[sidheshooter]

Any owners? I'd be interested in opinions from those that have experience with these little things...

Also, one question: it might seem obvious, but I couldn't find anything on their site about +P ratings. SAs are pretty strong, but does anyone know for sure?

Thanks in advance!

[Elm Creek Smith]

I have a blued one with 3.5 inch barrel. It's a dandy little gun, but it isn't rated for +P ammunition. You could probably get by with shooting some, but not as a steady diet. Since they are built for Cowboy Action Shooting, +P isn't needed.

I have carried mine concealed when other guns were unavailable (left them at home in my rush to go to a match) loaded with Hornady XTP 125 grain standard pressure ammo and didn't feel nekkid.

ECS

[Harve Curry]

I have a 5 1/2" bought new for my wife. It shoots 8 inches left @ 15 yards with any ammo I put in it. To hit a steel CAS plate you had to hold on the right edge of it. Sent it back twice (once the owner took it personally) and they bent the front sight so much it cracked the bluing where it meets the barrel. I could of done that myself. The papers that come with it say they are not garunteed to shoot accurately. They really let me down on that Lightning revolver. It has a nice action and finish ( except where they bent the front sight) and a great feel to it. Smaller frame then a Colt size SAA, so you cannot shooot +P in it.
In fact I have an original Colt 1877 Lightning made in 1881, that shoots hollow base wad cutters into a nice tight group at 20 yards and it is regualted to POA. Go figure................

[coinshooter]

IF I Mistaken they make a lighting model in 357

[Queltor]

The Lightning is a smaller version of the Thunderer.
You're correct the Thunderer comes in .357, but not the Lightning.

[Harve Curry]

To clarify:

Birds head grip frames came on these two revolvers;
1877 Colt revolvers were double action and had the unofficial name of Lightning for 38 caliber and Thunderer for the 41 caliber.
1878 Colt New Frontier were double actions large 45 frame for calibers 38wcf and up.

Both of these old revolvers have their grip frames copied and adopted to single action revolvers like Ruger Vaquero, Uberti SA imports and the one in question here a reduced frame size SAA that never really existed.

Then there is the Colt Lightning rifles, a slide/pump action. There is copies of them now to.

Hope that helps some.

[Gunfighter123]

Hello,
I owned a pair of .38 Lightning's for CB shooting.
The good ---- both mine were very accurate up to 50yds. I could hit a steel 12" plate by putting the front sight right above the 50 yard plate. Mine had the checkered wood grips and the fit of both rev. was good. With my small hands , I could "get on" the hammers with both my left/right hands to cock them in Gunfighter Class.
The bad --- mine were very early ones -- had a 3 digit ser. number. BOTH them had to have the fireing pins replaced as they were "soft" and peened out , resulting in misfires. Also , on one , I had to have the bolt stop replaced as it wore out and the cyld. would "skip" and the gun would misfire.
I sold them off after useing them for 3 years and each had over 5000 rds. of low power CB loads thru them. I bought a pair of .357 Thunderers { a bit bigger grip frame etc.} and likes them so much , I bought another pair of Thunderers in .45LC.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b199/Jailbird123/DSC00574.jpg

PS ---- the grip "hump" really helps with keeping the muzzle down when shooting rapid fire !!!!!

[PRM]

Yep - that's pre-ban ivory, and I don't care what Ashley Judd or PETA thinks.

Great little guns. I had to replace the firing pin right out of the box. Other than that it has been and done what it was designed for.:)