Lighting Rifle

[Pee Wee #15785]

Want some help on making a list of makers of Lighting Rifles.  I know some were good but several didn't make even a good tomato stake.

 

1.  Colt

2.  USFA 

3.  PEDERSOLI

4.  AWA

5.  TAURUS

6.  BERETTA  ?

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

Uberti.  Who probably also made the Beretta

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

 

The following are based on my own experiences with the Lightning rifle.

 

1.  Colt   I have four of these.   Large frame .45-85.  (Basically a Colt only variant of the .45-70 with a lighter bullet.)   Medium frame .44-40, Costa Rican military surplus with bayonet lug.   Medium frame .32-20.  "Lovingly restored with an expert action job," according to the seller.  Small frame .22 Long.

 

All of these guns work as they are supposed to for me.  They are fine shooting guns, and I really like them.

2.  USFA   No personal experience with this maker.  Commentary on the Wire here has run the gammut from good to bad.

 

3.  PEDERSOLI  No personal experience here.   Commentary here on the Wire is that they are excellent.  The only one that is still in production.  Pricey, but the word seems to be that they are worth it.  Will not slam fire like the originals

 

4.  AWA  My first Lighting was an AWA in .45 Colt.  To my surprise, it became my favorite main match gun.  I have to date shot three clean matches with this rifle.  Something I have not done with anything else in my collection, and one of those cleans was End of the Trail.   I learned the hard way that you must keep these guns clean.   I once let it go to long without doing so, and the build up of gunk in the firing pin channel caused it to not go bang a few times.  Flushed it out with Gunscrubber, and the problem has never reoccurred.  A couple of years ago, something internal broke.  I gave the gun to Lassiter who repaired it with little difficulty and it runs as well as it ever has.    I liked this gun so much that I said if I ever found an AWA in .44-40, I would buy one.  I did, so I did.   The chamber was very, very tight.  It would sometimes not chamber my reloads.  I had a gunsmith polish the chamber, and now it works flawlessly.   I would not hesitate to recommend an AWA.   For the sake of honesty, others on the Wire here will say different.  But you have been told of my experience.   I also was able to get one of their very rare Lightning Bolt (think Mare's Leg type) pistols.

 

5.  TAURUS  When I was in the market to get my first Lightning, I was able to compare the AWA I purchased with one of these.  I felt like the action was rubbing two pieces of sandpaper together.   General consensus here on the Wire is that they are great tomato stakes, but lousy guns.   That being said, they can be made to work by a competent gunsmith.   I just obtained one in .45 Colt and have sent it to such a smith to be converted to .44 Special.   If you can find one, don't pay more that $400 for it, and you will have to have it worked on. 

 

6.  BERETTA  This was the other one I was able to compare when I was first getting into the Lightning market.   While better than the Taurus, I felt the action was very clunky.  (The AWA was smooth.  That's why I bought it.)   I have not read a lot about the Beretta here on the Wire, so I can't say what the general consensus is.

 

 

A final note.  It has been pointed out to me that the first thing almost everyone does when they purchase a new 73 is have an action job done to it.  Same can be said for a 92, especially a Rossi.   This does not seem to be a problem, but for some reason, having to have a new Lightning worked on makes people think the guns are problematic.   It's a viable point.

 

Welcome to the world of Lightning shooters.   May you find it to be enjoyable.   But beware the Lightning Bug.  It causes things like this...

 

...to happen.