Got my Colt Lightning revolver!!!

[Hoss]

I recent thread about pocket pistols got me wanting a Lightning. Went to gun show today and found one. Traded a CZ 10 that I won and some cash for it. Locks up tight, bore good, Brown patina, good grips. appears to function perfectly. Serial # dates to 1903. Seller said he got it at an estate sale, they said was grandpas gun been in a cabinet for the last 40 years. I’m looking forward to shooting it at a side match soon! 

 

My first colt collectible. Likely not my last. Now to find/make some ammo. Seems like I heard you can shoot 38sw in these, but not vice versa???

 

 

[Goody, SASS #26190]

How long is that barrel?

[Cholla]

I bought a hundred Starline .38 Long Colt cases from Track of the Wolf. As of yet, I have not loaded any, but I plan on using APP. Welcome to the Lightning Brotherhood!

[Dantankerous]

Nice score! Congrats!

[Hoss]

1 hour ago, Goody, SASS #26190 said:

How long is that barrel?

4”

[Goody, SASS #26190]

Hope you don't get disappointed. Maximum barrel length for pocket pistol is 3 1/2 inches.

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

3 hours ago, Hoss said:

I recent thread about pocket pistols got me wanting a Lightning. Went to gun show today and found one. Traded a CZ 10 that I won and some cash for it. Locks up tight, bore good, Brown patina, good grips. appears to function perfectly. Serial # dates to 1903. Seller said he got it at an estate sale, they said was grandpas gun been in a cabinet for the last 40 years. I’m looking forward to shooting it at a side match soon! 

 

My first colt collectible. Likely not my last. Now to find/make some ammo. Seems like I heard you can shoot 38sw in these, but not vice versa???

 

 

(Snip PIc)

 

Beautiful Lightning.   I can tell you from experience that you can't shoot .38 S&W in these guns.   But you can shoot .38 Short Colt, or .38 Long Colt.

 

Since yours is from 1903, it should have a .357" bore, so the Short or Long Colts are the way you want to go.   But still loaded with black powder.  Colt never "upgraded" this gun to be able to shoot smokeless.

 

I've got 2 of the things, one from the early 1900s and one from the 1880's.   The older gun does have a .375" bore, so you've got to use either heeled bullets of .357's with hollow bases.   I am not sure exactly when Colt went to the smaller bore.   As such, I recommend the hollow base bullets.   Easier to load for one thing, and they will work no matter what your bore size is.

 

With regard to .38 S&W, well, to be honest, they won't chamber at all in my newer gun, but they will chamber, if someone what tightly, in the older one.   But after struggling with them for a while, I just switched to Short Colts and life became much easier.   Powder capacity is essentially identical on those cases, and the Colt is what it was made for.

 

These are my Lightnings...

 

 

The bottom one was born in was made in 1886, and is pocket pistol legal.   As you can see, it has aged well for a gun that old.   No finish left and checkering on the grips is quite worn and smoothed.

 

The top one, which has a barrel too long to be a pocket pistol, was made in 1903, and as you can see it has aged much better than its sibling.  It may not be pristine, but the finish is still pretty good, and grips are still well checkered.

 

I really like these pistols.  They are fun to shoot, and a something nice to own.   I really wish there was a place for the top one in our game.   Some sort of a "frontier DA sidematch" is long overdue, in my estimation.

 

Actually, something like these guns, paired with a bottlenecked rifle caliber repeater, and a repeating shotgun would make for a nice "new fangled guns" side match, but that's another discussion entirely.   Right?

 

 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

2 hours ago, Cholla said:

I bought a hundred Starline .38 Long Colt cases from Track of the Wolf. As of yet, I have not loaded any, but I plan on using APP. Welcome to the Lightning Brotherhood!

 

There's a brotherhood for us?   Where do I sign up?

[Hoss]

19 minutes ago, Goody, SASS #26190 said:

Hope you don't get disappointed. Maximum barrel length for pocket pistol is 3 1/2 inches.

Well, actually the rules say barrel length 4” or less. 

I measured mine. I suspect it’s 4 1/2. But might be 3 7/8. Depends on how one measures. 

 

The A measure is 4 1/2

C is 3 7/8

 

im not sure what is official. Nor am I going to ask. 

 

either way, I’m not disappointed in my purchase. It’s not going to win a PP side match. My Lemom squeezers, Iver Johnson’s, H&Rs &  Merwin-Hulbert are faster. It is a nice addition to my collection. 

And while I’m sure I will shoot it at a PP match, I won’t accept an award if I were to be fortunate enough to win. 

 

[Cholla]

9 minutes ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

 

There's a brotherhood for us?   Where do I sign up?

You like Colt Lightnings and posted photos so I say you just did! It's an honorary super secret club anyway. Hoss had to fill out a ream of forms, in triplicate. I wouldn't get too excited about being a member because any club that would have me as a member isn't worth joining.

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

Awww........

[Cholla]

15 minutes ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

 

 

 

I really like these pistols.  They are fun to shoot, and a something nice to own.   I really wish there was a place for the top one in our game.   Some sort of a "frontier DA sidematch" is long overdue, in my estimation.

