22

G&A

f e b r u a ry 2 0 1 5 | G u n r o o m

COLT SMALL-FRAME LIGHTNING, 85%: $5,000

Civil War and one of the

best if not the best
percussion six-shooters ever
devised. The hole in the
grip is a bit of a poser. My
initial thought would be that
it is some sort of ftting for a
shoulder stock, but as Colt
shoulder stocks hooked onto
projections on the frame
and then were secured by
a clamp on the bottom of
the grip strap, this seems
unlikely. It does appear to
be a professional job. Ill be
deuced if I can come up with

an explanation. Readers?

COLT SMALL-FRAME
LIGHTNING
Q: I read with interest
your Gun room column
in the november 2014
issue. I, too, have a Colt
Lightning slide-action,
small-frame .22. It will
shoot .22 Short or Long,
not Long rife. The serial
number is 740XX. It has
an octagon barrel. my rife
has the same markings as
mentioned in your column,

and on it, the patent dates

are almost all readable.
I estimate my rife to be
in 80 percent condition
based on the color-picture
examples in the Blue
Book of Gun Values. The
value you quoted was a
shock; I had thought mine
to be worth $1,000! Some
years ago, I had sling swivels installed by a gunsmith.
In your opinion, how much
does this detract from the
value?
D.M., email

A: Its true that those little

Lightnings are getting up
there in value. Your rife
was built in 1903. Approximately 89,910 small-frame
Lightning slide actions were
manufactured from 1887 to
1904. Certainly, the addition
of modern sling swivels
doesnt help your rifes
value. Id take it to a very
good gunsmith and have it
restored to original condition. In unaltered shape at
85 percent, your Lightning
is worth about $5,000.