Colt's · Pistol

Colt Model 1877 Lightning

Name: Colt Model 1877 Lightning
Brand: Colt's

.38 Long Colt · introduced 1877

Also known as Lightning, Thunderer, Rainmaker

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About the Colt Model 1877 Lightning

The Colt Model 1877 was Colt's first double-action revolver and the first commercially successful American-made double-action cartridge revolver. The .38 Long Colt version was marketed as the Lightning, the .41 Long Colt as the Thunderer, and the .32 version as the Rainmaker. A compact, six-shot, bird's-head-gripped self-cocker, it was roughly 20% smaller than the Single Action Army and was popular with lawmen, gamblers and frontier travellers who wanted a concealable double-action handgun.

Billy the Kid is the outlaw most associated with the little Colt Lightning, and John Wesley Hardin and Doc Holliday are also tied to it, giving the fragile double-action an outsized reputation among gunfighters and gamblers who preferred it to the bulky .45 Single Action Army.

Colt Model 1877 Lightning specifications

General

Type: Pistol
Firing mechanism: Double action single action
Trigger: Double action
Calibres: .38 Long Colt, .41 Long Colt
Magazine capacity: 6 rounds
Magazine: Rotary magazine

Dimensions

Barrel length: 114 mm (4.5 in)
Overall length: 230 mm (9.1 in)
Height: 122 mm (4.8 in)
Width: 34 mm (1.3 in)
Weight (empty): 0.68 kg (1.50 lb)

Materials

Barrel: Steel
Receiver / frame: Steel
Stock: Wood
Finish: blued

Performance

Muzzle velocity (typical): 235 m/s (771 fps)
Muzzle energy (typical): 269 J (198 ft·lb)

History

Introduced: 1877
Discontinued: 1909
Production status: Discontinued
Country of origin: US
Designer: William Mason

Available calibres

.38 Long Colt.41 Long Colt

Features

First colt double action revolver
Birds head grip
Gate loaded
Black powder only
Compact frame

The Model 1877's intricate double-action lockwork was notoriously fragile and prone to spring breakage. Chambered for black powder only; factory boxes warned the gun was not adapted for smokeless powder.