Colt Thunderer D.A 41 cal history?
Friend has for sale a very clean Colt Thunderer d.a 41 caliber with black rubber grips,31/2". Everything looks original and all numbers match. I know absolutely nothing about this type of handgun. Been in his family since new and estimated to be manufactured in 1903. Would appreciate a brief history lesson and whether or not this is a desired piece. Approximate value? many thanks, TDH
0
-
tdh,
You must give more information. Perhaps JudgeColt will come by...
The 1877 Lightning in .41/ aka Thunderer was a poorly designed arm but
quite collectable. I have a few. If you wish to purchase a "Colt Letter", cost you a bunch of money. They came in blue w/case hardened
frames and hammer and also in nickel plating. The .41 Colt is a few hundred dollars over the other calibers. Original condition is "everything". You really must furnish an approximate strong original finish plus the bore conditidion. They were manufactured from
1877 thru about 1910. Original condition is everything. Also, there was a spring problem-the unknowledgable will call the trigger "sticky", if not functional in both single action and double action. Usually this is a case of a weak or broken spring. Most or many are in an undesirable collector's condition. The 3 and a half inch barrel is quite common for the Thunderer. Also has no ejector.
I will not guess upon a price. Have to have "hands on" evaluation.
If you wish-send me a few photos @ smhco@juno.com . I am a licensed
appraiser of firearms. But...Judge Colt is the man. Best 1010 -
The Thunderer was not one of Colt's great success stories, but it did have one famous fan. Supposedly William Bonney (aka "Billy The Kid") was carrying one when he was shot by Pat Garrett. 0 -
The 1877 38 Lightning and 41 Thunderer are mechanical nightmares. The double action mechanism is more robust than the single action bacause the S.A. feature uses a crazy multipurpose spring that includes the sear spring. Small wonder that most guns out there are beat junkers. That would seem to indicate they were popular and got a lot of use in spite of the fact that they got out of order easily and are difficult to repair. The 41Long cartridge is obsolete and only recently has good brass been made for it. It originally shot a 200 grain, 41 caliber heel bullet that was changed to an undersized .386 dia hollow base bullet. The 41 was claimed to be more effective than the 38 special.
That Billy the Kid used a pair of ejector models, perhaps accounts for the fact that ejector models are more valuable than the short barrelled store keeper models. In spite of ammo being obsolete, clean models of either model and caliber are desirable.
Replacement springs and a few other small parts are available.
Without knowing condition of finish and bores a value can't be assigned.0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
3 comments