 

Actually, something like these guns, paired with a bottlenecked rifle caliber repeater, and a repeating shotgun would make for a nice "new fangled guns" side match, but that's another discussion entirely.   Right?

 

 

3

I think this is a great idea. I think the 1878 is also cool.

[Yul Lose]

23 minutes ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

 

Beautiful Lightning.   I can tell you from experience that you can't shoot .38 S&W in these guns.   But you can shoot .38 Short Colt, or .38 Long Colt.

 

Since yours is from 1903, it should have a .357" bore, so the Short or Long Colts are the way you want to go.   But still loaded with black powder.  Colt never "upgraded" this gun to be able to shoot smokeless.

 

I've got 2 of the things, one from the early 1900s and one from the 1880's.   The older gun does have a .375" bore, so you've got to use either heeled bullets of .357's with hollow bases.   I am not sure exactly when Colt went to the smaller bore.   As such, I recommend the hollow base bullets.   Easier to load for one thing, and they will work no matter what your bore size is.

 

With regard to .38 S&W, well, to be honest, they won't chamber at all in my newer gun, but they will chamber, if someone what tightly, in the older one.   But after struggling with them for a while, I just switched to Short Colts and life became much easier.   Powder capacity is essentially identical on those cases, and the Colt is what it was made for.

 

These are my Lightnings...

 

 

The bottom one was born in was made in 1886, and is pocket pistol legal.   As you can see, it has aged well for a gun that old.   No finish left and checkering on the grips is quite worn and smoothed.

 

The top one, which has a barrel too long to be a pocket pistol, was made in 1903, and as you can see it has aged much better than its sibling.  It may not be pristine, but the finish is still pretty good, and grips are still well checkered.

 

I really like these pistols.  They are fun to shoot, and a something nice to own.   I really wish there was a place for the top one in our game.   Some sort of a "frontier DA sidematch" is long overdue, in my estimation.

 

Actually, something like these guns, paired with a bottlenecked rifle caliber repeater, and a repeating shotgun would make for a nice "new fangled guns" side match, but that's another discussion entirely.   Right?

 

 

Years ago out at Pala and occasionally up at Norco there were a couple of shooters that would show up and shoot the matches with real Colt Lightning rifles and Merwin  Hulbert handguns. They weren’t competing against anyone, just themselves and they had a lot of fun. After one of the Cowboys matches I got to talk with them quite a bit and I think that’s what started my affair with Lightning rifles. I ordered a pair of new Merwin Hulberts a number of years ago when a company up in Wyoming was going to build them again, but sadly it never came to be. Those Lightning revolvers are very nice looking by the way.

[PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L]

The measurement for barrel length of a revolver is from the cylinder face to the muzzle.

"A" in the diagram shown above.

 

[Hoss]

Thanks PWB. That’s pretty much what I figured. But I’m happy enough with my pistol! I’m certainly not going to saw an inch off! 

[LostVaquero]

Well let me just say NICE.  Enjoy it.

[Wild Ben VanDorn]

That's a nice purchase, Hoss - I'd say you did well!

 

Congrats!

 

Keep your powder dry,

 

Wild Ben

 

[Oddnews SASS# 24779]

I envy you. I've always thought there should be a category, or maybe a side match a la Wild Bunch, where those and some of the other quirky DA revolvers from the period could be used. Whip out the old Webleys and go to town, etc. (Even better, a pair of the 1878 DAs in .44-40 or .45 Colt!). Certainly the lightning and thunderers. Nice acquisition!

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

14 minutes ago, Oddnews SASS# 24779 said:

I envy you. I've always thought there should be a category, or maybe a side match a la Wild Bunch, where those and some of the other quirky DA revolvers from the period could be used. Whip out the old Webleys and go to town, etc. (Even better, a pair of the 1878 DAs in .44-40 or .45 Colt!). Certainly the lightning and thunderers. Nice acquisition!

 

I've long felt that a side match for these types of revolvers would be an excellent idea.   Either by themselves or working with other esoteric guns of the era that are not used in our game.   There are so many eligible revolvers to choose from, and I'd venture to bet that such a side match could be well received.

 

It's probably going to far, but I'd even say that these guns could be used as main match revolvers, if and only if they are operated in SA mode.

 

How do we go about trying to get such a side match added to some of the major shoots that actually do side matches?

 

[Goody, SASS #26190]

3 minutes ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

 

how do we go about trying to get such a side match added to some of the major shoots that actually do side matches?

 

 

Talk to your local match organizers. Volunteer to run the event, put up the prize, publish rules well in advance and advertise it along with the rest of the side matches for that event. That's the way events get started. If there is enough interest and they gain traction they will be hosted by other clubs as well. We used to do our own version of Wild Bunch, before there were official rules. We allowed any revolver or semi auto designed up to 1916. No ribbed barrels or heavy underlugs allowed. That was the two categories, revolver and semi auto. We also allowed any shotgun with the same cutoff date. It was up to the competitor to prove legality of any really obscure designs.

