The Colt Model 1877 is the revolver most associated with the bird’s-head grip — a small, compact grip that was easier to conceal and easier for shooters with average-to-small hands to shoot. In the Old West, short-barrel bird’s-head revolvers were carried concealed and used as backup guns, while long-barrel versions were carried openly. Most of us know the Model 1877 as either the Thunderer, Lightning, or Rainmaker. Colt never actually catalogued the Model 1877 under those names. One of Colt’s distributors at the time used a little marketing pizzazz, and the names unofficially stuck. The difference between the revolvers is caliber. The Thunderer was chambered in 41 Long Colt, the Lightning in 38 Long Colt, and the Rainmaker in 32 Long Colt. Some of the Old West’s most famous gunfighters, including John Wesley Hardin, Billy the Kid, and Doc Holliday, carried a Thunderer.
