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Excellent Colt San Francisco Police Lightning Medium Frame Slide-Action Rifle with Factory Letter

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:2,250.00 USD Estimated At:4,750.00 - 6,500.00 USD
Excellent Colt San Francisco Police Lightning Medium Frame Slide-Action Rifle with Factory Letter
Colt Lightning medium frame slide-action rifle. The rifle is complete with a Colt factory letter that states it was shipped from Colt to the San Francisco Agency on June 24, 1898. The letter states that the rifle was factory engraved "S.F.P. #176" on the bottom of the tang. This rile is one of 401 Lightning Rifles purchased by the San Francisco Police Department from Colt in 1898. The rifle has a high polish blue finish with casehardened hammer and niter blue trigger and loading gate. The rifle has an oil-finished walnut stock and forearm. The forearm lacks the checkering found on some medium frame Lightning rifles. The barrel is fitted with a dovetailed front sight with nickel-silver blade and a sporting type rear sight. The top of the barrel is roll-stamped with the two-line Hartford address and "83-87" patent dates ahead of the rear sight. "44 CAL." is roll stamped on the top of the barrel between the rear sight and the receiver. The Rampant Colt trademark is roll-stamped on the left side of the receiver. The underside of the receiver tang is engraved: "S.F.P.176" in a single line.
BBL: 26 inch
Stock: walnut
Gauge: 44-40 WCF
Finish: blue
Grips:
Serial Number: 83276


Excellent. The rifle retains 97% of the original high polish blue finish on the receiver with only minor storage wear. The barrel and magazine tube retain approximately 95% plus original blue. The crescent steel buttplate has a bout 50% of the blue finish. Most of the delicate niter blue finish is present on the trigger and loading gate and the hammer has nearly all of the original case colors. The markings on the barrel and receiver are crisp. The stock and forearm are in excellent condition with nearly all of the original oil finish and only scattered and very insignificant storage wear. This is an excellent example of one of the most colorful variations of the Colt Lightning rifle.