Cimarron Thunderer
The Cimarron Thunderer is a Single Action Army variant built around the bird’s head grip frame—a rounded, abbreviated grip profile that fits the hand differently than the standard SAA plow-handle grip and is preferred by many cowboy action shooters for its compact feel and fast presentation from a holster. Available in .357 Magnum/.38 Special, .44-40 Winchester, and .45 Colt with 3.5” and 4.75” barrel options, the Thunderer uses the same Uberti-built action and Cimarron quality standards as the Model P in a configuration historically associated with Doc Holliday and the gamblers and gunfighters of the Old West.
Read our full Cimarron Thunderer Buying Guide ↓
Bird’s Head Grip vs. Standard SAA Plow Handle: The Real Difference
The standard SAA plow-handle grip curves rearward in a long arc designed for one-handed shooting on horseback, directing recoil upward in a rolling motion. The bird’s head grip is shorter and more rounded, filling less of the hand and sitting higher relative to the bore. Many shooters find the bird’s head draws faster from a holster because the shorter grip clears leather more cleanly. In cowboy action shooting, the Thunderer’s 3.5” barrel and bird’s head grip combination produces one of the fastest draws available in a production SAA. The trade-off is that the shorter grip distributes recoil over less surface area, making full-power loads slightly snappier than the standard SAA.
Thunderer vs. Model P: Choosing Your Cimarron SAA
The Model P is the full-size standard configuration with the traditional plow-handle grip, more barrel length options, and the broadest caliber selection. The Thunderer is specifically for buyers who want the bird’s head grip profile—either for its historical character, its draw speed advantage, or simply because it fits their hand better than the plow handle. Both use the same Uberti action with Cimarron’s quality specifications. For SASS competition, both are legal in standard categories; the Thunderer with a 3.5” barrel is sometimes chosen for its quicker draw in stage scenarios that reward presentation speed.
The Doc Holliday Connection
The bird’s head grip SAA is most historically associated with gamblers and professional gunfighters of the 1880s who preferred the compact profile for concealed carry and fast draw over the cavalry-oriented plow handle. Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp, and other figures of the Tombstone era are depicted with bird’s head revolvers in period photographs and accounts. For buyers drawn to the historical romance of the Old West, the Thunderer carries more specific historical character than the standard SAA—it is the gunfighter’s revolver rather than the cavalryman’s.
Caliber and Configuration
The .357 Magnum Thunderer accepts .38 Special for economical practice and is the most practical choice for regular shooting. The .45 Colt is the most historically authentic chambering and the traditional SASS choice for period-correct stages. The .44-40 matches Cimarron’s 1873 lever-action rifles for a period-correct rifle-and-revolver combination. The 3.5” barrel is the fastest-drawing configuration; the 4.75” adds sight radius for accuracy at distance while remaining compact by SAA standards.
Related Pages
See the standard plow-handle SAA on the Cimarron Model P page, explore the competition-optimized variant on the Cimarron Bisley page, or browse the full Cimarron lineup.