[Phantom, SASS #54973]

4 hours ago, Goody, SASS #26190 said:

 

Talk to your local match organizers. Volunteer to run the event, put up the prize, publish rules well in advance and advertise it along with the rest of the side matches for that event. That's the way events get started. If there is enough interest and they gain traction they will be hosted by other clubs as well. We used to do our own version of Wild Bunch, before there were official rules. We allowed any revolver or semi auto designed up to 1916. No ribbed barrels or heavy underlugs allowed. That was the two categories, revolver and semi auto. We also allowed any shotgun with the same cutoff date. It was up to the competitor to prove legality of any really obscure designs.

Yep... Back when WB was fun! DA's... Broomhandles... You name it!

 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

1 hour ago, Phantom, SASS #54973 said:

Yep... Back when WB was fun! DA's... Broomhandles... You name it!

 

 

I too miss Wild Bunch the way it used to be.   It's just not as much fun as It was back then. 

 

[watab kid]

i rather like the looks of that - congrats - i think it would be a great addition to the cowboy accumulation , might have to watch for one ....seems a good excuse to buy another to me ... even if i "dont need another" as my family says , 

[Hoss]

Got my dies and brass in, and loaded up 10 last night. Happy to report gun functioned flawlessly. I am very happy with my purchase. I likely won’t shoot it a lot, but it’s nice knowing I can! 

 

Biggest problem is is now I have to get a Thunderer.....and a Rainmaker!

 

 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

27 minutes ago, Hoss said:

Biggest problem is is now I have to get a Thunderer.....and a Rainmaker!

 

I see Lightnings all the time.  I've only seen a Thunderer once, and pictures/ads just a few times.   I've never even seen a picture of a Rainmaker.

 

What caliber was the Rainmaker anyway?  .32 Colt?

[Hoss]

4 minutes ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

 

I see Lightnings all the time.  I've only seen a Thunderer once, and pictures/ads just a few times.   I've never even seen a picture of a Rainmaker.

 

What caliber was the Rainmaker anyway?  .32 Colt?

Yes, the Rainmaker was .32. and only a few thousand were made. not likely going to find one, but i'll be prowling the pawnshops and gunshows. 

 

I saw a Thunderer at a gunshow last year. seems like he wanted 2800 for it. I didn't look at it real hard! 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

But .32 what?   .32 Short Colt, .32 Long Colt, or maybe even .32 S&W?   Unlikely for the latter, but you never know.

[Hoss]

5 hours ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

But .32 what?   .32 Short Colt, .32 Long Colt, or maybe even .32 S&W?   Unlikely for the latter, but you never know.

As I recall, the article I read only said .32, but as they were only made in 1877 I bet 32 short colt. I’m going to have to do more research now! 

 

If you ever ever want to go to “Old Gun Mecca” travel to Houston and check out Collectors Firearms. Biggest gun store I’ve ever been in! It’s a great store, and they are very good about letting you look, hold and drool over them. Probably have 2000+ Long guns in open racks on the floor! 

 

http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/colt-1877-lightning-thunderer/

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

23 hours ago, Hoss said:

As I recall, the article I read only said .32, but as they were only made in 1877 I bet 32 short colt. I’m going to have to do more research now! 

 

If you ever ever want to go to “Old Gun Mecca” travel to Houston and check out Collectors Firearms. Biggest gun store I’ve ever been in! It’s a great store, and they are very good about letting you look, hold and drool over them. Probably have 2000+ Long guns in open racks on the floor! 

 

http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/colt-1877-lightning-thunderer/

 

Thanks to my C&R License, I have purchased a few things from them over the years.   You can occasionally find some great bargains.  Or, if you really wanna spend some serious money, some very high end 1st and 2nd Gen Colts are always available.  As are many other things.

 

One of these days I am gonna go to Texas to see the place in person.

 

For a New England version of it, check out the Kittery Trading Post in Kittery, Maine.   http://www.kitterytradingpost.com/   A lot like Cabela's but local and better.       You can always find new and used Cowboy type guns there.

 

As they used to say about 35 years ago until they got sued, "L. L. Who?"

[Hoss]

15 minutes ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

 

Thanks to my C&R License, I have purchased a few things from them over the years.   You can occasionally find some great bargains.  Or, if you really wanna spend some serious money, some very high end 1st and 2nd Gen Colts are always available.  As are many other things.

 

One of these days I am gonna go to Texas to see the place in person.

 

For a New England version of it, check out the Kittery Trading Post in Kittery, Maine.   http://www.kitterytradingpost.com/   A lot like Cabela's but local and better.       You can always find new and used Cowboy type guns there.

 

As they used to say about 35 years ago until they got sued, "L. L. Who?"

As luck would have it, I’ll be in Maine next fall. My wife is retiring from schoolteaching this June, and we are taking a fall trip to Maine-Vermont. Gonna see a part of the country I’ve never been in before. I’ll put Kittery trading post on my list of things to see!