For those Interested in the old west, a look at the Cimarron Firearms Nueces Rifle is worth your time. The Texas Rangers celebrated their bicentennial in 2023, tracing their lineage back to 1823 when the organization began as a “ranging militia” with a mission to protect settlers from hostile Indians. This task was the primary duty of the Rangers until the 1870s, when the hostiles were pacified.

A Replica Model 1873 Dedicated to Texas Ranger Capt. Leander – Cimarron Firearms Nueces Rifle

After the Mexican War, when Texas became a Republic and later a part of the United States, the Rangers also had their hands full, engaging Mexican banditos who crossed the border to raid and steal cattle. Added to this responsibility was law enforcement. County Sheriffs, Constables, City Marshals, and other such officers were few and far between, so the Rangers made up for the lawman shortage and often took charge when the locals couldn’t get a handle on criminal incidents.

After the Civil War, the Ranger force was permanently established in 1874. The state legislature created the Frontier Battalion with six companies of up to 75 men each, commanded by Major John B. Jones. Additionally, a Special Force was organized to tame lawlessness along the Mexican Border and suppress violent feuds. The man chosen to lead this group was Captain Leander McNelley.

Leander H. McNelly

Born in Virginia on March 12, 1844, McNelly was afflicted with consumption (TB). He moved with his brother, Peter, to Texas in the late 1850s, hoping the climate would improve his health. Working on the family farm was beneficial, but then, in 1861, the Civil War broke out, and McNelly joined with the Confederacy and fought in Texas, New Mexico, and Louisiana. He received a commission in 1863, was wounded in August 1864, and his unit of mounted scouts was one of the last Confederate outfits to disband in 1865.

Texas State Police Force

 On July 1, 1870, the governor of Texas organized a Texas State Police force, and McNelly became one of four captains. Unfortunately, the State Police were often corrupt and heavy-handed, making them unpopular. Capt. McNelly, however, served honorably until the organization was abolished in April 1873. McNelly went from the State Police to the Texas Rangers, where a Special Force was created to bring law and order to the Nueces Strip, an area between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande. Banditry and cattle theft were being promulgated by Juan Cortina, the former Mexican military chief for the Rio Grande frontier. One of McNelly’s first assignments in 1874 was to resolve the deadly Sutton-Taylor feud in DeWitt Co. It took four months, but he and his 40 Rangers completed the job. 

By April 1875, McNelly and his Rangers were in Nueces Co., where they had numerous set-tos with the banditos. Several gangs operated on both sides of the border, led by Cortina and another bandit named Salinas. McNelly was a “Fire Brand” and gave little or no quarter to the Mexican outlaws. He also had to battle an American rustler, King Fisher, who raided Mexico, stirring up more trouble. McNelly’s extreme measures included insubordination when he disagreed with his superiors, but he was successful in cleaning up the Nueces Strip and even came to an agreement with King Fisher.

The Cimarron Nueces Rifle

Leander McNelly is considered to be one of the great Ranger Captains, and to pay tribute to him, Cimarron Firearms Co. has introduced the Model 1873 Nueces Rifle in .45 Colt. This Uberti replication of the Winchester 73 lever gun differs from many reproductions, as it doesn’t have a color case-hardened receiver or octagonal barrel.

Instead, the Nueces Rifle has a polished blue receiver with a color case-hardened lever, trigger, and hammer. Plus, it has a 24.25-inch round barrel that gently tapers toward the muzzle. On the top of this barrel, about 4 inches ahead of the rear sight, is a “T ⋆ S” stamp that was used on rifles issued to the Texas Rangers.

This rifle has no barrel bands, only a half-band positioned near the muzzle to secure the magazine tube. A post front sight is dovetailed into the barrel, and a step-adjustable, semi-buckhorn rear sight is located nearer the receiver. 

Beautiful Gun

Typical of the Model 1873, the receiver has a removable side plate on both the left and right to allow access to the action. It also has a sliding dust cover over the top-side ejection port that is pushed back out of the way when the lever is operated. The cartridge carrier is polished brass. The upswept hammer spur is checkered, while the 3/8-inch-wide trigger is smooth-faced.

