Burn Through Posted January 11 Posted January 11 there is a nice one for sale what can you tell me about them ? Quote
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted January 11 Posted January 11 The AWA Lighting is, in my opinion, a good one. I have two, a .45 and a .44-40, and they have been very good to me. The .45 was the first rifle I shot a clean match with, for example. It also infected me with the Lightning Bug. Beware the Lightning Bug. Once it gets ahold of you, it will never let you go. The next thing you know, you'll have seven or more of the things! Now in all honesty, opinions here on the Wire of the AWA are mixed. My experience has been very positive. Others will tell you they have not fared so well. A lot of it depends on "which" AWA you have. If it's an AWA International, it is more likely to be problematic, but if it's an AWA USA, it more likely to be one of the good ones. Mine are USAs, so maybe that's why they work right. I don't know. If you like the .38, and if you really wanna try the Lightning, I'd say go for it. Let's assume it works fine as is. You will never regret it, and it'll wind up being a favorite rifle. If it's got issues, you can always send it to Lassiter for tuning. He can even make a Taurus run, which are universally regarded to be useful tomato stakes. So, you have options. Good luck. 1 Quote
Shawnee Hills Posted January 11 Posted January 11 They are junk and you should let me know where this one is for sale so I can save you from eventual heartache. 😁 I've been shooting an AWA round barrel carbine in 38 sp. as my main match rifle for a bit over a year. It was reportedly worked over by the president of the company and works flawlessly. It does need a complete teardown and cleaning after 3 matches or the firing pin will begin sticking from blowback. This is a simple job for someone mechanically inclined and is a much easier process than my Pedersoli. Keeping a Lighting clean is paramount to having it run smoothly but, truthfully, the same applies to lever rifles. You should know that spare parts for these do not exist (that I am aware of). While I haven't had anything break on mine, I know I'll either be making parts or trying to find a donor rifle should it happen. 1 Quote
Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 Posted January 11 Posted January 11 Some work. Some don't. Some shooters can shoot them. Some shooters cannot. 2 Quote
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted January 11 Posted January 11 5 hours ago, Shawnee Hills said: It does need a complete teardown and cleaning after 3 matches or the firing pin will begin sticking from blowback. ... Keeping a Lighting clean is paramount to having it run smoothly but, truthfully, the same applies to lever rifles. I will second this. Keeping it clean is VERY important. Now, I have noticed that with my .45 this is very true. Lotsa blowback. With the .44-40, not as crucial. No blowback at all. I'd assume that a .38 will have the same blowback issues as a .45 for the same reasons. I have never torn mine down though. All I do is make sure to flush out the action in general, and the firing pin channel in specific with Gunscrubber after every match. This blasts away any and all gun. For the firing pin, with the straw in the spray head, press it to where the pin comes out of the bolt face and squirt away. After a few quick blasts, the stuff will come out clean. After doing this, oil the gun properly, and you are all set for the next match. Quote
Griff Posted January 12 Posted January 12 (edited) I bought an AWA Lightning 5-½ years ago from a cowboy shooter who wanted it for WB, but never messed with it much. Looked N-I-B when it arrived. It's a 24" round barrel in .44-40. I've probably shot less than 20 WB matches with it. I think at most I've shot six rounds thru it at one time. When I've run it like a stolen mule, it's worked flawlessly. Meekly stroking it, or working the action like a caress, doesn't seem to make it respond. Haven't bother to clean it once. Yesterday, I took it for it's maiden outing to a cowboy match. At the first stage I used it, it locked up tighter'n a drum. It seemed like it was in battery, but dropping the hammer, elicited no response. Even repeatedly! Wouldn't open to save me. 10 misses... Hung my head and took it to the unloading table. I've never taken it apart... not to inspect or anything. No tools with me... At a loss... yet, at the unloading table it meekly opened and cycled all ten rounds, with no fuss. So I set it down at the loading table for the next stage. Along with the same 10 rounds. At this stage, it worked perfectly... I'm still learning how to stroke the action, as it's length of stroke is seemingly VERY short, unlike any pump shotgun I've shot. On one other stage, it balked on two rounds in the middle of the string, but not consecutively. However it ejected them smoothly and finished the rest. So... I'm chalking it up to operator error or being dirty... Those were the only instances of anything untoward during the four stages I shot it in. The other two stages I shot had nothing to do with this rifle, just wanted to run my '73 in C45S for 'em! Even for its quirkiness, sometimes jerky operation (operator?), this last bit of failing to FFE, (feed fire, eject), it's a fun little rifle in a great cartridge, and never fails to attract attention. All good. I know of NO match that's ever been won with one... but if you're not out for buckles... & like the "different", I'd not hesitate to buy one. Edited January 12 by Griff Quote
Sedalia Dave Posted January 12 Posted January 12 (edited) @Roger Rapid has a good white paper on lightning rifles. Lassiter is one of the better CAS gunsmiths. Edited January 12 by Sedalia Dave 1 Quote
Philosopher Posted January 14 Posted January 14 Between my brother, Nels Gandy, and I, we have four. We love these things! My Pedersoli in .357 required a vacation with Lassiter - shoots great now. My AWA .45 Colt works great without having been tuned. Nels has an AWA in .45 Colt that is currently spending time with Lassiter. Nels also has an AWA in .38 Special that runs great, but it may have been tuned by a prior owner. So you pays your money and takes your chances! 1 Quote
KidScott Posted January 14 Posted January 14 On 1/12/2026 at 10:19 AM, Griff said: I bought an AWA Lightning 5-½ years ago from a cowboy shooter who wanted it for WB, but never messed with it much. Looked N-I-B when it arrived. It's a 24" round barrel in .44-40. I've probably shot less than 20 WB matches with it. I think at most I've shot six rounds thru it at one time. When I've run it like a stolen mule, it's worked flawlessly. Meekly stroking it, or working the action like a caress, doesn't seem to make it respond. Haven't bother to clean it once. Yesterday, I took it for it's maiden outing to a cowboy match. At the first stage I used it, it locked up tighter'n a drum. It seemed like it was in battery, but dropping the hammer, elicited no response. Even repeatedly! Wouldn't open to save me. 10 misses... Hung my head and took it to the unloading table. I've never taken it apart... not to inspect or anything. No tools with me... At a loss... yet, at the unloading table it meekly opened and cycled all ten rounds, with no fuss. So I set it down at the loading table for the next stage. Along with the same 10 rounds. At this stage, it worked perfectly... I'm still learning how to stroke the action, as it's length of stroke is seemingly VERY short, unlike any pump shotgun I've shot. On one other stage, it balked on two rounds in the middle of the string, but not consecutively. However it ejected them smoothly and finished the rest. So... I'm chalking it up to operator error or being dirty... Those were the only instances of anything untoward during the four stages I shot it in. The other two stages I shot had nothing to do with this rifle, just wanted to run my '73 in C45S for 'em! Even for its quirkiness, sometimes jerky operation (operator?), this last bit of failing to FFE, (feed fire, eject), it's a fun little rifle in a great cartridge, and never fails to attract attention. All good. I know of NO match that's ever been won with one... but if you're not out for buckles... & like the "different", I'd not hesitate to buy one. But it looked good Griff 1 Quote
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted January 14 Posted January 14 1 hour ago, KidScott said: But it looked good Griff I will say that someone using a Lightning always looks good. And not because I am a handsome fellow. (Well, according to some...) Rather, it's just because it's such a rare sight that it stands out somehow. Doesn't matter how good or bad you shoot, you will look good doing it with a Lightning. Here's proof... Quote
Waimea Posted January 16 Posted January 16 I would shoot my Winchester .22 all day long over a temper-mental lightening. I owned one for about a week. Never again. Quote
SGT. ELI 35882 GUNFIGHTER Posted January 16 Posted January 16 I always stayed away from them because the ones that worked were few. Then I worked on Miner Incident's and after taking it out for test firing I was like I think I could really get to like this and looked into buying one but couldn't find one. Doc Royal Pain and Pinky shoot them. Quote
