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Thread: Colt Lightning 44/40

  1. #21
    Boolit Grand Master Outpost75's Avatar
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    Thank you for the reply and pics. It is much as I thought.

    As FYI I've standardized on 6 grains of Bullseye in my 1905 Colt Frontier Six Shooter and 1920 New Service, with Accurate 43-206H. Also feeds well and is suitably accurate in my Spanish El Tigre levergun. All of the above completely ordinary and not as pretty as yours, but they get the daily duty around the farm.

    Attachment 250466Attachment 250467Attachment 250468
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  2. #22
    Boolit Mold
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    Beautiful collection

  3. #23
    Absolutely awesome collection!!

    I refuse to call the 44-40 a "pistol" cartridge. It never was and never will be. Just because some old fart classifies it as such doesn't make it one.

    Back in the 30's it was refered to as a mild rifle cartridge....and that is acceptable.

  4. #24
    Boolit Buddy
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    I now have dies and brass and the afore mentioned mold but haven't had time to put anything together. The weather has been great here so I took a few rifles to the range including the Lightning and a box of black hills cartridges. The ladder sight sight picture is a challenge and the ladder part tends to slide too easily but once I got the sights lined up I managed a 1.5" 50yd group with the popgun black hills load. The tang appears to have a factory tapped hole for a tang sight. May explore that option. Thanks again for all the input.

  5. #25
    Boolit Master
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    Beautiful collection!
    Where's the Kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth shattering Kaboom.

    Marvin the Martian

  6. #26
    Boolit Bub
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    Quote Originally Posted by Savvy Jack View Post
    The Colt Lightning is considered a Group 1 "weak action" rifle like the Winchester 73' according to Lyman's 49th Edition reloading manual.

    Always good to slug anyway. Many older rifles are reported to slug anywhere from as small as .424 to as high as .432.
    Resurrecting this thread to add a data point from my 1885 Lightning rifle. I recently started shooting it again after approx. a 100 year hiatus, using black powder and bullet cast from an old Ideal tool. The sizing ring in the tool sizes to about .425, and they drop out of the mold at about .427. When I shot these bullets in my rifle, the accuracy at 50 yards was not impressive, so I decided to slug the barrel. It measures about .430-.432! No wonder. It's like throwing a hot dog down a hallway. I will try it again with some .429s, which is the best I can do right now unless I get a mold that drops larger.

  7. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by bigwagon View Post
    Resurrecting this thread to add a data point from my 1885 Lightning rifle. I recently started shooting it again after approx. a 100 year hiatus, using black powder and bullet cast from an old Ideal tool. The sizing ring in the tool sizes to about .425, and they drop out of the mold at about .427. When I shot these bullets in my rifle, the accuracy at 50 yards was not impressive, so I decided to slug the barrel. It measures about .430-.432! No wonder. It's like throwing a hot dog down a hallway. I will try it again with some .429s, which is the best I can do right now unless I get a mold that drops larger.
    See if you can cast some softer bullets with the .429's, they should expand inside the larger bore to improve accuracy with a full charge of black.

  8. #28
    Boolit Bub
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    I think I'm going to order a mold from Accurate. The Jack Korts BP 44-40 mold looks like a good one for this and my Colt SAA FSS.

  9. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by bigwagon View Post
    I think I'm going to order a mold from Accurate. The Jack Korts BP 44-40 mold looks like a good one for this and my Colt SAA FSS.
    Hard to go wrong with the 43-215C. Excellent lube groove for black powder along with the tried and true profile for accurate long distance shots!

  10. #30
    Boolit Master Randy Bohannon's Avatar
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    43-215C has been a stellar performer out to 200 yds. In two different Win/Miroku 73’s for me

  11. #31
    Boolit Buddy
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    I noticed Jack is in Hickory. Quite a few years ago I lived in metropolitan Linville and went to a school off the mountain in Marion. IT's really green.

  12. #32
    Quote Originally Posted by salvadore View Post
    I noticed Jack is in Hickory. Quite a few years ago I lived in metropolitan Linville and went to a school off the mountain in Marion. IT's really green.
    Yes it is, view from my office! Very different from the green in south Georgia where I lived most of my life!!!
    Attachment 282096

  13. #33
    Boolit Buddy
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    Recently I found a Colt New Service revolver in 44-40 . I almost bought it when I stopped and requested his gunsmith check the dimensions of the cylinder throats and groove diameter of the barrel . The cylinder throats measured .427 , great ! The groove diameter of the barrel was .433-.434 . I passed on buying it . I just don't see anyway to get accuracy unless you have a sleeve put in the barrel to bring it back to correct size . Regards Paul

  14. #34
    Quote Originally Posted by cowboy4evr View Post
    Recently I found a Colt New Service revolver in 44-40 . I almost bought it when I stopped and requested his gunsmith check the dimensions of the cylinder throats and groove diameter of the barrel . The cylinder throats measured .427 , great ! The groove diameter of the barrel was .433-.434 . I passed on buying it . I just don't see anyway to get accuracy unless you have a sleeve put in the barrel to bring it back to correct size . Regards Paul
    Use would be limited but the least I would have done (not that I would have purchased it) would have been be to ream the cylinder to fit .428" cast bullets in Starline brass. The soft lead followed by a full charge of pistol powder like Unique or Bullseye will swell the bullets enough to fill the .433" bore. Just depends on how much one wants to dedicate.

  15. #35
    Boolit Grand Master Outpost75's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cowboy4evr View Post
    Recently I found a Colt New Service revolver in 44-40 . I almost bought it when I stopped and requested his gunsmith check the dimensions of the cylinder throats and groove diameter of the barrel . The cylinder throats measured .427 , great ! The groove diameter of the barrel was .433-.434 . I passed on buying it . I just don't see anyway to get accuracy unless you have a sleeve put in the barrel to bring it back to correct size . Regards Paul
    It is VERY easy to have DougGuy hone the cylinder throats to match your barrel.

    But if the barrel is as large as .433 groove, you should cast the chambers as well, because it may be necessary to also rechamber the cylinder to provide adequate neck release clearance for the larger bullet. John Taylor did this for me on a Ruger Vaquero which had cylinder throats smaller than the barrel groove, and tight chamber necks so that I could not load bullets large enough to fit. He reamed chamber necks from .444 to .447 and cylinder throats to .4305" and .430" bullets shoot like a rifle in the .429 barrel. Similar job would be MUCH easier and less expensive than trying to find an original New Service barrel of smaller dimensions and having it fitted.
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  16. #36
    Boolit Buddy
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    That's just the opposite of a gen 3 SAA, .434+ throats and .427 barrel.

  17. #37
    Boolit Master Bad Ass Wallace's Avatar
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    My Lightning is a Pedersoli replica in 44/40 probably the last to ship from the factory before they dropped the chambering. I've had it over 5 years now and the action is well, "like lightning", never had a fail to feed nor extract.

    Hold Still Varmint; while I plugs Yer!

  18. #38
    Boolit Bub
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    That's the rare lever action Colt Lightning!

  19. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by bigwagon View Post
    That's the rare lever action Colt Lightning!
    !!!!!! - That is what I was thinking too! The rare 1886 Colt Lightning.
    Chill Wills

  20. #40
    Boolit Master veeman's Avatar
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    Beautiful wood and CCH on that 86 Lightning, never seen the like!

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check