Do I fix this Colt Lighting Medium frame .44 cal carbine or not?

D

drm3m

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
Location
Montreal Quebec
I have a Colt Lightning Medium frame carbine which is missing some parts and I am wondering whether it is worth the effort to try and rebuilt it.

(missing parts) –magazine tube
With springs etc.—extractor, saddle ring.
The stock was damaged and was repaired.

Serial number 6212--.44 cal.

Barrel address;
Colt’s P.T. F.A. MFG. Co Hartford Ct USA + ELLIOT’S Patents May 29 1883
Sept 18 1883.

I don't have recent photos since the stock was repaired....but I can take more if needed.
I don't know much about this carbine.

NOTE;

The action functions very well.

David



Colt barrel address.



Serial number 6212.






More photos to follow.
 
Last edited:
I saw a completely restored one for $5500 US. Others seem to be selling for $1500 and up. If you can find the parts, which should be feasible, I'd say yes for sure. Even if you don't want to sell, it's a nice piece of history.
 
I think it would be worth putting back together, but the value when done, vs. the cost of so doing, is going to depend on a lot of things, mainly revolving around how much of the work you have to farm out and how much work you can do yourself.

Coltparts shows some of the screws available, and there may be other sources for screws or sets of screws out there.

The magazine tube, either hunt down a decent used one, or make (or have made) a tube from aircraft tubing (check out Aircraft Spruce and Specialty, as one potential source) if you can find an appropriate sized piece. The innards are easier, you can pretty much make use of modern sources for mag tube springs, the mag tube follower may be bought of made to fit.

The biggie in my eye is going to be deciding if and how the refinishing will take place, and to find someone that can do a decent job of it without wiping off all the markings and rounding out all the flat surfaces until it looks like a Dali painting.

I have seen some pretty horrendous jobs done on old guns where they went at it with about a 10 horsepower buffer as if they were polishing logging truck parts. Ugh.

Neat project! Worth doing, IMO. Were it mine, it would become yet another to look out for parts for at the gun shows, and to make those that I cannot find. Make haste slowly!


Cheers
Trev
 
FWIW, although some people pay big bucks for these, they are notoriously finicky and un-reliable guns. Even the new repros by Uberti have a VERY high warranty return rate for feed issues, jams, durability problems, etc. I think most collectors hang them on the wall.

If you intention is to sell it, I'd flip it as-is and let the next guy sink money into it to put on display. You likely will not recoup your investment at sale time.

Just my $.02 worth.
 
Claven2 said:
FWIW, although some people pay big bucks for these, they are notoriously finicky and un-reliable guns. Even the new repros by Uberti have a VERY high warranty return rate for feed issues, jams, durability problems, etc. I think most collectors hang them on the wall.

If you intention is to sell it, I'd flip it as-is and let the next guy sink money into it to put on display. You likely will not recoup your investment at sale time.

Just my $.02 worth.
Click to expand...

I can see that.

Colt was making some of their products with a LOT of small parts that all were required to be in good order to work well. The early DA pistols in particular, were also a bit of a Watchmaker grade repair job when they broke.
But you could send a note to Colt's address and get parts for them then.

Maybe I shouldn't ask, but... What have you gotta get out of it as-is?

Cheers
Trev
 
Thanks for your responses and advice.

I am not sure if I am the right guy to undertake this project.

Based on the serial number 6212 I believe that this carbine was manufactured in 1885.

What is this carbine worth in its current state?

This gun has been sitting in my safe since the late 1970s and I just took it out to take some photos in the past two days.

Here are some more pics.

David

















A rather sweet example.


 
Last edited:
drm3m, that's in pretty good shape, IMO.

If all you are looking for is a mag tube to make it complete, I should think that some digging amongst the used gun parts dealers should come up with what you need, and would be a better thing to do than to build something that simply works.

Then it will be worth more than the sum of its parts, eh?

Nice lookin' gun, I think it would not be a difficult project.

What's it worth? Not a clue.

Cheers
Trev
 
The 44-40 is the medium frame(1884-1902), the BB lists 10% condition as CLMR(26"barrel) $1200 up to 90% as $6000

the medium frame carbine(20" barrel) @ 10% $2000 up to 90% as $8000

I would be looking for original parts where ever I could find them and patiently putting it back together in original condition.
ANY kind of resto would be foolhardy and a detriment to value imo.
 
Thanks for your response trevj and BrotherRockeye.

I emailed ColtParts.com and I am waiting for a response.

I don't have a great investment in this Colt carbine....so I will see what happens.

I would prefer to go with original parts if I can.......or I will just wait.

I think what I need is everything associated with the magazine tube and possibly something that is missing on the left receiver.

I would not be inclined to shoot this carbine in any event....nor would I refinish it.

David
 
this may be of interest to you Lightning lads...
Code: 
http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Manufacturers/Colt-33188/Rifles-35752/LightningCenterfireRifle-38611.htm
iaze.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom