Colt Model 1877 Lightning Blued .38 LC Double Action Revolver, 1893 Antique

Sold For: $1500

LSB#: 201016MA87

Make: Colt

Model: 1877 Lightning

Serial Number: 90673

Year of Manufacture: 1893 (https://colt.com/serial-lookup)

Caliber: .38 Long Colt

Action Type: Single Action/Double Action Revolver with Side Loading Gate Cylinder

Markings: The left side of the barrel is marked “COLT. D. A. 38”. The top of the barrel is marked “COLT’S PT. F. A. MFG. Co. / HARTFORD. CT. U.S.A.”, the bottom is marked “38 M” under the cylinder pin head. The left side of the frame is marked “PAT. SEPT. 19, 1871. / “   “  15, “ 74. / “ JAN. 19, “ 75.” and with a circled rampant colt logo. The underside of the frame at the grip frame, the front of the trigger guard just behind it and the front underside edge of the backstrap are marked “90673”. The rear face of the frame under the hammer is marked “S” and with an upside-down “3”. The rear of the loading gate has assembly number “385”.

Barrel Length: 5”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is blade fixed to the barrel. The rear sight is a “V” groove in the top strap.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are checkered hard rubber on a bird’s head grip frame, with a Rampant Colt in an oval at the top of each panel. The grips have gone to a brown color, showing moderate handling wear with some nicks, scuffs and much of the checkering smoothed. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in about Very Good condition as Antique.

Type of Finish: Blue & Case Color

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is gray. The rifling is sharp where not interrupted by erosion. There is some scattered light erosion in the bore with some light pitting along the top.

Overall Condition: This revolver retains about 20% of its metal finish. Finish remains in protected areas such as around the top of the trigger guard, in the flutes of the cylinder and the top and bottom of the ejector rod assembly. The frame’s case color has mostly muted with some figuring visible in the pinched portion under the cylinder pin. Most other surfaces have worn to white, showing some scattered light surface oxidation, infrequent minor erosion, and some nicks, scuffs and scratches. The screw heads range from sharp to disfigured with useable slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this revolver is in about Fair-Good condition as Antique.

Mechanics: The cylinder does not properly lock unless the hammer is down and the trigger is forward. When the hammer is cocked and the trigger is pulled in single-action, the hammer tends to start to fall to half-cock, unless pulled all the way through when it feels like the end of the double-action trigger pull. We did not fire this revolver. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None.

Our Assessment: The Colt M1877 was a double action revolver manufactured by Colt’s Patent Fire Arms from January 1877 to 1909 for a total of 166,849 revolvers. The Model 1877 was offered in three calibers, which lent them three unofficial names: the “Lightning”, the “Thunderer”, and the “Rainmaker”. The principal difference between the models was the cartridge in which they were chambered: the “Lightning” being chambered in .38 Long Colt; the “Thunderer” in .41 Long Colt. An earlier model in .32 Colt known as the “Rainmaker” was offered in 1877. The M1877 was designed by one of the inventors of the M1873 Colt Single Action Army, William Mason, as Colt’s first attempt at manufacturing a double-action revolver and was also the first successful US-made double-action cartridge revolver. Neither “Lightning” nor “Thunderer” were Colt designations, nor used by the factory in any reference materials. Both terms were coined by Benjamin Kittredge, one of Colt’s major distributors, who was also responsible for the term “Peacemaker” for the Single Action Army. Old West Outlaw John Wesley Hardin frequently used both “Lightning” and “Thunderer” versions of the Colt 1877 revolver. This Lightning needs a little work on its mechanics, but retains a decent bore, strong markings and some of its original blued finish. This would be a great addition to a Colt collection. Please see our photos and good luck!