Lightning Rifle

[Hardcase]

The guys over in the revolver forum really helped me out with the two handguns that my dad gave me last weekend, so I thought that I'd share my rifle that he also gave me last summer.

It belonged to my great grandfather, but nobody knows quite how he got it. It may have been my great-great grandfather's or he may have done a little horse trading for it - he was a plumber and money was always tight for both him and his customers, so he did a lot of bartering.

So here you go!















It still works perfectly - I take it out every now and then and run a few rounds through it. Not too bad for over 120 years old!

[JudgeColt]

Nice. What chambering?

[Hardcase]

Nice. What chambering?

It's a .38-40. You can see in a couple of those pictures that the ejection port is sort of shaped to fit the cartridge. Apparently the rim of modern .38-40 is just a little bit wider in diameter than back in the day, so it hits the ejectors a tad bit early. That causes the case mouth to get kind of squished in that narrow part of the port. It makes 'em a little tougher to reload and I only get a few reloads before the case splits.

But if that's the price to pay for being able to (carefully) shoot the old gal, I'm more than willing to pay!

[Cyrano]

That's a really nice medium frame Colt Lightning. Extremely low serial number, too, and probably quite valuable. Mine has a 5 digit SN; it has a sliding cover over the ejection port, connected to the bolt. The sides of the ejection port are straight, too, and there's no problem about the empties coming out. These things sure are fun to shoot. However, they're not the easiest gun in the world to take apart or get back together again.

[JudgeColt]

If the rim on the case is too large so that it is being damaged, turn it down and extend case life. At low pressure, cases should last a long time.

[Hardcase]

If the rim on the case is too large so that it is being damaged, turn it down and extend case life. At low pressure, cases should last a long time.

Heheh, I guess that common sense isn't so common - I had not thought of that! I will give that a try. Thanks for the advice!

[smkummer]

I have a later Colt lightning 38-40 ( with a dust cover) that does the same thing. Come to think about it, I will try a case with the rim turned down to see if it fixes it. Hope it works so I can try it an a cowboy match.

[Hardcase]

I have a later Colt lightning 38-40 ( with a dust cover) that does the same thing. Come to think about it, I will try a case with the rim turned down to see if it fixes it. Hope it works so I can try it an a cowboy match.

One thing that I've noticed is that the ejectors are a little rough - the area that contacts the rim is kind of "chattered" instead of smooth, so it's easy for the rim to bind up. I don't particularly want to take out after the ejectors with a file, given the age and paucity of parts, so I, too, hope that turning down the rims will do the trick. If I've got time, I'll do a few this weekend and see what happens.

[Lightning_man]

Nice old 38 WCF Colt Ligthtning rifle! I once owned one also in that caliber, plus a 44 WCF, but sold them at weak moments. I still have 3 originals in 32 WCF though, all later production guns, as they all have dust covers & 5 digit SN #'s. The oldest was made in 1889 then 1893, and 1898, also they all work fine. LM
PS. Thats where I came up with the idea for my user name "Lightning Man".

[Ken S]

Nice gun. I have a 44 40 and just remember. Use very light loads, or black powder and you'll be fine. The lightning has a unique feature you better not try. if you hold the trigger and pump, it will go off . be careful. They actually have a strong action, unlike the Win. 73, but have to be firmly pumped up and back. Go short on the pump and it won't chamber the next round.
....Ken