Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Restoring an 1886 Colt Lightning Rifle back to Life
Am Shooting Journal ^ | 6/27/2019 | K Dulles

Posted on 06/27/2019 6:10:13 AM PDT by w1n1

When you find a relic, will it go on your wall or is it a shooter? In this case a Colt Lighting rifle was raised from the dead.
Andre Will shared a video with us on this rare collection that he purchased and restored. The rifle was in fairly bad condition, covered by some sort of chemicals which caused deep rust and cracks, it was badly restored by the previous owner.

The Colt Lighting rifle is a slide pump-action rifle manufactured from 1884 to 1904 and was originally chambered in .44-40 caliber.
The rifle profile resembles the pump-action rimfire rifles made by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company and Remington Arms.
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.

In the video Andre observed while he was cleaning up the rifle. Rust that was developed under the non-original finish almost destroyed the barrel and the magazine. Read the rest of 1886 Colt Lighting rifle.


TOPICS: Hobbies; Outdoors
KEYWORDS: banglist; blogpimp; coltlighting

1 posted on 06/27/2019 6:10:13 AM PDT by w1n1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: w1n1
This was a nice restoration job. The rifle's collector value was already minimal due to the deteriorated condition but it was mechanically salvageable, so I agree with the choice to make it functional again rather than hang it on the wall.

The part about laser-welding the rust pits was interesting - love to see that sort of effort.

2 posted on 06/27/2019 7:43:04 AM PDT by Charles Martel (Progressives are the crab grass in the lawn of life.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Charles Martel

I thought I knew American guns but this one is new to me...


3 posted on 06/27/2019 7:57:37 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks (Baseball players, gangsters and musicians are remembered. But journalists are forgotten.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Charles Martel
If the bore is OK, then restoration as a shooter makes sense. If the bore is horrible, take the parts out of it that are still useful to sell to other restorers and toss the rest.

Can't believe how bad that poor thing was!

4 posted on 06/27/2019 8:36:23 AM PDT by Chainmail (A simple rule of life: if you can be blamed, you're responsible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: w1n1

American Shooting Urinal once again trying to steal someone else’s thunder, hoping you’ll give them ‘clicks’ to see something that’s none of their doing (and w1n1 is their willing agent in the deception).

Skip giving ASU something they don’t deserve and go straight to the source:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86356fRR1VY


5 posted on 06/27/2019 9:17:18 AM PDT by Paal Gulli
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Paal Gulli
Am Shooting Journal's recipe for fried chicken:

First, steal a chicken...

6 posted on 06/27/2019 10:39:48 AM PDT by real saxophonist (One side has guns and training. Other side's primary concern is 'gender identity'. Who's gonna win?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Eric in the Ozarks

Yeah, I knew about it because I have a Colt Lightning revolver (which my grandfather won in a poker game); the rifle parts are often mingled in the web searches when you look for the revolver parts.


7 posted on 06/27/2019 12:06:14 PM PDT by Charles Martel (Progressives are the crab grass in the lawn of life.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Chainmail
If the bore is horrible, take the parts out of it that are still useful to sell to other restorers and toss the rest.

Generally that's true - but sometimes you find a rifle that is in great shape except for the black powder-damaged bore. You can have a .44-40 barrel bored out and solder in a barrel liner to restore usability. Better than parting it out, in many cases. I rescued a beautiful (on the outside) Marlin 1897 half-octagon barrel that way; done correctly you'd be hard-pressed to see the repair.

8 posted on 06/27/2019 12:15:35 PM PDT by Charles Martel (Progressives are the crab grass in the lawn of life.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: real saxophonist; Paal Gulli; w1n1

Not even that. Am shooting journal and w1n1 steals someone else’s bucket of fried chicken and then dumps it in their bucket and tries to sell it to you.


9 posted on 06/27/2019 5:41:01 PM PDT by Redcitizen (Tagline not secure.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson