Eldon Pennner aka El Rod and Colt Lightnings rifles.

[Ustas B. Slim 24680]

Is Eldon still in good health and working on Colt CLMRs?

[Yul Lose]

It’s been quite a few years since I talked with Elrod and he told me back then that he wasn’t working on them anymore. 

[Outlaw Gambler]

Eldon has retired from gunsmithing as of a few years ago. My last conversation with him, Eldon was still making &  selling some Lightning parts. I was fortunate to get three of my Colts done by him before he quit.

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

If you need work done on a Lightning, be it a Colt, an AWA or even a Taurus, contact Lassiter.   He can fix 'em and make 'em sing.   He has worked on 5 of mine over the years.

[Ustas B. Slim 24680]

@H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619, Thanks, have known Lassiter for 20 years.  AS long as the smithing does not require a bench mill or a welder, I tend to do my own work.  As a side note, I have rebuilt my own CMLR rifle in .44-40 in the early 2000s to my capabilities and satisfaction.  In my experience, I never got the CLMR's front sight to be as steady as a WInchester 73. 

 

I had El Ron do my Wife's .32-20 CLMR restoration and coordinated the engraving for me around 2024 as a wedding anniversary present.  Have since lost the paperwork and was contacting El Rod to see if he maintained copied of the work.  Think about the ay that my successor have to auction off the collection to pay the tax man and figure having the documented work by an internationally recognized CLMR smith will help them maximize value.

[Ustas B. Slim 24680]

For those that are following this tread, while the ravages of time have impacted El Rod, he is still with us but had well and truly retired.  He still can be reached via his published e-mail address.

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

10 hours ago, Ustas B. Slim 24680 said:

In my experience, I never got the CLMR's front sight to be as steady as a WInchester 73. 

 

I hear this a lot.   And I don't dispute that it is a truth for people who say it.   I just find it ironic because the only rifles I've ever shot a clean match with are my Lightnings, and I find it much easier to keep the sights aligned than I do with a lever gun.   I am also faster with the pump gun.  Not that I am any kind of a speedster, cuz I'm not.   

I am really starting to believe that this is one of the reasons why it seems to be love 'em or hate 'em with the Lightning.  Assuming that the gun itself is in good shooting order, some shooters seem to take to them better than others for a usability standpoint.   I don't know if it's harder or easier to master them, but they ARE different from the lever guns that dominate our game that all of us are familiar with.

[Ustas B. Slim 24680]

DIfferent people, different geometries.