Working the Lightning Pump Action Rifle

The pumpor slide-action Lightning Magazine Rifle was manufactured by Colt Patent Firearms from 1884 until about 1904. The Lightning was well known for its ultra-fast, short-stroke "trombone" action and its compact size. Indeed, the Lightning was really quite an incredible gun then, and still is today.

The Lightning Magazine Rifle was manufactured in three distinctly different frame sizes: the smallframe, which was chambered for .22 rimfire; the medium-frame that was intended for pistol-size rounds; and finally, the large or so-called "express frame" to fire some of the powerful full-size rifle cartridges used in the late 1800s. Colt’s pump rifles were high-quality products.

They’re unlike the Winchester pump rifles most of us are familiar with; nevertheless, they were made with the same kind of fine workmanship, as you would expect from the folks at the old Hartford Colt plant. The modern-made copy of the Lightning shown here is manufactured by U. S. Firearms Mfg. Co. in Hartford The "new" Lightning replica is offered only on the medium-sized frame and is available in .38 WCF, .44 WCF, as well as in .45 Colt caliber. U. S. Firearms Mfg.

Co. (USFA) offers the rifle in grades ranging from a plain 20-inch round-barrel carbine, up to a 26-inch-barrel rifle in round, octagon, or half-round/half-octagonal configurations. Stocks are available in straight or optional pistol grip, with or without checkering, and in Top of page: Unlike so many replicas of 19th century weapons, the Colt Lightning medium-frame pump rifle is being reproduced by U. S. Firearms and made entirely in America. Author photos. several grades of wood quality.

The USFA Lightning is of excellent quality, and a close look shows that it really is a kissin’ cousin of the original medium-frame Colt Lightning. It’s so close, in fact, that disassembly procedures for the two rifles are identical. USFA manufactures the new rifle entirely in the USA, and

1 Receiver 2 Left Ejector 3 Right Ejector 4 Ejector Screws (2) 5 Loading Trap 6 Loading Trap Spring 7 Loading Trap Spring Screw 8 Loading Trap Stop Screw 9 Sideplate Screw from what I have seen I can tell you that, like the original, it is beautifully machined from solid-steel stock and beautifully finished with what is obviously painstaking care.

Disassembly of the USFA and Colt Lightning Rifle, Medium Frame For safety’s sake, the gunsmith should always make certain any firearm is empty before attempting to take it apart. Start by pointing the muzzle in a safe direction as you are picking the rifle up—a direction 10 Hammer 11 Hammer Roller 12 Hammer Roller Pin 13 Hammer Safety Pin 14 Hammer Pin 15 Tang 16 Tang Screw 17 Trigger 18 Trigger Spring where no one would be injured if the rifle was to accidentally fire. 1.

Hold the rifle with your right hand by the grasping the stock around the wrist, at the same time being careful to keep your finger away from the trigger (#17). Next, operate and open the action by grasping the forend stock wood (#47 and #48) with your left hand, and pull this all the way to the rear. This opens the action.

Look into the chamber at the rear of the barrel and be sure there is no 19 Trigger Spring Screw 20 Mainspring 21 Mainspring Screw 22 Magazine Stop Spring 23 Magazine Stop 24 Magazine Stop Spring Screw 25 Bolt 26 Top Cover 27 Top Cover Screw 28 Extractor 29 Extractor Pin 30 Firing Pin 31 Firing Pin Lever 32 Firing Pin Lever Pin 33 Slide 34 Carrier 35 Carrier Screws (2) 36 Locking Brace 37 Locking Brace Pin 40 Barrel 41 Magazine Tube 42 Magazine Tube Spring 43 Magazine Spring 44 Follower 45 Magazine Lug 46 Rifle Tube Screw 47 Forend Stock Wood, right 48 Forend Stock Wood, left 49 Grip Escutcheon (4) 50 Grip Screw (4) 51 Buttstock 52 Buttplate 53 Buttplate Screw (2) 55 Trigger and Stop Pin (2) cartridge present.

Also, examine the top of the carrier (#34). This is inside the open action and directly in front of the open bolt (#25). If there is a cartridge present here, there may be more cartridges in the magazine tube. All cartridges must be removed to render the rifle safe. If you do not feel competent to continue, leave the rifle with the action open; this is a safe position, because the rifle cannot be fired unless the action is closed. To unload a loaded rifle, be careful to keep the muzzle pointed in a safe

Notice the hammer is cocked and the carrier is in the up position. direction, and slowly slide the action closed. Doing this will chamber the cartridge, so be aware: The gun is now loaded and ready to fire. Using the right hand which is holding the stock, use your thumb to grasp and control the hammer while at the same time you pull the trigger, releasing the hammer. Slowly and carefully ease the hammer all the way forward with your thumb.

