Colt's · Rifle

Colt Lightning Medium Frame

Name: Colt Lightning Medium Frame
Brand: Colt's

Pump action · .44-40 Winchester · introduced 1884

Also known as Colt Lightning Magazine Rifle, Colt Lightning Medium Frame Magazine Rifle, CLMR

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About the Colt Lightning Medium Frame

The Colt Lightning Medium Frame is an American slide-action (pump-action) rifle produced by Colt from 1884 to 1902. Based on a patent by Dr. William H. Elliot, it was Colt's attempt to challenge Winchester's dominance of the repeating-rifle market by offering a fast-cycling pump action. The medium frame was the most popular variant, chambered for the same revolver cartridges as Colt's handguns, including the .44-40 Winchester, .38-40, and .32-20, feeding from a tubular magazine under the barrel.

The Colt Lightning is closely associated with the American West and frontier era, and its distinctive pump action made it a favorite for trick-shooting and fast follow-up shots. It found export markets in Australia and South America that Winchester had largely overlooked.

Colt Lightning Medium Frame specifications

General

Type: Rifle
Action: Pump action
Firing mechanism: Hammer-fired
Trigger: Single action
Calibres: .44-40 Winchester
Magazine capacity: 15 rounds
Magazine: Tubular

Dimensions

Barrel length: 660 mm (26.0 in)
Overall length: 1092 mm (43.0 in)
Weight (empty): 3.29 kg (7.25 lb)

Barrel

Rifling: Right hand

Materials

Barrel: Steel
Receiver / frame: Steel
Slide: Steel
Stock: Walnut
Finish: blued

Performance

Muzzle velocity (typical): 380 m/s (1247 fps)
Muzzle energy (typical): 936 J (690 ft·lb)
Effective range: 100 m

History

Introduced: 1884
Discontinued: 1902
Production status: Discontinued
Country of origin: US
Designer: William H. Elliot

Features

Slide action
Tubular magazine
Exposed hammer
Case hardened receiver

Safety

Half cock notch

The Lightning was offered in three frame sizes: small (.22 rimfire), medium (pistol-caliber centerfire), and large (Express). The medium frame circumvented an alleged agreement with Winchester that had led Colt to withdraw its earlier lever-action Colt-Burgess rifle, since the Lightning used a different operating mechanism.