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Owning all the Lightnings


H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619

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Yep, here's another thread about the Colt Lightning, and the reproductions thereof.

It has occurred to me that it might be interesting to own a "complete" collection of Lightnings.   By "complete" I mean at least one of all of the following...

 

Colt Large Frame

Colt Medium Frame

Colt Small Frame

Pedersoli

AWA

USFA

Uberti

Beretta

And yes, even a...

Taurus.
 

It might be fun to compare them to each other.   And throw in the AWA Lighting Bolt pistol as a bonus/wild card.

 

This is in some ways more of a curiosity than anything else.   This is not so much about the merits of the various makes, or lack thereof, as much as it's about owning a variety of stuff.  After all, isn't that what gun collecting ultimately is?   So far, in my collection of 6 of the guns, only three of the "categories" are represented, and that includes the wild card.

So who out there has a complete set of these things?  Or an almost complete set?

 

To be honest, while I may acquire a Pedersoli some day, I don't know if I'd really be interested in actually getting a complete collection.  But it is fun to speculate.

 

Beware the Lightning bug.   It grabs you hard and doesn't let go...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

Some

P4300904.jpeg

I think I recognize one of those.:D

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The Lightning revolver had a big brother, the .41 Long Colt "Thunderer. I have a pair and fool with them in SASS matches as a joke.

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Larsen, I gotta ask, from top to bottom, what are they?  :)

 

Oh, at it occurs to me that there is another category...


Colt "Baby Carbine" version of the medium frame.

Add in barrel lengths and available calibers and you created an exponential plethora of options to consider, along with round and/or octagon barrels.  Maybe that's that going a bit too far...

 

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I think Larson clearly wins the prize, but thought I'd share my Lightnings: Top to bottom: three Pedersoli's (.45LC), Uberti (.357), and Taurus (.45LC).

...RR

Lightnings sm.jpg

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I shoulda known this would happen...

 

Lightnings2.thumb.jpg.f4d3f755479ebe5f2d6a7b9e373d3e58.jpg

 

From top to bottom...

 

AWA .45 Colt

AWA .44-40

Colt .44-40  Yes, that is a bayonet lug.  Costa Rica army surplus.  Anyone know where I can get the bayonet?

Colt .32-20
Colt .22 Long
AWA Lighting Bolt .45 Colt.

 

The top one is my favorite main match rifle, and the only one I've shot clean matches with.

The Lightning Bolt pistol [not SASS legal] is ridiculously fun to shoot, and yes, I shot a clean match using it.  

So what's next?  Well, I've got a line on a large frame in .45-85 that I hope will still be available when I finally save enough for it.  After that, who knows?  I might call Lassiter and ask him if he can customize a Pedersoli to .44 Special.  And then, maybe a Colt carbine, preferably in .32-20, but I dunno.   After that...  Only time will tell.

 

And just for the heck of it, here's my other Lightnings.

Lightnings.thumb.JPG.840da46f3793cc645969a82e83a2ecca.JPG
 

Bottom is an antique.   Top is not.

We need to design an all Lightning side match.   Revolvers optional.

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I think I read somewhere in the SHB that "any shooter with more than five Lightning rifles has to give one to his friends." I know it's in there somewhere. Yeah, I'm sure it is.

 

So Larsen, you have my email address!  

 

Just sayin'

 

RR

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21 minutes ago, Roger Rapid said:

I think I read somewhere in the SHB that "any shooter with more than five Lightning rifles has to give one to his friends." I know it's in there somewhere. Yeah, I'm sure it is.

 

So Larsen, you have my email address!  

 

Just sayin'

 

RR

 

I guess I'm safe for now.  Do .22s count?

 

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Larsen...

 

Just think! What an incredible opportunity this is for you to get friends!!!

 

RR

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These are all Pedersoli Lightnings in 44-40 except the bottom one started out as a .45 Colt that I bought very reasonable and drilled the barrel and installed a Redman liner in 38-40. As you can see it’s a work in progress. The top one has the Lassiter slam fire modification and is my main match rifle. All but two of these I’ve bought here on the Wire Classifieds.

DA78F968-0089-4A1A-8B5D-CE5C66D85AFF.jpeg

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

And just for the heck of it, here's my other Lightnings.

Lightnings.thumb.JPG.840da46f3793cc645969a82e83a2ecca.JPG
 

Bottom is an antique.   Top is not.

We need to design an all Lightning side match.   Revolvers optional.

 

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

Nope, it's about the rifles with the pump action.   But a couple of folks mentioned the pistols, so I put up pics of mine.

 

H.K.,

Now I gots to know,; they’re not both antiques ‘cause of their ages?  Also, what caliber are those Lightning wheel guns?

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4 minutes ago, WOLFY said:

 

 

H.K.,

Now I gots to know,; they’re not both antiques ‘cause of their ages?  Also, what caliber are those Lightning wheel guns?

 

To be an antique, according the legal definition, the gun must have been manufactured in or before 1898.  The top revolver was made in 190something, and the bottom was made in 188something.  [I'm at work, so I don't recall off the top of my head.]  Antique guns are not firearms according to federal law, and are not subject to any regulations at that level.  MOST but not all states treat them the same way.  

 

All Lighting revolvers were chambered for .38 Long Colt, which brings up a whole other set of variables.   The original bore size for this caliber was .375", which my bottom gun has.   As some point, the bore was changed to .357" which my top one has.   All Lightnings, regardless of when they were made, are black powder only guns, Colt never said they were okay for smokeless.   I have read here that even the ones sold in 1909, the last year of production, were marked black powder only on the box.  Anyway, to deal with the two different bore sizes, I use a .358" pure lead bullet with a hollow base.   It goes down the smaller bore just fine, and expands out to grab the rifling on the bigger bore.

 

Any other questios?//  :)

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Ive got the three colt sizes,  and an uberti my father has a  lightning bolt,   

 As for the pistols I sold my 2 lightning's and thunderer Recently.  

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43 minutes ago, evil dogooder said:

Ive got the three colt sizes,  and an uberti my father has a  lightning bolt,   

 As for the pistols I sold my 2 lightning's and thunderer Recently.  

 

Somebody else has a Lightning Bolt?   Wow.   That makes 2 that I know of.   I really wonder how many AWA made before they folded up shop?   What caliber is your Dad's?

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