Colt Lightning Magazine Rifle CLMR Medium Frame .32-20 WCF Pump Action 1901
SOLD FOR: $1,050.00
LSB#: LSB250601SP150
Make: Colt
Model: Lightning Magazine Rifle, Medium Frame
Serial Number: 87809
Year of Manufacture: 1901
Caliber: .32 CLMR (.32-20 Winchester)
Action Type: Slide / Pump Action, Full Length Tube Magazine Fed Rifle
Barrel Length: 26”, Tapered Octagonal
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a german silver blade in a slotted base dovetailed to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a “U”-notch elevator sight dovetailed to the rear of the barrel. The top tang is drilled and tapped with a folding tang sight installed; the sight arm does not have a strong detent at the upright position and will easily fold too far forward.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are walnut with a two-piece slide handle, straight wrist, straight comb and steel crescent buttplate. There are notable gouges in the wrist on each side. There is a loss at the toe and a crack on the left above the loss. The forend shows even handling wear. There are some other scattered more minor marks. There is discoloration around the edges where wood meets metal. The LOP measures 13 3/8″ from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The plate has mostly gone to a light patina with scattered surface oxidation and some light erosion. Overall, the stocks are in about Good condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is gray. The rifling shows wear, but is generally well defined. There is scattered light erosion and pitting in the bore. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates about 5/10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 40% of its metal finish. Remaining finish is mostly on the barrel. The receiver and magazine tube have mostly gone to a light patina with a little finish in protected areas such as corners and around the trigger guard. There is scattered light surface erosion. There are some scattered light nicks, dings, scuffs and scratches, mostly on the barrel. There are tool marks at some screw heads. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with useable slots. The markings are generally clear, the rampant colt is shallow, as is common. Overall, this rifle is in about Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired this rifle. As with all previously owned firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle comes with a Colt Archives letter indicating it was produced in its present configuration and shipped June 10, 1901 to Simmons Hardware Co. in St. Louis, MO as one of five guns of the same type in the shipment.
Our Assessment: Around the 1880s, Colt was looking to diversify but both Remington and Winchester had the rifle market sewn up. Besides their lever-actions, there were also new slide action rifles: the user pumped a moving arm set under the barrel and around a tubular magazine, kicking out a spent round and loading a new one with every “stroke”. Colt concentrated on this design concept and in 1884 introduced a gun with a short slide action that was so slick and so fast; they dubbed it the “Lightning”. The advertising said it all: “Nothing was faster than lightning”.
Dr. William H. Elliot, a dentist by trade, designed the gun. Half hobby, half side job, Elliot liked to tinker with things and over the course of his life came up with at least 130 inventions. Since he lived in Ilion, New York, he often walked down to neighboring Remington and showed them the interesting things he was working on and when Remington didn’t bite on his new rifle design, he sent a letter to Colt, who loved it. The handy rifle’s tubular magazine could hold as many as 16 rounds, depending on caliber, which made it very attractive. It came in three varieties: small, medium, and large. Each of these guns had the same set up, with a deep-blued finish, case hardened hammer, American walnut stock and fore-end, and open rear and front sights. They were light, going 6.5-pounds or so.
The medium frame guns, chambered for .32-20, .38-40 and .44-40 Winchester calibers, marketed as 32, 38 and 40 CLMR (Colt Lightning Magazine Rifle), were the most popular, using some of the same cartridges as Colt’s Single Action Army and with ammunition already being produced for Winchester’s rifles. Ultimately, the rifle was discontinued as Winchester and Colt came to the agreement that Winchester would produce rifles, Colt would produce handguns, and nobody needed to make the market competition get ugly. This example is a 1901 production medium frame chambered for .32-20. It is an honest rifle, showing wear which could be considered light considering its age of more than 120 years. This will make for a nice example of the Colt Lightning and would be an excellent addition to any safe in America. Please see our pictures and good luck!
Please forgive any typos, I was educated in California. -Bud
