.40-60” Colt large frame Lightning saddle ring pump action carbine.
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A rare .40-60” Colt large frame Lightning saddle ring pump action carbine. Colt slab sided large frame or ‘Express Model’ action with spur hammer to the rear and loading gate to the right side has saddle ring to the left side and dust cover to the top of the bolt. Straight hand walnut stock with carbine pattern butt plate and chequered forend / pump grip of standard split pattern retained by two screws to either side. The trigger guard tang struck with serial number 2361 for manufacture in 1888, the second year of production of the Lightning model. 22” long round barrel with full length tube magazine to the underside is fitted with a folding carbine pattern rear sight graduated to 900 yards. The top of the barrel to the front of the rear sight roll engraved COLT’S PT F.A. MFG. CO. HARTFORD CT U.S.A. over various patent dates and to the rear left with 40-60-260, the Colt designation of Winchesters 40-65” round, indicating a .40” calibre bullet of 260 grains weight backed by 60 grains of black powder in the Colt load. Manufactured from 1887 until 1894 just 6496 Colt Lightnings were made with very few of that number being carbines. Chambered for a variety of big game cartridges the Lightning was intended to compete with the large frame lever action Winchesters and Marlins of the day but despite being reliable and well designed rifles they never gained the popularity of the rival brands and are today rarely seen on the market. The 40-60” being the Colt designation for the .40-65” Winchester round, it was a necked down version of the military .45-70” round designed to produce a flatter shooting round with a lighter bullet capable of taking all North American large game including deer and elk or even bears. It was an effective round that saw long service in the U.S. until replaced by smokeless rounds such as the .30-30”. In good condition with good bore and mechanics, a nice sharp stock with a small (1” X ½”) repair to the underside of the butt and much blue / brown finish to the metal work, some light scattered pitting to the left side of the action. A good example of a scarce Colt Carbine, this is the first example of a saddle ring Lightning carbine I have seen.