Burn Through Posted January 18 Author Posted January 18 well he bought it we willl see how she runs ..it was my brother that was looking so we will see , and I recon Ill shoot it from the cheap seats lol Quote
Lonesoms Al SASS37893 Posted January 18 Posted January 18 I don't think I would be shooting black in it. 1 Quote
SGT. ELI 35882 GUNFIGHTER Posted January 20 Posted January 20 On 1/17/2026 at 7:33 PM, Burn Through said: well he bought it we willl see how she runs ..it was my brother that was looking so we will see , and I recon Ill shoot it from the cheap seats lol Lightning Dog..... 🌩 🐶 Quote
watab kid Posted January 20 Posted January 20 id like to have one in my collection of cowboy rifles but i want one that works , my observations of friends that had the lightening is that they just barly limped along Quote
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted January 20 Posted January 20 15 hours ago, watab kid said: id like to have one in my collection of cowboy rifles but i want one that works , my observations of friends that had the lightening is that they just barly limped along Just one? That's what I thought... Once you start down this path, you'll never got off of it. Quote
watab kid Posted January 20 Posted January 20 16 minutes ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said: Just one? That's what I thought... Once you start down this path, you'll never got off of it. that is a great collection of rifles , how do yours work ? id be happy with just one that works well , i have a fair sized collection of cowboy rifles but each one is different - models , calibers , mfgrs as well Quote
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted January 20 Posted January 20 3 minutes ago, watab kid said: that is a great collection of rifles , how do yours work ? id be happy with just one that works well , i have a fair sized collection of cowboy rifles but each one is different - models , calibers , mfgrs as well Thank you. They all work quite well. Now, before I get into specifics, let me just say this; there is a part of the action of the Lightning that Lassiter has described to me as "a kind of a teeter totter." He feels there is a design flaw in this part, as it has a tendency to crack. It CAN be repaired, and it doesn't seem to matter who made your rifle. I will refer to this as the "teeter totter problem." Best way to describe is as follows. Everything seems to work. Then, after you fire the gun again, it jams. You can't open the action because the teeter totter cracked. You can get it open with mixture of wiggles and brute force, but at the point, don't try to shoot it again, it'll just jam again. Unload the gun and send it to Lassiter for fixing. Okay, that being said, here's how mine work... From Top to Bottom Colt, Large Frame. .45-85. The .45-85-285 is a Colt proprietary cartridge that use a case of identical dimensions to the .45-70. If you try to load .45-70's with 405 grain bullets, the cartridge will be ever so slightly too long to get in through the loading gate, but if you use 300 grain bullets, it'll fit. Other than the teeter totter problem, this gun has given me no trouble. The action is as smooth a butter, and it is tack driver accurate. AWA, Medium Frame, .45 Colt. My first Lightning. Yes, it had the teeter totter problem. Wanted to have a Lightning, just to have one, and this is what I got. Quickly became my favorite rifle. First gun I ever shot a clean match with. Learned the hard way with this gun about keeping it clean in order to run properly. It'll run .45 Schofields to a clean match with no problems. Colt, Medium frame, .44-40. Costa Rica surplus. These are kinda rare. They were issued to the Costa Rican army in the late 1800's. Ever since I heard of them, I wanted one, and was happy to find one. But I can't find a bayonet for it. Cycles ammo just fine, but has extraction problems. Being fixed by Lassiter. AWA Medium frame .44-40. I liked the .45 so much, I said that if I ever found an AWA in .44-40, I'd buy it. I found one, and I did. Had the teeter-totter problem, but other than that, no issues. Colt, Medium Frame, .32-20. Was advertised as "Lovingly restored with an expert action job." It is a very sweet shooter. In fact, this is the gun in the above video of me shooting. Only trouble it has is that it's a genuine antique, and the original magazine spring was worn out. Once I replaced it, everything has run flawlessly. Colt, Small Frame, .22 Long. Well, I had a Large Frame, and several Medium frames, so I had to get a