Colt Model 1877 Lightning
Colt's Manufacturing Company · Pistol · Discontinued · 1877
Also known as: Lightning, Thunderer, Rainmaker, Colt 1877 Double Action
Overview
The Colt Model 1877 was Colt's first double-action revolver and the first commercially successful American-made double-action cartridge revolver. The .38 Long Colt version was marketed as the Lightning, the .41 Long Colt as the Thunderer, and the .32 version as the Rainmaker. A compact, six-shot, bird's-head-gripped self-cocker, it was roughly 20% smaller than the Single Action Army and was popular with lawmen, gamblers and frontier travellers who wanted a concealable double-action handgun.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 680 g (24.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 230 mm (9.06") |
| Barrel Length | 114 mm (4.49") |
| Height | 122 mm (4.80") |
| Width | 34 mm (1.34") |
| Firing Mechanism | Double Action Single Action |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Rotary |
| Muzzle Velocity | 235 m/s (771 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 269 J (198 ft·lbf) |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .38 Long Colt · primary — also known as .38 LC, .38 Colt
- .41 Long Colt — also known as .41 LC, .41 Colt
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Gate Loaded Cylinder
- Features: First Colt Double Action Revolver, Birds Head Grip, Gate Loaded, Black Powder Only, Compact Frame
Variants
- Colt Model 1877 Thunderer — Caliber Variant
Service history
Conflicts
- American Old West (Frontier era) (1877-1900)
Production
Estimated total produced: 166,849 · Production years: 1877-1909
Total across all calibers (.32, .38 Lightning and .41 Thunderer).
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: William Mason
Discontinued: 1909
Notes
The Model 1877's intricate double-action lockwork was notoriously fragile and prone to spring breakage. Chambered for black powder only; factory boxes warned the gun was not adapted for smokeless powder.
Background
Billy the Kid is the outlaw most associated with the little Colt Lightning, and John Wesley Hardin and Doc Holliday are also tied to it, giving the fragile double-action an outsized reputation among gunfighters and gamblers who preferred it to the bulky .45 Single Action Army.