GUN FALL 2017
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/31/2017
EXTREMELY RARE ENGRAVED AND NICKEL PLATED COLT MEDIUM FRAME LIGHTNING RIFLE THAT BELONGED TO PORFIRIO DIAZ. COLT LIGHTNING SRC 3543 44 WCF Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Full nickel finish with 20" bbl, full magazine and barleycorn front sight with blued, reverse mounted 900 yard ladder rear sight. Mounted with exceptional Italian walnut buttstock that has checkered straight grip and carbine buttplate without trap. Left side of receiver has a stud & ring and the trigger guard has a safety. Forearm is of 2 pieces, double Schnable checkered hard rubber with the Rampant Colt trademark logo on each side. Underneath top tang has matching SN with matching SN in pencil on rear face of buttstock, under the buttplate and also inside the toe of buttplate. Carbine is incredibly engraved by master engraver Cuno Helfricht with about full coverage on the receiver & top tang. Engraving consists of the large vignette of a cowboy, that resembles Buffalo Bill Cody, roping a bull buffalo in a prairie scene on the left side, a standing bull elk on the right side and the engraved Rampant Colt logo on top rear of the receiver. All the vignettes are surrounded by extremely well executed foliate arabesque patterns with extremely fine pearled background. The areas in front & behind the loading gate recess have extremely fine diamond & dot patterns with a matching diamond pattern over the receiver ring. Each side of the front edge of the receiver is engraved in a small shell pattern. Top tang is engraved with a fan pattern around the hammer slot with foliate arabesque patterns down the tang. Trigger plate & trigger bow are engraved in foliate arabesque patterns and geometric patterns with smaller patterns on the bottom tang. Bottom tang is engraved in period script, also by Mr. Helfricht "Porf. Diaz". Buttplate tang & heel are engraved to match. This carbine is pictured, both sides & bottom tang, in full color on page 493 of The Colt Engraving Book Volume One, Wilson, in the Cuno Helfricht section of that publication. The medium frame Lightning rifle was Colt's first attempt at producing a pump action firearm. They made almost 90,000 between 1884-1902. Of that number only a limited few were carbines and of those exceedingly few were so elaborately engraved with special plating. CONDITION: Very fine to extremely fine, all matching. Bbl & magazine tube retain 97-98% strong orig nickel with some fine pimpling in a couple of spots on the bbl. Receiver retains about 90% strong orig nickel with losses from flaking, not wear on the right side. Top & bottom tangs, trigger guard & trigger plate retain virtually all of their strong, orig nickel. Buttplate retains about 60% orig nickel with the losses from flaking not wear. Buttstock has handling and storage nicks & scratches and retains about 90% strong orig varnish. Forearm has a couple tiny bruises on the left rear edge and shows light diamond point wear, turned chocolate on the left side. Mechanics are crisp, strong bore with sharp rifling and moderate pitting. 52428-1 JRL (25,000-45,000)