Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! This tells a story that’s equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming. Someone took a legitimate 1881 Colt Model 1877 “Lightning” – one of Colt’s first double-action revolvers – and completely rebuilt it as a .22 target gun. Collectors usually react with horror to this kind of modification, but there’s something respectful about how this conversion was done. The original 1877 was chambered in .38 Colt. These guns were famous for two things: being the first Colt double-action that actually worked reliably, and having mechanisms so delicate they’d break if you looked at them wrong. Often referred to as the “Lightning” and “Thunderer,” depending on caliber, but shooters often had other names when the timing went off or the hand broke.
Whoever did this conversion knew what they were doing. They didn’t just bore out the chambers – they installed a completely new barrel, ejector rod housing, and modern adjustable sights. The work looks professional, not some backyard hack job. This was someone who wanted to keep shooting their 1877 when replacement parts became impossible to find. There’s logic to it. By 1950, broken Model 1877s were common as dirt. The mechanisms were notoriously fragile, and Colt had stopped supporting them decades earlier. Rather than let it sit as a wall hanger, someone turned it into a functional target gun that could actually be shot and enjoyed. The .22 conversion makes sense for target work. Low recoil, cheap ammunition, easy on that delicate Colt mechanism. Those adjustable sights suggest this wasn’t just a plinker – someone was serious about accuracy. The hard rubber grips are period-correct and show this wasn’t a complete bastardization of the original design.
Is it historically tragic? Absolutely. But there’s something admirable about keeping a 140-year-old gun in active service rather than letting it gather dust. This 1877 is still doing what Samuel Colt intended – putting rounds on target when the trigger gets pulled.
Upgraded Antique Colt Model 1877 Double Action Revolver | Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/5012/903/upgraded-antique-colt-model-1877-double-action-revolver. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
Writer | TheFirearmBlog
Writer | AllOutdoor.com Instagram | sfsgunsmith Old soul, certified gunsmith, published author, avid firearm history learner, and appreciator of old and unique guns.
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