AWA Lightning 45 Colt Rifle, How strong is it?

[M. M. Wright]

I've been trying to get this little rifle cycling correctly and it's close and such a handy little thing. I could easily fall for it. All it needs is a tang sight and maybe a little massaging to feed better. What I'm wondering is if it will handle a little stronger than cowboy loads? Right now I'm shooting 250 grain cast and 8.5 grains of Herco. Accurate load and would probably handle most situations. I could run on to a big boar in my woods and I can't run from him. Not wanting to go to 454 level, just a little more.

[Sixgun]

Sure....you could go a little more with safety and longevity being fine. I've got 4,000+ out of an original Colt Lightning...made in 1888.... 38-40 with loads about equal to yours in pressure...8 of Unique, 8.5 of Herco, and 7 of 231 with 180-200 grain cast. Another Lightning in 32-20 has eaten up a bit over a thousand with 5 of Unique and a 115...that one is a first model made in 86. One in 44-40 has only been shot very little....safe queen with a two digit serial number.

I'd say you could safely shoot 9-9.5 of Unique or 10 of Herco...I LOVE Herco..just a tad slower than Unique. Another thing you could do is use the Lyman 200 gr. SWC with 10 of Unique to keep pressure down a little and still have good killing power.....if....if it will feed...only way to find out is to try them at different seating depths.

You could also try a slower burning powder of which I have very little experience....such as Blue Dot, AA #7, or 2400.----6

[KWK]

I'm not familiar with AWA. I looked at their web site and see only an SAA and the Lightning. I imagine these are Uberti products, but why do they offer such a small subset of the Uberti line?

[.45colt]

When I had the Uberti '73 in .45 colt I wanted a load that would that would be close to the original 44-40 load. in the Hodgdon reloading handbook they list 200 grain bullet with 13 grains of HS-6 powder. using lead bullets the load averaged 1360 fps . a lot of fun to shoot .

[M. M. Wright]

KWK, AWA (American Western Arms) imported Armi San Marco SAAs. They were a very good product just like a Colt, not over sized like Uberti. Sadly ASM went under and left AWA without a product. I'm sure there's more to it but that's what I remember. Oh yeah, they lost a lawsuit to Colt. I think they made the Lightning here though. I'm mostly concerned about the design of the action. I know it works like propping a door shut with a chair under the knob. Guess I can take it apart and see for myself just how robust the parts are.

6,Thanks for all those loads and reminders. I haven't been shooting 45 Colt much lately as I'm into 44-40 the last 30 years. I'm pretty sure the 250/8.5 Herco will take down most anything. Probably even good medicine for a big hog. I don't remember if these bullets are 30:1 or 20:1 but would want the harder ones for the porcine critter.

[Pisgah]

My guess is they could stand up to a little goosing -- but why risk your guns and yourself based on my guess or anyone else's? Especially when a no-more-than-standard-level load out of a handgun or a rifle is a formidable thing, and just what the design was meant to handle.

Max chamber pressures for the standard .38-40 and .45 Colt are the same -- 14,000 psi.

[pshort]

Howdy,
Everyone wants to put a 427 in a go-kart.... I don't get it....

(OK, maybe a bit exaggerated..!!)

Paul

[Sixgun]

Naaaa....MM is not looking to magnumize his 45 Colt....he just wants a little more than SAAMI specs that were standardized for original black powder guns with many of those guns being worn out junkers or trash from another country in a different time. Today's replicas are made with modern steel and other technology. Pushing a gun like his to the extreme limit would be in the neighborhood of 24-26 grains of a slow burning powder.

I've been told that a 250 grain cast bullet will kill anything in North America at reasonable ranges.

The loads I quoted him (I'm no ballistician) are more likely below the next level of power..18K.----6