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RARE SPECIAL ORDER COLT MEDIUM FRAME LIGHTNING SLIDE ACTION RIFLE.

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:4,000.00 USD Estimated At:8,000.00 - 12,000.00 USD
RARE SPECIAL ORDER COLT MEDIUM FRAME LIGHTNING SLIDE ACTION RIFLE.
SN 61603. Cal. 32 CLMR (32 WFC, 32-20). Fine special order Lightning with 26" oct to rnd bbl, full mag, ivory bead front sight, altered semi-buckhorn rear sight and a Lyman combination tang sight. Receiver and buttplate are nickel finish with the Rampant Colt logo on left side receiver. Rifle has second type patent date bbl address and sliding dust cover on bolt. Mounted with very nicely figured, streaky European walnut with checkered double schnable 2-pc forearm and uncheckered straight stock with crescent buttplate. Right side of upper tang is marked with the matching SN. Buttstock is unmarked and the buttplate has the number "4090" and "0000" on the inside. Accompanied by a Colt Factory letter which identifies this rifle as medium frame, in cal 32 CLMR, with 26" half oct bbl, half nickel, fancy stock with nickel buttplate, furnished with Lyman peep rear sight and ivory bead front sight, under special notation "easy on trigger", shipped to H. & D. Folsom Arms Company, New York, New York on June 17, 1892 in a one gun shipment. According to Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms there were about 89,777 medium frame rifles produced in the period 1884-1902 in several different styles. Very few of these were special order and even more rare is the half nickel finish. The special order fancy wood adds an additional rare dimension and is rarely encountered. CONDITION: Very fine. Bbl retains about 98% strong orig blue with only faint muzzle edge wear, some very light sharp edge wear on octagonal portion with some light wrench marks near the transition and slight dulling over chamber area. Mag tube retains about 95% orig blue, slightly thinned and turning a little plum with strong blue in sheltered areas. Receiver, trigger guard and buttplate retain most of their orig nickel finish with some very minor flaking on the sides of receiver. Wood is sound with forearm showing moderate to heavy wear and retains traces of orig finish. Buttstock is sound with handling and use nicks and scratches and retains about all of a very old restored finish. Mechanics are fine, bright shiny bore with a little orange peel pitting. 4-47339 JR159