Make: Colt

Model: 1877 "Lightning"

Serial Number: 115106

Year of Manufacture: Shipped October 7, 1899

Caliber: .38 Long Colt

Action Type: Single Action/Double Action Revolver with Side Loading Gate Cylinder

Barrel Length: 4 1/2”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is blade fixed to the barrel. The rear sight is a “V”-notch integral to the top strap.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The birdshead grips are two-piece checkered hard rubber with rampant colts in ovals at their tops. The grips have light-moderate handling wear, more notable at the bottom of the right panel. There are some scattered small nicks and scratches. The checkering is generally well defined, each panel has some smoothing along the edges of the "beak" at the bottom and the bottom of the right panel is smooth. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good condition as Antique.

Type of Finish: Blue & Case Color

Finish Originality: Original, numbered parts are matching.

Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright with sharp rifling. There is scattered light erosion and infrequent minor pitting in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates about 7 out of 10.

Overall Condition: This revolver retains about 15% of its metal finish. The backstrap is factory inscribed "Am. Exp. Co. 439". Finish remains only in protected areas and around raised features. Most surfaces have muted or worn to white. Most worn areas are going to a light patina. There is scattered light surface oxidation and infrequent minor erosion. There are scattered small nicks and scratches. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly disfigured with usable slots. The markings range from clear to worn, but legible. Overall, this revolver is in Good condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this revolver. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This revolver comes with a Colt Archives letter which indicates it shipped October 7, 1899 in its present configuration to William Read & Sons in Boston, Massachusetts for American Express Company, c/o C.E. Seaton, Supt. in Chicago, Illinois as one of 12 guns of the same type in the shipment.

Our Assessment: The Colt M1877 was a double action revolver manufactured by Colt from 1877 to 1909 for a total of 166,849 revolvers. The Model 1877 was offered in three calibers. The model was given three nicknames based on the cartridge in which they were chambered: the "Lightning" being chambered in .38 Long Colt; the "Thunderer" in .41 Long Colt and an earlier model in .32 Colt known as the "Rainmaker". The M1877 was designed by one of the inventors of the M1873 Colt Single Action Army, William Mason, as Colt's first attempt at manufacturing a double-action revolver and was also the first successful US-made double-action cartridge revolver. The nicknames were not Colt designations, but coined by Benjamin Kittredge, one of Colt's major distributors, who was also responsible for the name "Peacemaker" given to the Single Action Army.

This M1877 is from 1899 and chambered for the .38 Colt cartridge. This example has a 4 1/2" barrel and retains about 15% of its original finish. It is of particular interest to collectors for its history with American Express Company, which is now well known for their financial services. In 1899, they were a freight forwarding company, transporting parcels all across the growing nation. The gun has seen some use, but given its age and service it is in quite good condition. This will make a great revolver to add to a Colt or early double-action revolver collection and will be of interest for its use by AmEx. Please see our photos and good luck!