Colt Lightning rifle

Last updated
Colt Lightning Rifle
Colt- Lightning .22 Rifle.jpg
Colt- Lightning .22 Rifle
TypeSlide action Light Rifle
Place of originFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Service history
Used byFlag of the United States (1867-1877).svg  United States
San Francisco Police Department
Wars Spanish-American War
Production history
Manufacturer Colt's Patent Firearms
Produced1884–1904
Specifications
Cartridge various; see text
Barrelsround, octagon
Action Slide
Feed systemTube magazine
SightsIron
Colt Lightning cal .22 Rifle Colt- Lightning .22 Rifle.jpg
Colt Lightning cal .22 Rifle
Colt-Lightning Carbine Lightning Carbine 44 cal.jpg
Colt-Lightning Carbine
Colt-Lightning breech open Lightning rifle breech open.jpg
Colt-Lightning breech open
Colt-Lightning Rifle, function Colt-Lightning Rifle Function.jpg
Colt-Lightning Rifle, function
Colt Lightning Rifle, sectional view Colt M1855 Rifle Funktion.jpg
Colt Lightning Rifle, sectional view

The Colt Lightning Carbine or Colt Lightning Rifle was a slide-action (pump-action) rifle manufactured by Colt from 1884 until 1904 and was originally chambered in .44-40 caliber. [1] [2] Colt eventually made the Lightning Rifle in three different frame sizes, to accommodate a wide range of cartridges, from .22 Short caliber and .38-40 to .50-95 Express. [3] Its profile resembles the pump-action rimfire rifles made by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company and Remington Arms. [2] The Lightning saw use as a sporting arm in America and was adopted for use by the San Francisco Police Department, but was never as popular or as reliable as the various lever-action rifles of its day. It is however reported to have been used by American forces in the Spanish-American War, most likely as privately purchased weapons. [2]

Contents

Variants

The medium-frame Colt Lightning Magazine Rifle was manufactured between 1884 and 1904. [4] It was the first slide-action rifle offered by Colt. [4] Colt records indicate 89,777 were produced, in .32-20, .38-40, and .44-40 as a companion arm to the Colt Single Action Army revolver. [4] Two versions were offered: a rifle with a 26 in (66 cm) barrel and 15-round magazine, and a carbine with a 20 in (51 cm) barrel and 12-round magazine. [4] The San Francisco Police Department acquired 401 rifles all of which had 26 in (66 cm) round .44-40 barrels and bore S.F.P 1 through S.F.P 401 stampings on the lower tang. [4]

The small-frame Lightning (also referred to as "Second Model Colt Lightning" [4] ) was the first rimfire rifle made by Colt and was manufactured between 1887 and 1904 as a plinking and gallery gun. [4] [5] Colt records indicate 89,912 were made, in .22 Short and .22 Long. [4] Barrel length was 24 in (61 cm) and the rifles had a blued finish, case-hardened hammer, and a walnut stock. [4]

The large-frame Lightning (also called the "Express Model" [4] ) was manufactured between 1887 and 1894. [4] Colt records indicate 6,496 were made in different big game calibers such as .38-56 WCF, [6] .40-60 and .50-95 Express. [4] Barrel length was 22 or 28 in (56 or 71 cm). [4]

Modern versions

Reproduction Lightning rifles are still manufactured today by companies such as Uberti, Taurus, and Pedersoli for hunting, historical reenactment, and competition purposes such as Cowboy Action Shooting in calibers such as .38 Special/.357 Magnum, .44-40, and .45 Colt. [4] Of these calibers, only the .44-40 was offered in the Lightning when it was originally produced by Colt.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Single-shot</span> Firearm that holds one round of ammunition

In firearm designs, the term single-shot refers to guns that can hold only a single round of ammunition inside and thus must be reloaded manually after every shot. Compared to multi-shot repeating firearms ("repeaters"), single-shot designs have no moving parts other than the trigger, hammer/firing pin or frizzen, and therefore do not need a sizable receiver behind the barrel to accommodate a moving action, making them far less complex and more robust than revolvers or magazine/belt-fed firearms, but also with much slower rates of fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derringer</span> Small handgun

A derringer is a small handgun that is neither a revolver, semi-automatic pistol, nor machine pistol. It is not to be confused with mini-revolvers or pocket pistols, although some later derringers were manufactured with the pepperbox configuration. The modern derringer is often multi barreled, and is generally the smallest usable handgun of any given caliber and barrel length due to the lack of a moving action, which takes up more space behind the barrel. It is frequently used by women because it is easily concealable in a purse or a stocking.

