ATLAS
COLLECTIBLE FIREARMS

Atlas Collectible Firearms is profoundly honored to present an extremely rare, museum-tier piece of modern slide-action rifle history: an original U.S. Fire Arms Manufacturing Co. (USFA) Lightning Rifle chambered in the classic .45 Colt caliber. Produced in Hartford, Connecticut, at the historic Colt Armory building, USFA's rendition of the Colt Model 1884 Lightning is widely regarded as the finest slide-action repeating rifle ever manufactured, with an estimated total production run of only around 400 rifles. Adding extraordinary collector value, this example is a rare factory-upgraded variation featuring a non-standard 26-inch full-octagonal barrel, a full-length tubular magazine, a crescent steel buttplate, and a low serial number—2296—sharply stamped on the lower tang.
This premium USFA Lightning is dressed in a factory high-grade finish featuring a deep, deluxe polished full blue application across the octagonal barrel, magazine tube, dust cover, and receiver frame. The furniture consists of select American walnut, highlighted by a hand-checkered forend grip and a smooth straight-grip buttstock showcasing rich, warm grain patterns throughout. The barrel flat is sharply roll-stamped with USFA's Hartford, CT address and historical patent dates, creating an authentic, investment-grade package for the premier firearms collector.
The condition of this ultra-rare USFA Lightning rifle remains in pristine, as-new collector-grade order, showing only the lightest superficial handling from careful storage and limited use if any. The original factory polished blue finish retains brilliant, full coverage across all metal assemblies, while the select walnut furniture is impeccably preserved with razor-sharp checkering and no chips, cracks, or pressure marks. Mechanically, the hand-fitted slide action operates with glass-smooth, vault-tight precision, locking up solidly, while the 26-inch octagonal barrel preserves a mirror-bright, pristine bore with sharp, razor-clean rifling throughout.