Taurus Thunderbolt & NCOWS

[Major Matt Lewis]

So what's the deal with the Taurus Thunderbolt?  All the write ups say it is a high quality low cost rifle.  I know it is a knock off of the Colt Lightning.  I also know that it was not approved at teh Convention.  So, is it likely to be approved?  Is there issue with the rifle?

[Lars]

Major Lewis,

As you likely already know, it was earlier said to be a "Colt Lightening" on the outside but that the inside had been modified, presumably to avoid some of the weaknesses of the Colt. Now there is a post on the SASS Wire saying that the innards are "pure Colt". I am still waiting and watching for a definitive answer to this.

IF I should ever buy one, I will wait till they appear in 44-40.

Lars

[Lone Gunman]

So what's the deal with the Taurus Thunderbolt?  All the write ups say it is a high quality low cost rifle.  I know it is a knock off of the Colt Lightning.  I also know that it was not approved at teh Convention.  So, is it likely to be approved?  Is there issue with the rifle?

If I were a gambling man I'd say, "Can I borrow some money, I lost all of mine gambling"   We've all seen what happens when folks speculate on what's going to be approved. Since none of us had even seen a real live Thunderbolt it was impossible for it to be considered last weekend, but they will be on the Feb agenda.  My suggestion is for you to buy a few and submit them for testing 

[Quick Fire]

Hey  George, You go ahead and buy one and then If It does not get approved I'll buy it from you at a substantially reduced price.

[Lone Gunman]

Well OK, but you know I always like to take 'em apart to see how they work when I first get 'em 

[Wymore Wrangler]

George, do bread ties (authentic of course) work to fix internal parts also....

[Grizzle Bear]

I am going to introduce a change to the By-Laws prohibiting the use of bread ties for temporary repairs.

Only proper authentic materials will be allowed for such purposes, such as rawhide, baling wire, or the string from your Bull Durham bag.



Grizzle Bear

[Lone Gunman]

It's a well known fact that Josey Wales used bread ties to hold up the loading levers of his Walkers.

[French Jack]

L.G.  -- are you sure they are Walkers?  Those seem to bear more than a passing resemblance to Dragoons.  Maybe it is the poster art.??

[Major Matt Lewis]

George,

"Wedges!  We don't need no stinking wedges...."

[44caliberkid]

I've never seen anything about individual firearms needing to be approved.  If they  externally replicate a period correct firearm, they are OK to use in NCOWS.  It's that other group that needs to approve every new gun down the pike, not us.  Looking at the pictures on the Taurus website, it looks to be pretty close to the original.  Taurus' reproductions of early Winchester rifles have been pretty spot on, as is the Goucho, so I would guess the Thunderbolt will be too.  However, since none have been offered for sale yet, or been available for review, the question is moot till someone actually gets their hands on a production piece.
 

[Lars]

Hej thanks George!! Now I got documentation for using things like that on one of my C&Bs!!

Lars

[Lone Gunman]

L.G.  -- are you sure they are Walkers?  Those seem to bear more than a passing resemblance to Dragoons.  Maybe it is the poster art.??

They're Walkers alright...


Along with having no catch on the barrel to hold the lever up (which is why Josey used bread ties ), the Walker is also the only Colt where the wedge is installed from the right side. The wedge on every other percussion Colt, including the Paterson, is installed from the left side.
So endeth the lesson.

[Major Matt Lewis]

George,

Is it true that your pistols are the only ones endorsed by MacGyver? 

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

Ol  Clint wasn't stupid, he had the studio gunsmiths machine the entire front end (barrells, loading levers etc;) of those guns out of aluminum.....no joke.  They shot 9mm black powder blanks, why I don't know? Probably cut the weight in half. I forgot to add that those guns along with a bunch of other studio guns such as the fake colt/remington percussion pistols with the welded on barrell web of the 50's and 60's (years) were sold at auction several years ago, some of them were quite reasonable as far as prices.

Bill

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

44 Caliber Kid,
On the NCOWS web page there is an approved list of firearms that basically states what you said. By the way, how does that .44 AWA shoot?

Bill

[O.T. Buchannan]

Now dangit Ottawa, why did you have to tell us that?  Here I am thinking old Clint was a bad dude, what with doing 'Road Agents Spins' with Walker Colts and all......

[US Scout]

OCB-

I don't know if they were the same pistols, but about 3 years ago the NRA Firearms Museum had a rotating display called "Real Guns of Reel Cowboys."

For Josey Wales, they had two sets of pistols displayed.  One was a set of Walkers set up to fire blank cartridges.  Reminded me of a Walker conversion - I liked the idea, especially since I have a Walker.  I don't know if the barrels were aluminum or not though.  The placard said there was a third set with the percussion cylinder for close-up shots. 

There was also a pair of rubber Walkers for wear in scenes that didn't call for him to shoot them or where they might get damaged by being dropped. 

Speaking of aluminum barrels, the SAA used by Sharon Stone in "The Quick and the Dead" had one so she could twirl it easier. 

[Frog69]

Just for your Information i went to the Des Moines Gun show and there they are on a table for sale the rifles in question.... looked at it closely and then came home and compared it to my original colt lightning and its darn near Prefect look - alike and at the price of around 400.00 i think they will be something to have some fun with

[Cuts Crooked]

O man! I cain't get to that gun show this weekend!