Taurus Thunderbolt .45 Colt Pump Action Rifle

The sample rifle has a handsome wood buttstock and forearm, with checkering on the latter. The bluing is a deep black, with the metal well-polished. The fit and finish on the rifle are excellent. The buttstock wears a very good-looking curved steel buttplate.  It leaves the shooter the opportunity to fashion the notch to his own desires.

The trim barrel measures twenty-six inches long, and is just over five-eighths of an inch diameter at the muzzle.  I really like the way that the Thunderbolt handles.  It is an easy rifle to shoot, and recoil is minimal.

I shot the Thunderbolt with a variety of ammunition, from light Black Hills Cowboy loads, to handloads using 200 grain .45 ACP wadcutters, 250 grain Keith semi-cutters, and jacketed hollowpoints.  It was just an attempt to test the limits of cartridge length in this rifle. All of the normal .45 Colt ammo functioned perfectly, including the hollowpoints and wadcutters.

There are a couple or three replica Colt Lightings on the market now. I have fired the USFA Lightning, and it was just as accurate as the Taurus.  The USFA lists at $1480, and the Taurus currently lists for just $475.

For the Cowboy Action shooters, the main competition for the Thunderbolt will be the various lever action rifles currently available. I love lever action rifles. The action stroke on the Thunderbolt is very short; only two inches, straight back and straight forward.  The shooter’s trigger finger stays inside the trigger guard, and the hand never releases its grip on the rifle. A shooter can very quickly empty the rifle this way. At close range, it is a lot of fun!