Original U.S. Colt Small Frame .22 Cal. Lightning Pump Action Magazine Rifle made in 1888 - Serial 1133

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice "frontier worn" Colt Lightning Magazine Slide-Action Rifle, with a lovely Antique glow around it. The serial number 1133 stamped on the trigger guard indicates a "Small Frame" Lightning Magazine Rifle manufactured in 1888, the FIRST YEAR OF PRODUCTION for this type. The 24" Octagonal barrel is marked 22 Cal. on the left side of the chamber, indicating that the rifle is in .22 rimfire, a popular "plinker" and gallery gun cartridge, also used for training. These were made in both .22 Long and Short, but we are not able to determine the chambering of this example. It features a nice fixed "notch" rear sight, with the classic front sight.

The top of the barrel is marked with the manufacturer information, which is clear:

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.22.87.

Offered with a crisp tight action in fully functional condition. Metal work is good, showing no signs of major restoration, showing a lovely antique patina, with the markings on the barrel and receiver still fully legible and crisp. There are some areas of the original bluing still present on the underside of the barrel, while other parts are worn towards plum or bright steel from handing and cleaning. The left side of the action still bears a good amount of the bluing, as well as an intact Colt "Prancing Pony" logo.

The stocks are in very nice condition, showing wear from use but no past repairs. The walnut fore stock has a lovely color, with the checkering well retained, while the butt stock also has a great color, with an area on the left side near the butt pad either carved out or crushed in. The original Colt "Prancing Pony" hard rubber butt plate is in lovely condition, showing wear but no major cracks or repairs.

The action cycles well, with a crisp dry fire, though we have no way to check to see if it still feeds correctly. The slide / pump must be pulled back fairly hard to cock the hammer, and if it is moved back forward without this occurring, the hammer must be pulled back manually before and fired before it can be cycled again. We checked the magazine, and it slides out properly to the right in front of the receiver for loading. We checked the bore, and we can still see clear rifling, however the finish is mostly dark, and the rifling is worn. There is past fouling present over much of the interior, so this looks to have seen a good amount of use.

A lovely early slide action design rifle in the popular .22cal from the first year of production, fully cleaned and ready for display!

Specifications:-
Year of Manufacture: 1888
Caliber: .22
Cartridge Type: Rimfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 24 Inches
Overall Length: 41 Inches
Action type: Slide Action Repeater
Feed System: tube magazine

More on the Colt Lightning Rifle:

The Colt Lightning Magazine Rifle was a slide-action (pump-action) rifle manufactured by Colt from 1884 to 1904 and was originally chambered in .44-40 caliber. Colt eventually made the Lightning Rifle in three different frame sizes, to accommodate a wide range of cartridges, from .22 Short caliber and .38-40 to .50-95 Express. Its profile somewhat 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.

The medium-frame Colt Lightning Magazine Rifle was manufactured between 1884 and 1904. It was the first slide-action rifle offered by Colt. Colt records indicate 89,777 were produced, in .32-20, .38-40, and .44-40 as a companion arm to the Colt Single Action Army revolver. Two versions were offered: a rifle with a 26 in (66 cm) barrel and 15-round magazine, and a carbine with a 20 in (51 cm) barrel and 12-round magazine.

NOTE: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are not able to ship to the United Kingdom. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.