Watch the Video of a Colt's Model 1877 Double-Action Revolver Cycle and Fire. Here’s a Quick Rundown on One of the West’s Most Famous Six-guns.
Dave Rodgers is Chief Editor of the Frontier American Illustrated News. He is a tribal member and westerner descended directly from Squire and Edward Boone (father & brother of Daniel Boone). With an old-west family lineage of explorers, farmers, ranchers, miners, railroad men, lawmen and desperadoes, he takes pride in the rich story of the land his family came from. As a resident of rural Arizona, he continues the traditions of the American West and promotes the western culture as it continues into the new century.
Although Samuel Colt experimented with double action pistol designs as early as the 1850s, a production line double action Colt’s revolver would not be seen on the shelves of western gun shops until many years after the iconic gun maker’s death. Colt’s first production model double action pistol would be the 1877 Colt's Double-Action (DA) Revolver. Colt enthusiasts may love or hate this model but one thing is for sure; it left its indelible mark on the history of firearms in the American west.
Designed by William Mason, the pistol was the predecessor to Colt’s “Frontier” which appeared the following year and was considered an improvement over the smaller M1877. The M1878 ‘Frontier’ DA Army would feature a larger-heavier frame to accommodate the more powerful .44-40 & .45 Colt ammunition. While the Frontier enjoyed reasonable success, the M1877 ‘Lightnings’ were produced in three-times the quantity and would remain in production 4 years after the last of the DA Army pistols left the assembly line in 1905.
Firing Colt's model 1877 Double Action Revolver
Video Note: In the firing session (above) I was using 30+ year old cartridges and suffered a primer malfunction on shot four.
The Model 1877 was made in three-calibers which were .32 Colt, .38 Colt, & .41 Colt (sometimes called ‘Long Colt’ ammunition by collectors). These smaller rounds were popular in conceal-carry arms and served as a great deterrent against robbers, desperados, and miscreants galore. However, they were anemic for use upon the frontier against wild animals or on military campaigns. Benjamin Kittredge was a Colt distributor and marketing genius who coined the formidable-sounding nicknames of quite a few well-known arms of the day. In the case of the m1877, he named all 3-models in a way that collectors still identify them in the 21st century.
· .32 “Rainmaker” the rarest and most sought-after variant of the model 1877 double action revolvers. According to firearms historian, Russ Withem, 247 were made.
· .38 “Lightning” which has become the generic name for which the m1877 is identified regardless of caliber
· .41 “Thunderer” features a slightly heavier round and was produced in numbers roughly equal to that of the lightning.
There was a down side to the model 1877; its mechanism was delicate and it was prone to break quite easily. Previous to the M1877, all of Colt’s revolvers were all single action and there were many advantages to justify this. The single action design is less complicated and simple is best. With less moving parts, there are less opportunities for something to break. Another good reason is that better accuracy can be achieved through the lighter trigger-pull of a single action at full cock as opposed to the heavier-longer trigger pull of the double action revolver. Theoretically, the new double-action was supposed to be a ‘faster-firing’ weapon but in reality, a Colt’s single action revolver can be fired far more rapidly in the hands of a skilled shooter. In recent years, quick-draw legend Bob Munden proved this time and again. In my own experience, I can rapid fire my Thunderer but I have seen other shooters thumb their SAA revolvers at a faster rate with a reasonable amount of accuracy. Probably the best advantage to the double action design is the greater ease of shooting with one hand since you don’t have to unclench your grip to thumb the hammer.
Video Note: The video here is one I made in my study demonstrating the design’s hammer ‘safety notch’, feed-gate and the pistol’s ability to operate as either a single or double-action weapon. (*Notice, I did not follow through and dry-fire on the DA trigger pull as that is extremely bad for this make/model of revolver.)
I have heard the M1877 to be reputed to being ‘the gunsmith’s favorite’ due to its need for constant repairs but I’m not sure I agree with the title. Being a ‘favorite’ implies that there is some degree of pleasure in fixing an M1877 DA Revolver and I don’t know a single gunsmith who likes working on this handgun regardless of the pay. A shooting buddy of mine knew of only one man in our area, a Tucson gunsmith who was willing to work on this temperamental pistol. This gunsmith warned that the “Lightning has the habit of requiring additional mechanical adjustments after the primary fix was done. So, once you fix one part, you need to fix the new problem that your previous fix just caused. In fact, both my shooting buddy and I know of old west gunsmiths who would preferably not deal with this model of Colt at all due to the complexity of working on it.
Below are the Manufacturing years and their serial numbers as listed in The Colt Heritage Book (1979)
Year SN#
1877 1
1878 3000
1879 13500
1880 19000
1881 28000
1882 34000
1883 40000
1884 48000
1885 51500
1886 53000
1887 57500
1888 62700
1889 72500
1890 73500
1891 80500
1892 85400
1893 89000
1894 95000
1895 97000
1896 101700
1897 105200
1898 107500
1899 111500
1900 115500
1901 122700
1902 130300
1903 140000
1904 148500
1905 156200
1906 159000
1907 162000
1908 164000
1909 165000-166849
Despite its issues, the Model 1877 was a commercial success and nearly 167,000 pistols of this type were made over a 32-year production run time from 1877 to 1909. A few famous gunmen of the late 19th century are believed to have both carried and used them. Among the more noteworthy people of America’s ‘Wild-West’ era who reputedly carried the Model 1877 include the names of John Wesley Hardin, Doc Holliday Bat Masterson, Soapy Smith and Billy The Kid. My caveat to this celebrity lineup is while many books state who carried this model, few such specimens with provenance have come to light. Still, the high numbers of manufacturing over a 30+ year run gives some testimony to the M1877 DA Revolver's popularity. Today, some manufacturers produce a variety of fantasy conversions of 1873 SAA as well as cap & ball creations that mimic the trademark “bird’s head” grips found on the M1877 & M1878 design but nothing beats the real McCoy. Colt’s model 1877 Double-Action revolver remains one of the most iconic weapons of America’s Wild West with no imitations coming close.
-DR