There is no creep in the trigger, but the pull weight averaged 8.7 lbs., with some over-travel. Cocking the hammer manually, you will find a safety notch at the first “click.” Another safety is a button that protrudes just behind the trigger. Unless the lever is fully closed in a firing position, pressing the button in locks the trigger.

The two-piece stock is nicely figured European walnut. The butt stock has a straight wrist, and there’s a blue steel crescent-type butt plate. The forend has a blue steel cap.                   

Range Work 

For the Nueces Rifle T&E, I obtained four different lead bullet .45 Colt loads. Black Hills provided their “cowboy” load with a 250 gr. round-nose, flat-point (RNFP) bullet. HSM sent their Cowboy Action Cartridges that have a 200 gr. RNFP bullet, then I used Remington’s Performance Wheelgun ammo that has a 250 gr. RNFP bullet. Winchester offered their Cowboy Action load, which has a 250-gr. RNFP bullet. I’m not sure of the why; it may be the extractor cut near the case rim, but the Remington cartridges just would not feed properly. One round got caught in the ejection port of the rifle, and it wouldn’t feed or eject. I did some at-the-range emergency gunsmithing and finally got the round out. I decided at that point to eliminate the Remington cartridges from the test.

To see what kind of velocities I’d get from the Nueces Rifles 24.25-inch barrel, I set up my Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph and measured some bullet speeds. You can see this information in the performance table. Next, to check accuracy potential, I sent 8.5-inch diameter bullseye targets down-range to the 25-yard line. Shooting from a bench using an adjustable MTM rest, I fired three 5-shot groups with each of the three test cartridges. Even with the heavy trigger, my best group measured 1.71 inches using the Black Hills ammunition. One of the HSM groups had four shots in 1.24 inches, but a flyer made it just over 3 inches. None of the group averages were over 2.5 inches; see the performance table. The point of aim and point of impact was good using a center hold.

Western Action Shooting Match

As I planned to take the Nueces Rifle to a Western action shooting match, I wanted to evaluate reliability. I sent a TruGlo “Gunslinger” target down to the 15-yard line and then loaded the rifle with 10 rounds of mixed test cartridges. Standing as I would at a cowboy shoot, I shouldered the rifle and worked the lever while getting a rough sight picture and pulling the trigger; I emptied the Cimarron lever gun as fast as I could. I did this a second time. I had no malfunctions, but be aware, for best functioning, don’t baby the lever; work it vigorously. All twenty impacts were on the target, but two strayed outside the torso and hit the bad guy’s left arm.

The shoot held by the Scarlet Mask Vigilance Society (NCOWS) was on a Saturday that threatened rain but held off until the very end of the competition. Transformed into LaVista Bill, I used the Nueces Rifle and a .45 Colt replica Single Action Army with a 4.75-inch barrel to compete in the Two-Gun “Working Cowboy” category. I cleaned the first of six main-match stages, but on most, I had 1-2 misses. Shooting rapidly, I didn’t really notice the stiff trigger. My misses were mainly due to some interesting stages shooting procedures and the light trigger on my sixgun. I came away impressed with the Nueces Rifle, and I’m sure any of McNelly’s boys would’ve been proud to carry it.

Back to McNelly

Captain McNelly outdid himself on November 20, 1875, in what has become known as the Las Cuevas War. The Rangers invaded Mexico in their quest to return stolen cattle to the U.S. They engaged Mexican forces in a shoot-out at their Las Cuevas Ranch stronghold, and McNelly was wounded in both hands. Returning to Texas, and after a night’s rest, the Rangers again crossed the Rio Grande near Camargo, Texas, and dug in. McNelly marched to the Mexican customs house and demanded what he thought was about 250 stolen cattle to be returned. He took a Mexican captain prisoner and threatened to shoot him. McNelly’s bravado worked, and not 250, but 400 cattle were herded back to the American side. McNelly retired due to his illness in 1876 and died on September 4, 1877, in Burton, Texas.                

For more information, visit:https://www.cimarron-firearms.com/73-nueces-73-rifle-24-25-45-lc.html

Cimarron  Nueces ’73 Rifle Specifications  

Cimarron Nueces Rifle .45 Colt Performance 

NOTE:  Bullet weight measured in grains, velocity in feet per second, 15” from the muzzle by a Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph, and accuracy in inches for three 5-shot groups at 25 yards.