Practical cowboys in the old west often packed both a handgun and rifle of the same caliber. Think dusty cowpokes armed with a Colt SAA on the hip, a Winchester 1873 lever action in scabbard, and a gun belt loaded with .44-40. Ever since, gun owners and shooters have been mindful of gun partnerships.
We at Guns.com are always on the lookout for interesting trends. While we generally think of lever action rifles paired with single action revolvers, Traditions is offering something a little different with their Outfitter G2 single-shot rifles and reproduction Frontier wheelguns.
The Frontier 1873 SAA
Not only is the Traditions Frontier 1873 SAA reproduction wheelgun one of the most affordable on the market, it’s also one of the better-built iterations. Made of solid steel in a wide variety of finishes, options, and barrel lengths, this revolver is a ready companion for any number of rifles chambered in .357/.38Spl, .44Magnum/Special, or .45 Long Colt. The Traditions Frontier by Pietta uses a three-position hammer with a transfer bar safety, meaning the piece can safely be carried with a full six rounds rather than having the hammer resting on empty chamber in the old style. Real world prices around four bills make the Frontier a legitimate option, even for budget-conscious shoppers.
The Outfitter G2
Nine times out of ten, I’d be writing about a lever action rifle like a Henry or Winchester to pair with your single action wheelgun. Yet here we are, with a scoped single-shot, break action, Cerakote-and-synthetic rifle in the Outfitter G2. These Traditions rifles — chambered in multiple straight-wall offerings for hunters in those states with centerfire restrictions — do double-duty as revolver partners. Real world prices on the G2 range from $350-$425 for bare or scoped/cased rigs, respectively. Grab the affordable G2 in the aforementioned handgun calibers, and you have an unlikely, but very capable hunting and plinking setup.
Conclusion
Interestingly, neither of Traditions firearms are made by them, but rather, sourced to other manufacturers. While the Outfitter G2 comes from Ardesa, Spain, the Frontier revolver is built by Pietta of Italy. Regardless where they’re made, both functioned well on the range and are affordable. We enjoyed punching some holes on the range with this unlikely marriage of Traditions Magnums. Do you have a rifle/handgun combination of the same chambering in your arsenal? If so, we’d like to hear about it.
One of the first AR-15s I ever shot was a Colt, so I still get excited to shoot them to this day. As a slightly expanded version of Colt's standard LE6920, I expected the Colt M4 LE Trooper to live up to the same reputation for reliability.
If you are like me, you want your hunting shotgun to be reliable, flexible, and above all, lightweight! That is why I picked the M1 Super 90 by Benelli many years ago.
Firearms don’t get much more iconic than John Moses Browning’s legendary Auto-5 semi-auto shotgun, affectionately called the “Humpback” for its distinctive drop at the rear of the receiver. Here's what it's like to shoot this classic scattergun.