Designed along the lines of the classic Colt 1877 double-action revolver with its distinctive birds head grip--the '77 Colt model was a favorite with such Old West characters as Billy the Kid, John Wesley Hardin and lady outlaws Calamity Jane and Pearl Hart. Cimarron has improved this handsome small-framed revolver by maintaining the grace and beauty of the 19th century model, but in a much more reliable and durable sixgun than the 19th century model. Colt's early '77 double actions suffered from too many complicated and fragile internal mechanisms, but Cimarron's single-action Lightning, designed by Cimarron's founder and president Mike B. Harvey and manufactured to their superior level of finish and strength, offers the modern shooter the looks and heft of the 19th century Lightnings, with single-action simplicity and 21st century reliability.