Duelist tells me this is a common problem. I can't figure out why the manufacturer does such a fine job on everything else, while leaving a poorly finished ejector shroud.
The other problem I had when I first test fired my gun was an occasional light primer strike. A good cleaning, light oiling and tightening the screws solved the problem. I fired 100 rounds today without one hiccup.
This gun is easy to like and fun to shoot, and because I cast and roll my own, I can shoot the .44 for about $4.00 for 50. If you don't reload, you might consider the .357 BH to save on ammo costs. I plan on shooting my gun a lot! Even though mine required a little tweaking, I don't see how you can go wrong for the price. When I shoot I feel like I'm holding a piece of history.
I know many people have struggled with EAA (the distributor) in the past, so I guess it's a bit of a gamble if you need customer service, but I just figured if I had a problem I'd see my local smith or seek the advice of folks like Duelist1954. And because I like the feel of the BH better then the Ruger Blackhawk or Vaquero, I'm very happy with my purchase.
The photos show my first target today at 10 yards (Please excuse the round I pulled to the lower left) and my gun in the holster I just made to hold her.
A few weeks ago I asked opinions on the EAA Bounty Hunter. I got mixed reviews, but I decided to go ahead and pick one up from Bud's. Mine is the .44 mag Bounty Hunter with charcoal blued frame and 7 1/2" blued barrel. The grips on this model are longer (extending beyond the frame) then a traditional SSA. I've already made a more traditional set of grips for the BH, but I find the factory grips very comfortable and may just leave them for the time being. Many people talk about the heavy trigger on the BH, but I found mine to be crisp and quite serviceable, definitely not a 2 pound target trigger, but quite respectable none the less. Fit and finish seem very good and lock-up is excellent. The charcoal blued frame is good looking, but I'm sure it is produced with chemicals, not traditional methods. The Bounty Hunter comes with the transfer bar safety, so it is safe to carry with all 6 chamber loaded as opposed to the original ssa models where you loaded 5 and left the hammer on an empty chamber for safety.
This gun is really built, and is definitely not a lightweight. That being said, I seem to prefer shooting single handed. Because of the heft, recoil was easily absorbed with both .44 special or magnum loads. It points easily and target acquisition is fast and accurate. Mine shoots about 1-2" to the left out of the box at 10 yards, but is quite accurate at 10-25 yards if I do my part. I was surprised at the accuracy. I test fired mine with moderate .44 special and magnum reloads.
The down side..............
While I'd rate the fit and finish as VG in general, the ejector shroud slot was poorly machined and caused the rod to chatter and even get stuck when pushed fully in. Thanks to the kind advice from Duelist1954 I was able to smooth the slot with a jewelers file. Took me about two minutes and now the ejector runs slick as a whistle! Duelist tells me this is a common problem. I can't figure out why the manufacturer does such a fine job on everything else, while leaving a poorly finished ejector shroud.
The other problem I had when I first test fired my gun was an occasional light primer strike. A good cleaning, light oiling and tightening the screws solved the problem. I fired 100 rounds today without one hiccup.
This gun is easy to like and fun to shoot, and because I cast and roll my own, I can shoot the .44 for about $4.00 for 50. If you don't reload, you might consider the .357 BH to save on ammo costs. I plan on shooting my gun a lot! Even though mine required a little tweaking, I don't see how you can go wrong for the price. When I shoot I feel like I'm holding a piece of history.
I know many people have struggled with EAA (the distributor) in the past, so I guess it's a bit of a gamble if you need customer service, but I just figured if I had a problem I'd see my local smith or seek the advice of folks like Duelist1954. And because I like the feel of the BH better then the Ruger Blackhawk or Vaquero, I'm very happy with my purchase.
The photos show my first target today at 10 yards (Please excuse the round I pulled to the lower left) and my gun in the holster I just made to hold her.