Winchester rifle is a comprehensive term describing a series of lever action repeating rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Developed from the 1860 Henry rifle, Winchester rifles were among the earliest repeaters. The Model 1873 was particularly successful, being marketed by the manufacturer as "The Gun That Won the West".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colt's Manufacturing Company</span> American firearms manufacturer

Colt's Manufacturing Company, LLC is an American firearms manufacturer, founded in 1855 by Samuel Colt and now a subsidiary of Czech holding company Colt CZ Group. It is the successor corporation to Colt's earlier firearms-making efforts, which started in 1836. Colt is known for the engineering, production, and marketing of firearms, most especially between the 1850s and World War I, when it was a dominating force in its industry and a seminal influence on manufacturing technology. Colt's earliest designs played a major role in the popularization of the revolver and the shift away from single-shot pistols. Although Samuel Colt did not invent the revolver concept, his designs resulted in the first very successful model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colt Single Action Army</span> Service revolver

The Colt Single Action Army is a single-action revolver handgun. It was designed for the U.S. government service revolver trials of 1872 by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company and was adopted as the standard-issued pistol of the U.S. Army from 1873 until 1892.

Pump action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by moving a sliding handguard on the gun's forestock. When shooting, the sliding forend is pulled rearward to eject any expended cartridge and typically to cock the hammer or striker, and then pushed forward to load a new cartridge into the chamber. Most pump-action firearms use an integral tubular magazine, although some do use detachable box magazines. Pump-action firearms are typically associated with shotguns, although it has been used in rifles, grenade launchers, as well as other types of firearms. A firearm using this operating mechanism is colloquially referred to as a pumpgun.

Marlin Firearms is an American manufacturer of semi-automatic, lever-action and bolt-action rifles. In the past the company made shotguns, derringers, and revolvers. Marlin owned the firearm manufacturer H&R Firearms. In 2007, Remington Arms, part of the Remington Outdoor Company, acquired Marlin Firearms. Remington produced Marlin-brand firearms at its Kentucky and New York manufacturing facilities. In 2020, Sturm, Ruger & Co. bought the Marlin business from bankrupt Remington Outdoor Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H&R Firearms</span> Firearms brand

Harrington & Richardson is an American brand of firearms and a subsidiary of JJE Capital Holdings. H&R ceased independent production February 27, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marlin Model 1894</span> Lever-action rifle

The Marlin Model 1894 is a lever-action repeating rifle introduced in 1894 by the Marlin Firearms Company of North Haven, Connecticut. At its introduction the rifle came with a 24-inch barrel and was chambered for a variety of rounds such as .25-20 Winchester, .32-20 Winchester, .38-40, and .44-40. Variants in other chamberings remain in production today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antique firearms</span> Firearms older than 20th century

An antique firearm is a term used to describe a firearm that was designed and manufactured prior to the beginning of the 20th century. Although the exact definition of what constitutes an "antique firearm" varies between countries, the advent of smokeless powder or the start of the Boer War are often used as cut-off dates. Antique firearms are usually collected because of their historical interest and/or their monetary value.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Handgun</span> Short-barreled firearm designed to be held and used with one hand

A handgun is a firearm designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun which needs to be held by both hands and braced against the shoulder. Handguns have shorter effective ranges compared to long guns, and are much harder to shoot accurately. While most early handguns are single-shot pistols, the two most common types of handguns used in modern times are revolvers and semi-automatic pistols, although other handguns such as derringers and machine pistols also see infrequent usage.

The Winchester Model 1890 is a slide-action repeating rifle produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company in the late 19th and early 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colt M1878</span> Revolver

The Colt M1878 is a double-action revolver that was manufactured by Colt's Manufacturing Company from 1878 until 1907. It is often referred to as the "Frontier" or the "Double Action Army" revolver. A total of 51,210 Model 1878 revolvers were manufactured, including 4,600 for the US Ordnance Department. These are known as the "Philippine" or "Alaskan" models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merwin & Hulbert</span> American firearms designer and marketer

Merwin, Hulbert, and Co. or Merwin Hulbert was an American firearms designer and marketer based in New York City which produced revolvers and rifles from 1874 to 1896. The firearms were manufactured by a subsidiary company, Hopkins & Allen of Norwich, Connecticut. Merwin Hulbert's designs had influenced other gunmakers of the time, such as Meriden Firearms Co., Harrington & Richardson, Forehand & Wadsworth, and Iver Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colt Model 1871–72 Open Top</span> Revolver

The Colt Model 1871–72 Open Top is a metallic cartridge rear-loading .44-caliber revolver introduced in 1872 by the Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company. This handgun was developed following two patents, the first one in 1871 and the second one in 1872, it is estimated that the production span lies primarily between February 1872 and June 1873. There is therefore still some confusion when naming it. It is sometimes named Colt Model 1871 or Colt Model 1872 but at this time the most common accepted names are Colt Model 1871–72 Open Top, Colt Model 1871–72 or simply Colt Open Top.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colt-Burgess rifle</span> Lever-action rifle

The Colt-Burgess rifle, also known as the 1883 Burgess rifle or simply the Burgess rifle, is a lever-action repeating rifle produced by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company between 1883 and 1885. The Burgess rifle was Colt's only entrance into the lever-action rifle market, produced to compete with Winchester Repeating Arms Company's line of popular rifles. The 1883 Burgess rifle was designed and patented by Andrew Burgess, an American firearms designer and photographer, who sold the design to Colt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colt Ring Lever rifles</span> Rifle

The Colt First Model Ring Lever rifle and Colt Second Model Ring Lever rifle are two early caplock revolving rifles that were produced by the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company between 1837 and 1841. The First Model, produced between 1837 and 1838, was the first firearm manufactured by Samuel Colt, developed shortly before the advent of the Colt Paterson revolver. The First Model was succeeded by the Second Model, produced between 1838 and 1841, which featured minor variations in design and construction. Both models are distinguished from later Colt revolving long-arms by the presence of a small ring lever located in front of the trigger. This lever, when pulled, would index the cylinder to the next position and cock the internal hidden hammer. Although complicated in design and prone to failures, fifty First Model rifles were ordered by the U.S. Army for use against Seminole warriors in the Second Seminole War.

The Colt Model 1839 Carbine is an early percussion revolving smoothbore carbine manufactured by the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company between 1838 and 1841. Produced alongside the Colt Second Model Ring Lever rifle, the Model 1839 was the most popular longarm of the Patent Arms period. The Model 1839 Carbine is differentiated from Colt's Ring Lever rifles by the lack of a cocking ring lever and the presence of an external hammer, which, when manually cocked, would rotate the six-shot cylinder to the next position. Approximately 950 Model 1839 Carbines were manufactured, and an additional shotgun variant, the Model 1839 Shotgun, was produced from 1839 to 1841 with approximately 225 manufactured. Though the United States Navy and Texas Navy purchased a number of Model 1839 Carbines, sales suffered due to the gun's high price and quality control issues.

Frank Wesson rifles were a series of single-shot rifles manufactured between 1859 and 1888 in Worcester, Massachusetts. They were purchased by many state governments during the American Civil War, including Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Ohio. They were one of the first rifles to use rimfire metallic cartridges.

References

  1. Flayderman, Norm (2001). Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms... and their values. Iola, WI: Krause Publications. p. 669. ISBN   0-87349-313-3.
  2. 1 2 3 Boorman, Dean (2004). Guns of the Old West: An Illustrated History. Lyons Press. p. 128. ISBN   978-1-59228-638-6.
  3. Wilkerson, Don (1998). Colt's Double Action Revolver, Model of 1878. Wilkerson Press Press. p. 128. ISBN   978-0-9617876-4-6.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Sapp, Rick (2007). Standard Catalog of Colt Firearms. Gun Digest Books. p. 288. ISBN   978-0-89689-534-8.
  5. Wilson, R. L. (1985). Colt: An American Legend. New York: Abbeville Press. p. 272. ISBN   0-89660-011-4.
  6. "Colt Lightning Large Frame 'Express' Slide Action Rifle in 38-56".