Pietta Thunderball

[Niederlander]

Gentlemen, I'm looking at a Pietta single action marked Thunderball .357 on the side of the barrel, but has the regular plow handle grip.  The frame looks like a Great Western II.  What the heck is that thing?

[Abilene]

The Thunderball is the name Cimarron gave to the Pietta version of their Thunderer.  Thunderball grips are shaped like the Uberti Thunderer but are a tad thinner (not nearly as thin as the Lightning, though).  So, the gun you are looking at at one time had the Thunderball-type grip but has been changed for plow handle.  That essentially makes it the same as an EMF GW-II or a Cimarron Frontier.

[Niederlander]

Okay.  That's what I thought, but I'd never even heard of a Thunderball, and when I looked it up, they all had the birdshead grip.  Thanks!

[Coffinmaker]

  Whoops 

Not so fast here.  It's not a Frankenpistol.  It depends on where/who the gun came from.  As in my Brandy knew set of El Malo 2.  If you source the sample example of the El Malo 2 from Cimarron, it has the Thunderball Grip and a Lower Hammer and will be .45 Colt.  It is a Great Western II.  If the gun is sourced from EMF (PIETTA) The gun will have Plow Handle Grip and a regular stand up Hammer and will be a .357.  It is a Great Western II.

Don't think I'd describe it as a "Thing."  Real god chance it has also not been altered from OEM, even though My El Malo have been altered (by Me) to Plow Handle and Stand Up Hammer.  Burma Shave

[Niederlander]

Good to know!

[Niederlander]

This one may, indeed, be a Frankenpistol.  It's a Cimmaron with the plow handle grip.  It's also in the ultra rare caliber of .357 Magum.  I wonder if it's related to the .38 Special or .357 Magnum............

[Abilene]

...  It's also in the ultra rare caliber of .357 Magum...

That is funny!  Wonder how many they made that way before someone noticed?