Didn’t even know it existed - pump action 357

[Member 34319]

Damn internet always seems to show me things I didn't know existed, but would absolutely freaking love to own.

I never knew a pump action 357 existed up until a video popped up on YouTube when I was looking for single shots in the same caliber.

Freaking cool.

Of coarse, I'm drastically late to the party. Seems like those made were limited and long long gone into the hands of those that likely will never sell them, unless on Gunbroker for stupid amounts.

Taurus made the most recent called the Thunderbolt. Apparently many manufacturers made them, and they were a bust. I wonder if today's market with PCCs being all the rage, would fair better.

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[Kruel J]

I'd prefer a lever action. I've seen these before, although I can't remember where.

 

[Member 34319]

I'd prefer a lever action. I've seen these before, although I can't remember where.

Ya, I own one.

Just took me by surprise.

I think it is a very unique item.

I'm usually late to the game on anything unique. Always seems like these types of things get produced in such small numbers, then never again.

For instance CVA produced only a handful of their single shots in 357 as well as 223. I snatched up one in 223, but thought I would have much more time to do so for the 357. Nope. Sold out everywhere and no longer listed on their webpage. As is the 300blk. Not that I needed it, just seems like these random manufacturers don't make a whole bunch of these types of firearms.

 

[saxon]

Thunderbolt

on gunbroker they run around $600 +
yea wish I knew about them when they had 45 colt man I would love one but they run around $800

 

[KKG]

Colt made the first ones and they were even made in things like the .45-85-285 which was owned by a Cousin. I can't say I'm impressed by the new ones at all.

 

[Member 34319]

Colt made the first ones and they were even made in things like the .45-85-285 which was owned by a Cousin. I can't say I'm impressed by the new ones at all.

The more I looked into it the Colt Lightning was the original. Made to outpace the lever guns of its day. Hence why it was called lightning, it was supposed to be as fast as lightning.

Uberti seems to make a decent replica, but it is priced closer to 1000.

The actual Colts are in the 1500-3000 range.

 

[41mag]

Colt lightning so called. The 45 clone i had took 4 trips back to factory before actually working right. Ferocious fast beast when running properly. Just right for cowboy matches. Fast as lighting and you never knew if it would work 2 stages in a row

 

[Alexx1401]

I had heard of them but don't remember ever getting to actually see one. Best guess is price and demand for why. Cost of manufacture is of course going to be higher than auto's do the more complicated mechanism. Then demand. These never seemed to catch on. If there was a large demand they could of course be made cheaper but never seemed to be much demand. Guessing there was just more demand for the lever as it was more of a classic look??? Even those have of course lost a lot of the demand do to cost. That action is a lot more expensive to make than blow back auto. Many got to see and hear what happened when some tried to "cheap out" on some to get the price point down. Too many got a rifle that did not work well. Now if gun owners manage to get the autos totally done away with? I am sure there would be a HUGE increase in demand for the levers and possibly the pumps. If I live long enough to see the auto's done away with I would sure want a couple.

 

[KKG]

Colt made the first ones and they were even made in things like the .45-85-285 which was owned by a Cousin. I can't say I'm impressed by the new ones at all.

I do have a Nickel Plated Rossi in .22 S, L, & LR, that I have yet to fire. It's marked Mod 62A which figures since it's a copy of the Winchester Model 62A - a John M. Browning design. We are currently house hunting but maybe I will get a chance to try it before the move - we're still looking. Not as sweet as the Winchester but it doesn't look bad.

 

[Ownerus]

While a little more industrial looking and not as pretty as the Colt, there is (rather was) the IMI Timberwolf.

 

[41mag]

Then demand. These never seemed to catch on.

IMO the real problem was 'failure to be reliable'. There was tremendous interest and a herd of clones by a handful of different makers produced in the mid & late 1990s. There were a couple specialized 'smiths that could fine tune 'em but IIRC there were a couple glitches that couldn't be overcome. Different enough from the rimfire design, the best working of the genre' I knew of at the time was the original Winchester 32-20. Even the 44-40 models by American Western Arms out of Florida seemed to work marginally better than the straight wall cases.

Without dragging up sad memories of unrequited cowboy dreams, you can believe IF reliability issues had been solved by ANY of the makers, they would have sold a TON of each caliber instantly.

I just recently dismounted my set of dummy rounds I built of exact weight/length/all dimensional SSAMI special, for practice purposes.

Even those perfect rounds and under calm measured operation, the
entire setup was doomed to erratic Lightning function.

Probably you can go back into SASS youtube videos of the era & see some of the slickest action in those few who did get them to run.
On the other hand, with considerably less effort & hugely more reliability, the 1873 clone lever guns & properly tuned 1895 Marlins were the ones taking home the prizes.

ETA: after 4 return trips to the AWA maker, they had mine running & it was 'scary fast'...then it & a clutch of my match guns were stolen. If anyone runs across a 45LC AWA Lightning that actually works, call the sheriff because it probably was mine.

 

[Alexx1401]

IMO the real problem was 'failure to be reliable'. There was tremendous interest and a herd of clones by a handful of different makers produced in the mid & late 1990s. There were a couple specialized 'smiths that could fine tune 'em but IIRC there were a couple glitches that couldn't be overcome. Different enough from the rimfire design, the best working of the genre' I knew of at the time was the original Winchester 32-20. Even the 44-40 models by American Western Arms out of Florida seemed to work marginally better than the straight wall cases.

Without dragging up sad memories of unrequited cowboy dreams, you can believe IF reliability issues had been solved by ANY of the makers, they would have sold a TON of each caliber instantly.

I just recently dismounted my set of dummy rounds I built of exact weight/length/all dimensional SSAMI special, for practice purposes.

Even those perfect rounds and under calm measured operation, the
entire setup was doomed to erratic Lightning function.

Probably you can go back into SASS youtube videos of the era & see some of the slickest action in those few who did get them to run.
On the other hand, with considerably less effort & hugely more reliability, the 1873 clone lever guns & properly tuned 1895 Marlins were the ones taking home the prizes.

Damn what a shame. That would put a damper on the design alright. If it was that hard to make it even marginal the cost of making one really good would just make it way too much since mass manufacture would still need a crap load of hand fitting. Guess if we lose our autos it will be levers for me!!

 

[CountryGent]

Oh my ... that looks like fun.

 

[partsed]

I stumbled upon the Taurus Thunderbolt while surfing their website and thought it would be cool to own one.

 

[Argonaut]

Wait for Browning to remake one........I don't buy there Oriental guns but they really do know how to make them right.

 

[edzz]

Then there was the Israel Military Industries Timber Wolf .357 magnum pump action rifle introduced in '89.

 

[Member 34319]

Then there was the Israel Military Industries Timber Wolf .357 magnum pump action rifle introduced in '89.

Awesome, looks more like a Remington 870 action miniaturized than a lever action made to run with a slide.

I think in digging this model more than any of the side feds.

 

[Member 34319]

Cool!

 

[Kruel J]

Those do look like a lot of fun!

 

[41mag]

check out Pedersoli version