Colt Lightning Magazine Rifle CLMR Small Frame .22 Pump Rifle, MFD 1903 C&R
SOLD FOR: $1,480.00
LSB#: WY250108JL005
Make: Colt
Model: Lightning Magazine Rifle, Small Frame
Serial Number: 79995
Year of Manufacture: 1903 (https://www.colt.com/serial-lookup)
Caliber: .22 Short & Long (not Long Rifle)
Action Type: Slide / Pump Action, Full Length Tube Magazine Fed Rifle
Markings: The top of the barrel is marked “COLT’S PT. F.A. MFG. CO. HARTFORD CT. U.S.A. / PATENTED MAY 29. SEPT 18, 83 MAY 26. 85. JUNE 15. 86. FEB. 22. 1887.” in front of the rear sight. The left shoulder is marked “22 Cal.”. The left side of the receiver has a Rampant Colt logo. The bottom tang is marked “79995”.
Barrel Length: 24”, Tapered Octagonal
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade dovetailed to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a “V” -a notch dovetailed to the rear of the barrel. The top tang is drilled, tapped, and filled for a tang sight (none present).
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth wood with a straight grip, straight comb, and checkered black hard rubber Colt buttplate. The slide handle is bordering and is not checkered. There are some scattered nicks, dings, scuffs, and scratches. The finish is thinning on the slide handle. The LOP measures 13 1/4? from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The plate has light wear, a few nicks and some spots of residue on the edges, in otherwise well-defined checkering. There are good details in the rampant colt. Overall, the buttstock is in about Very Good condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright with moderate wear in the rifling. The bore rates 9/10 in this writer’s opinion
Overall Condition: This rifle retains over 95% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. The barrel has a generally strong finish throughout with a few light nicks, scuffs, and infrequent minor surface oxidation. The bottom of the magazine tube has light finish wear, showing discoloration from oxidation. There are ejection scars near the ejection port. The receiver has scattered light wear, scuffs, and scratches, showing discoloration from oxidation. There are pockmarks on the belly of the stock and receiver. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in about Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action appears to function correctly, however, the magazine slide stop spring and its mounting screw are not currently installed, they are included. 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: none
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; that 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. Elliot liked to tinker with things, half hobby, half side job, and over the course of his life, he 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 setup, 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 1903 production small frame chambered for .22 Short and Long. It shows minor wear in its finish given its age of 122 years, in Very Good condition with original metal finish remaining and strong mechanics, though the magazine slide stop spring is not currently installed. This will make for a very nice example of the Colt Lightning and would be an excellent addition to any collection in America. So bid high and bid firm. I highly encourage you to take a look at the condition of the piece in our high-quality photos. Good luck with your bid. -K.F.
