Colt 1877 D.A.

The 1877 Colt Double Action Pistol
by Ed Buffaloe

Top Colt Thunderer .41 caliber with ejector.
Bottom Colt Lightning .38 caliber
storekeeper model.

Most likely, the Colt Double Action pistol of 1877 was a response to the introduction of the Webley Bulldog pistol in 1872, which was already being imported into the U.S. by late 1873. The Webley was a double action pistol with a two inch barrel, the original version of which held 5 rounds of .44 center fire ammunition. It was well received in the U.S. because it was well made, reliable, concealable, and relatively cheap compared to a Colt or a Smith & Wesson, plus it was “self-cocking,” advertised (in later years) as being able to fire five rounds in three seconds. This gun almost demanded a response from the premier American gun manufacturers.

Colt responded as quickly as they could, under the circumstances. The Model 1877 D.A. was their first foray into the field of double action pistols. Originally called the New Double Action Self-Cocking Central Fire Six Shot Revolver, the Model 1877 was designed by their well-known employee, William Mason*, who also designed the famed Single Action Army Model of 1873.

The Model 1877 Colt is similar in many respects to its single action predecessor. Unfortunately, the one important respect in which it differs from the SAA is its reliability--the 1877 D.A. is notorious for mechanical problems, so much so that most gunsmiths today will not work on them. David R. Chicoine says of them, “The internal mechanism Colt used in these is overly intricate, many of its critical components are as likely as not to break and these will often do so as frequently as the revolver’s action is operated, and that includes non-firing use.” In a letter to me he stated “ they just aren't worth the amount of hand labor it takes to make them work right again.” If you want to shoot such a gun, he recommends buying a Uberti-made Cimarron Lightning. He does not recommend shooting a collectable 1877 Model Colt.

Colt Grip Detail The 1877 D.A. pistol has a three-position hammer, just like the 1873 SAA, with safety, half-cock, and full cock notches. It likewise has a cylinder pin mounted through the center of the frame, a loading gate mounted on the frame, and a rod ejector mounted on the barrel. To the untrained eye it might look a lot like the famous peacemaker, except for its signal rear-offset “birds head” grip which gives it a very distinctive look (almost certainly in imitation of the Webley Bulldog’s grips). The frame is somewhat smaller than the SAA, and the section of the frame in front of the trigger is pinched, as were the Webley Bulldogs.

The 1877 D.A. was initially produced in .38 Colt (long or short), followed by the .41 Colt, and later still a few were made in .32 Colt, though I’ve never seen one, or even a picture of one. The .38 eventually became known by the trade name “Lightning,” and the .41 was called the “Thunderer.” The ejectorless model was offered in five barrel lengths from 2 inches to 6 inches. The ejector model was offered in five barrel lengths, from 4½ inches to 7½ inches, but the 7 and 7½ inch barrels were special order only. A very few of the long-barreled guns were made with target sights. The ejectorless models were fitted with a cylinder pin with a long head (missing in the gun shown here), since the pin was used to eject spent cases from the cylinder and had to come out often. The original grips were one-piece rosewood, but the vast majority were two-piece hardened rubber (gutta-percha). One- and two-piece ivory and pearl grips were available as upgrades. A very few one-piece hardened rubber grips were made--these are quite rare. Finishes were blue or nickel. The gun was made from 1877 to 1912.

* “William Mason was another of those who helped make the Colt Armory what it was. He was a modest, kindly man, little known outside of his immediate associates, but of a singular fertility in invention and almost unerring mechanical judgment. He learned his trade with the Remington Arms Company at Ilion, N.Y., and after a long association with them he was for sixteen years superintendent of the Colt Armory. In 1885 he became master mechanic of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company of New Haven, and held that position until his death in 1913. He had granted to him more than 125 patents, most of them in connection with arms and ammunition and tools for their manufacture, but they included many appliances for looms and weaving, steam pumps, and bridge work, and he assisted with the development of the Knowles steam pump and Knowles Looms.” From English and American Tool Builders, by Joseph Wickham Roe, Yale University Press, New Haven: 1916. Pp. 173-174.

References

The British Bulldog Revolver, by George Layman. Andrew Mobray, Woonsocket, Rhode Island: 2006.
Colt Firearms, 1836-1960, by James E. Serven. Serven Books, Santa Ana, California: 1960.
“Colt’s Lightning,” by David Stroud. From The Texas Ranger Dispatch Magazine.
Gunsmithing Guns of the Old West, by David R. Chicoine. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.: 2001.
A History of the Colt Revolver, by Charles T. Haven and Frank A Belden. Bonanza, New York: 1940.

Return to Gun Pages Home

E-mail Webmaster