Colt Lightning rifle, 1899–1904
Official wording
Colt, Lightning rifles, mfd. in 1899 through 1904.
What this entry requires
- ATF REQUIRESMade 1899–1904 (ATF’s dates)ATF: “mfd. in 1899 through 1904”
Editorial facts · Our research
Source
- Official wording
- ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section II · PDF p. 6 ↗ · ATF original ↗
- Entries
- 1 line
- Verbatim check
- Checked against the PDF text before every release
- Editorial facts
- Confidence: High · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
- References
- 1. Wikipedia, “Colt Lightning rifle” ↗, country: infobox origin United States
- 2. Wikipedia, “Colt Lightning rifle” ↗, action: infobox action Slide (pump action)
- 3. Wikipedia, “Colt Lightning rifle” ↗, calibers
- Fact tags
- ATF the ATF wording states it.
- REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
- ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
- NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
- Source checked
- 20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
- Corrections
- 1 change · see below
Correction history
- Image review: article images and reference linksType: Pistol → Rifle
Historical context
Image: Wikimedia Commons, “Colt- Lightning .22 Rifle.jpg” by Hmaag, CC BY-SA 3.0. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “Colt Lightning rifle”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The Colt Lightning Carbine or Colt Lightning Rifle was a slide-action (pump-action) rifle manufactured by Colt from 1884 until 1904 and was originally chambered in .44-40 caliber. Colt eventually made the Lightning Rifle in three different frame sizes, to accommodate a wide range of cartridges, from .22 Short caliber and .38-40 to .50-95 Express. Its profile resembles the pump-action rimfire rifles made by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company and Remington Arms. The Lightning saw use as a sporting arm in America and was adopted for use by the San Francisco Police Department, but was never as popular or as reliable as the various lever-action rifles of its day. It is however reported to have been used by American forces in the Spanish-American War, most likely as privately purchased weapons.