.500 WE BALLISTICS RUNDOWN*
Designed for bullets scaling between 350 and 450 grains, the .500 Wyoming Express is well served by Hodgdon Lil' Gun, H4227 and H110 powders. Here are the starting and maximum loads for four bullet weights:
STARTING LOAD			MAXIMUM LOAD
Powder (gr.)	Bullet	Pressure (psi)/ Velocity (fps)	Powder	Bullet	Pressure (psi)/ Velocity (fps)
29.0 Lil' Gun	350 XTP	34,500/ 1,467	32.0 Lil' Gun	350 XTP	42.700/ 1,617
31.0 H4227	350 XTP	32,400/ 1,378	35.0 H4227	350 XTP	44,200/ 1,584
32.0 H-110	350 XTP	34,600/ 1,486	35.0 H-110	350 XTP	43,100/ 1,629
29.0 Lil' Gun	370 WFNGC	34,200/1,460	31.0 Lil' Gun	370 WFNGC	37,100/ 1,528
31.0 H4227	370 WFNGC	33,600/1,382	34.0 H4227	370 WFNGC	43,300/ 1,535
34.0 H-110	370 WFNGC	37,500/1,527	36.0 -	370 WFNGC	41,800/ 1,607
28.0 Lil' Gun	400 WFNGC	34,600/ 1,486	35.0 H-110	350 WFNGC	43,100/ 1,629
30.0 H4227	400 WFNGC	39,900/ 1,390	33.0 H4227	400 WFNGC	46,700/ 1,509
32.0 H- 110	400 WFNGC	39,800/ 1,497	34.5 H- 110	400 WFNGC	47,900/ 1,589
26.0 Lil' Gun	440 WFNGC	38,100/1,355	28.0 Lil' Gun	370 WFNGC	46,300/ 1,450
26.0 H4227	440 WFNGC	34,400/1,220	30.0 H4227	440 WFNGC	48,300/ 1,413
27.0 H-110	440 WFNGC	34,000/1,302	29.5 -	440 WFNGC	44,200/ 1,415
* WARNING: The loads show here, provided by Freedom Arms, are safe only in the guns for which they were developed. Neiter the author nor InterMedia Outdoors assumes any liability for accidents or injury resulting from the use or misuse of this data.

A single-action revolver, especially one with lots of horsepower, must rotate in your hand during recoil. The 83 Premier's impregnated hardwood grips fit my hands perfectly, allowing for slippage without compromising control. (Standard versions feature Pachmayr Presentation grips). After twenty-five rounds, my hand was not at all sore. The 71⁄2-inch barrel that gives this revolver its good looks and fine balance also limits muzzle flip with heavy loads. The 83's trigger broke crisply and very consistently at three pounds, one ounce. As for function, well, the 83's parts are so closely fitted and the action so smooth that revolvers of other make seem rough and loose in comparison. Nothing slips or rattles on a Freedom Arms revolver. The cylinder rotates like the hand of a Rolex. Every click has a purposeful, understated ring, muted by the mass of precisely machined components. There's no extraneous noise or movement.

The Premier .500 I used had a satin finish. Standard models feature a low-luster matte. The Premier boasts a rear sight screw, adjustable for windage and elevation; standard models have a screw for elevation only and must be drifted to change windage.

The Freedom Arms Model 83 offers more than fine fit and finish. Perfect balance, silky cycling, a glass-rod trigger and one-hole accuracy should win over anyone who values utility over aesthetics. As appealing is the feel of this revolver. It carries naturally in one of Freedom's own leather holsters, or in the Galco on my belt. It points itself. The roll of the gun in recoil, and its thunder, confirms its authority, but it is not uncivil.

The 83 is a handgun. Scope it if you like, for extra reach--certainly the .500 WE will kill elk-size game as far away as you can hold shots inside a coffee saucer. But unlike handguns designed to be scoped and shot only from a rest, this single-action is a delight to shoot unadorned. It doesn't come off as lacking a buttstock. The Model 83 remains, in my view, the best single-action revolver available.