Curator's Corner: Colt 1877 Lightning
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- čas přidán 28. 10. 2009
- www.nramuseum.org Pistol was logged by police in arrest of famous outlaw. National Firearms Museum Senior Curator Phil Schreier joins John Popp to display an 1877 Lightning owned by gunfighter John Wesley Hardin. The gun, also Colts first attempt at a double-action revolver, was used by Hardin in 1895 to rob a man in El Paso, Texas, and local authorities recorded the serial number when they arrested him for the crime. Accompanying the firearm in the exhibit is a business card for Hardins legal practice and an autographed, bullet-riddled playing card for sale to tourists.
www.nranews.com/#/nationalfire...
A colt .45 belonging to John Wesley Hardin was stolen from my grandfathers house in the 1990s. It was passed down in the Hardin family for generations. When I was six years old I held that gun. I'm pretty sure that's not his. I'm a Hardin and if that's Johns gun then that's a family heirloom.
The Colt 1877 is one of those maligned types like the French CSRG 1915 Chauchat, with 20/20 hindsight being used to criticize it out of historical context. The fact is that is was the first successful US made double action revolver and was available when there was a need for it. As an "attempt" it was a successful attempt by Colt to tap into the new demand for light DA pistols. Relative to SA handguns the 77 was relatively weak in the durability department, but it was not in competition with SA handguns, indeed it had replaced most of the "house" type SA guns produced by Colt-the Colt New Line succumbed to market pressure by the mid 1880's but the 77 remained very competitive. This was not a full size service pistol and it's use was not intended as a man-stopper but a short range light defensive firearm, very close to a pocket or drawer pistol, especially in the storekeeper model. It was never intended as a military firearm which generally see intense service. The intent of this handgun was to stop a fight fast with several well placed shots at near point blank range. It was not a "horse pistol". It was not intended to be a recreational plinker, hunting, target, or military firearm all of which that would see heavy use. It had a special niche but but it was a commercially lucrative niche.
Colt made 166,000 copies of this pistol from 1877-1909. Had it earned a miserable reputation over it's thirty two year production history I suggest it would not have remained so popular especially as it had significant competition. The much larger and robust 1878 only saw 51,000 produced in the same time period suggesting the 1877 was intended for a very different market. The 1877's and it's DA competition from Smith and Wesson and foreign models all had design deficiencies that became more apparently as the practical service life of these early DA revolvers ended but only the much more well known Colt 77 has had criticism due to it's high survival rate as even though the mechanisms of many of these pistols are now broken they were saved as beloved heirloom guns.
Part of the problem concerning the 1877's hindsight bad reputation was it's high profile use by the Western celebrity killers John Wesley Hardin and Billy the Kid, which to a great extent created a myth of real usage and high profile, while actually being just a very small component of gun users in the last half of the nineteen century. However, the typical civilian small handgun of the period had much more utilitarian use and did not see a lot of actual shooting.
It is interesting to see modern SA replicas being made that look like the 77 which suggests that a lot more people with knowledge of these pistols appreciate the 77 for it's successful historical use while accepting that the 77 DA design is not robust enough for modern recreational shooting, a use that was not reflected in the 19th century small caliber pistols.
This isn't a .45 so that is that. All the Lightnings were .38. This particular lightning is well documented and just because Hardin owned it once doesn't mean he owned it forever.
i would say your colt would probably be worth quite a bit. On ebay one guy was selling a pair of normal 1877 rubber grips and they sold for a good price, i have seen 1877 go for different prices online, i saw simple blued ones for $1,500, one for $1,275 i even seen some for $450 i think it really all depends on condition the varient and if its capable to fire. I would think your nickel 1877 should sell for a good price and if your ivory grips are good it should sell for a good price,
I have a 1877 Da 41 caliber nickel finished , pearl handled thunderer , which is a family heirloom and I would like to sell. My question is how rare are these pistols and is their a demand for the fancy nickel and pearl grips model? Thank you and excellent video, 5 stars. RH
photographs a seed of John Wesley , even the one when he was dead in his casket. This just doesn't look like .? " John Wesley harden . I believe the gun is authentic.! but that picture the nose is too long. He had a turned up nose.! that every picture I see of him