New Acquisition A Lightning
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Searcher1970
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Sweet!
BCRider
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Jellyjar, if he sticks with black powder rounds it'll be more than fine. Black spits the bullets out nicely but does it with a softer push and far less overall shock to the gun and shooter than modern smokeless.
Ky' nice find getting an oldie in that nice of a condition.
Ky' nice find getting an oldie in that nice of a condition.
EnsignJimmy
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The Colt 1877 is a black powder-only gun, and yet it tends to break with those loads, being manually cycled, and being looked at funny. Okay, so the last one was an exaggeration, but don't underestimate the fragility of the Lightning's action. It's not a weapon you'd want to shoot extensively, even with black powder.
With all that said, that's a really nice specimen the OP has found.
Yes, it is a black powder gun, but that has nothing to do with the fragility of the action. It is not only subject to breakage but can be very tricky to work on; there are no original parts available and not many repros. The cylinder stop is notorious for breakage as it is a spring, and there are four other flat springs that routinely break (the hand spring, the trigger strut spring, the trigger return spring and the sear and cylinder stop spring). None are available except the latter for which a repro is made.
I strongly suggest you resist the temptation to take the gun apart; it is not easy to reassemble and things don't always work like you think they do. Plus, more of those guns have been broken by folks taking them apart than ever broke when being used.
When correctly assembled, and not broken, worn or messed with, they work OK and in fact have a pretty fair DA pull. They were pretty popular (Billy the Kid supposedly carried one) but in .41 they can be brutal as that spur on the grip really beats up on the web of the thumb. The .38 is not bad.
Jim
I strongly suggest you resist the temptation to take the gun apart; it is not easy to reassemble and things don't always work like you think they do. Plus, more of those guns have been broken by folks taking them apart than ever broke when being used.
When correctly assembled, and not broken, worn or messed with, they work OK and in fact have a pretty fair DA pull. They were pretty popular (Billy the Kid supposedly carried one) but in .41 they can be brutal as that spur on the grip really beats up on the web of the thumb. The .38 is not bad.
Jim
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LightningMan
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Yes they are black powder only pistols and the lockwork is fragil so you are best not to shoot it. If you are going to shoot it, I have heard it is best to shoot it double action only. That cocking the hammer back & shooting it single action style puts more stress on the parts of the action. BTW very nice old Colt 1877. LM
Great find. I should be so lucky! Instead I'm green with envy.
BTW, It's true that John Westly Hardin had a pair of Lightnings in El Paso after he was released from prison, but he never used them with serious intent. He did most of his work with Colt .44 C&B. (1860). He was in prison before the 1873 was widely available.
BTW, It's true that John Westly Hardin had a pair of Lightnings in El Paso after he was released from prison, but he never used them with serious intent. He did most of his work with Colt .44 C&B. (1860). He was in prison before the 1873 was widely available.
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EnsignJimmy
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As far as I know, the cylinder stop, the mainspring, hand spring, sear and bolt spring, and trigger return springs are available as repros. And, yes, when they work, they do work OK with quite an acceptable DA pull (certainly less hefty than that of the big-bore Colt DA sixgun of the time, the 1878.) I have an 1877 in .38 Long Colt from 1883 that is in shootable condition, which I have taken to the range once.
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