Now operate the slide action again and the cartridge you just chambered will be ejected from the rifle. Repeat this operation until the magazine is completely empty and no more cartridges appear in the carrier area. An alternate method to unload the Lightning is to leave the action open and complete the second part of the disassembly operation detailed in the next paragraph.

This operation will disassemble the magazine components, and allow you to dump the cartridges in the magazine out Binder Ad (p/u from page 18, AGM-June 04) through the front of the magazine tube onto your workbench. After this, operating the action once—all the way closed and open—will remove the last cartridge (the one on the carrier) from the action. 2.

To remove the buttstock and magazine-tube assembly, use an appropriately sized screwdriver to loosen and remove the tang screw (#16) and pull the buttstock assembly (#51) off toward the rear of the rifle. The buttplate can be removed by unscrewing and removing the two buttplate screws (#53) and lifting off the buttplate (#52). Next, with the rifle version, loosen and remove the magazine-tube screw (#46) from the front end of the magazine tube.

Hold your thumb over the magazine plug (#42), and pull the front of the magazine tube (#41) down away from the barrel until the plug is released. Ease the magazine plug forward and withdraw the magazine spring (#43) and the follower (#44) out the front of the tube. With the carbine version, loosen and remove the magazine-tube screw (#46) while holding your thumb over the magazine-tube plug (#42.) The magazine plug, magazine spring (#43), and follower (#44) can now be removed out through the front of the tube.

Unscrew and remove the magazine-band screw and slide the band off the front. With both versions, you’ll pull the magazine tube (#41) straight forward and out of the rifle, being careful to note its position for later reassembly. 3. To break the action apart, open the action by moving the forend to the rear, leaving the hammer cocked. Then move the forend forward slightly, so the action remains about halfway open.

Remove the two sideplate screws (#9) from either side of the receiver. (These are the rear-most screws located on each side of the receiver.) The trigger-plate assembly, which is called the tang (#15) can be withdrawn by pushing it forward and down and out of the receiver (#1).

4. The receiver can be disassembled by sliding the bolt assembly (#25) all the way to the rear, and using an appropriate pin punch to drift out the locking-brace pin (#37) from left to right (through the holes provided at the rear of the receiver). Withdraw the bolt out the rear of the receiver, and lift the locking brace (#36) out through the receiver bottom. After removing the loading-trap spring screw (#7) and the loading-trap spring (#6), the loading trap (#5) will fall into the receiver for removal.

Make careful note of the position of the spring for reassembly. Remove the two ejector screws (#4)—one on either side of the receiver—then lift out the ejectors (#2 and #3). Make a careful note of their positions and be certain the ejectors are reassembled into the correct sides. The magazine lug (#45) can be removed from the barrel by pushing it out either side. 5. Unscrewing and removing the top-cover screw (#27) and lifting off the top cover (#26) is the first step in disassembling the bolt.

Use a pin punch and hammer to drift out the firing-pin lever pin (#32), and remove the firing-pin lever (#31) out the bottom of the bolt (#25). The firing pin (#30) can be withdrawn out through the rear of the bolt. Again, make careful note of the position of these parts for reassembly. Drift out and remove the extractor pin (#29) and you can then lift the extractor (#28) off the bolt. 6.

To disassemble the tang-trigger group, slide the forearm forward and pull the trigger (#17), allowing the hammer (#10) to go forward. Unscrew and remove the four grip screws (#50) from the forend wood, and lift off the left (#48) and right (#49) forend stocks. Unscrew and remove the mainspring screw (#21) and the mainspring (#20).

Unscrew and remove the trigger-spring screw (#19), and lift out the trigger spring (#18.) Then you can drift out the hammer pin (#14) and lift out the hammer (#10.) Next, unscrew and remove the two carrier screws (#35) from each side of the tang, and lift out the carrier (#34). Drift out the trigger pin and the magazine-stop pin (both are #55). Move the slide (#33) to the rear slightly, and tilt the rear of the magazine stop up enough to allow you to lift out and remove the trigger.

Once you have the Lightning’s trigger out, move the slide farther rearward and continue to tilt up the rear of the magazine-stop assembly (#23), at the same time pushing the front of the magazine stop down until it becomes disengaged from the slide. Remove the magazine stop from the tang (#15), being careful to make note of its positioning within the slide for later reassembly. Move the slide forward and out of the tang.

Finally, remove the magazine-stop spring screw (#24) from the bottom of the magazine stop, and lift off the magazine-stop spring (#22.) As always, you simply reverse the disassembly procedure when you’re ready for reassembly. ■