Small Frame. While the Large and Medium have basically the same action, the small is very different. It's got more in common with the Winchester 73 than its larger siblings. I have had no problems with it. It's a nice gun. AWA Lightning Bolt Pistol. .45 Colt. (Formerly owned by Happy Trails.) These are extremely rare, and are absolutely the most fun Mare's Leg type pistol there is. When allowed to use it, I get more "what the heck is THAT?" comments than you can shake a stick at. I'd love to have another one or two of these, but they are so few in number, I doubt I'll ever SEE another one, let alone to be able to afford one. Let's just say that the perfect alignment of stuff allowed me to get this one. For more on the Lightning Bolt, see this old thread. That's all Quote
watab kid Posted January 21 Posted January 21 5 hours ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said: Thank you. They all work quite well. Now, before I get into specifics, let me just say this; there is a part of the action of the Lightning that Lassiter has described to me as "a kind of a teeter totter." He feels there is a design flaw in this part, as it has a tendency to crack. It CAN be repaired, and it doesn't seem to matter who made your rifle. I will refer to this as the "teeter totter problem." Best way to describe is as follows. Everything seems to work. Then, after you fire the gun again, it jams. You can't open the action because the teeter totter cracked. You can get it open with mixture of wiggles and brute force, but at the point, don't try to shoot it again, it'll just jam again. Unload the gun and send it to Lassiter for fixing. Okay, that being said, here's how mine work... From Top to Bottom Colt, Large Frame. .45-85. The .45-85-285 is a Colt proprietary cartridge that use a case of identical dimensions to the .45-70. If you try to load .45-70's with 405 grain bullets, the cartridge will be ever so slightly too long to get in through the loading gate, but if you use 300 grain bullets, it'll fit. Other than the teeter totter problem, this gun has given me no trouble. The action is as smooth a butter, and it is tack driver accurate. AWA, Medium Frame, .45 Colt. My first Lightning. Yes, it had the teeter totter problem. Wanted to have a Lightning, just to have one, and this is what I got. Quickly became my favorite rifle. First gun I ever shot a clean match with. Learned the hard way with this gun about keeping it clean in order to run properly. It'll run .45 Schofields to a clean match with no problems. Colt, Medium frame, .44-40. Costa Rica surplus. These are kinda rare. They were issued to the Costa Rican army in the late 1800's. Ever since I heard of them, I wanted one, and was happy to find one. But I can't find a bayonet for it. Cycles ammo just fine, but has extraction problems. Being fixed by Lassiter. AWA Medium frame .44-40. I liked the .45 so much, I said that if I ever found an AWA in .44-40, I'd buy it. I found one, and I did. Had the teeter-totter problem, but other than that, no issues. Colt, Medium Frame, .32-20. Was advertised as "Lovingly restored with an expert action job." It is a very sweet shooter. In fact, this is the gun in the above video of me shooting. Only trouble it has is that it's a genuine antique, and the original magazine spring was worn out. Once I replaced it, everything has run flawlessly. Colt, Small Frame, .22 Long. Well, I had a Large Frame, and several Medium frames, so I had to get a Small Frame. While the Large and Medium have basically the same action, the small is very different. It's got more in common with the Winchester 73 than its larger siblings. I have had no problems with it. It's a nice gun. AWA Lightning Bolt Pistol. .45 Colt. (Formerly owned by Happy Trails.) These are extremely rare, and are absolutely the most fun Mare's Leg type pistol there is. When allowed to use it, I get more "what the heck is THAT?" comments than you can shake a stick at. I'd love to have another one or two of these, but they are so few in number, I doubt I'll ever SEE another one, let alone to be able to afford one. Let's just say that the perfect alignment of stuff allowed me to get this one. For more on the Lightning Bolt, see this old thread. That's all very nice set of rifles and thanks for the tip on lassiter ill tell my friend about him , he would rea;lly like to get his and his wifes running so they can use them in this game , its why the bought them - i think his is 45cpolt and hers 38/357S&W, i appreciate the info and your sharing your fantastic collection , Quote
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