In this episode, we'll take a look at the Colt Burgess lever action rifle. We'll also put the debate about whether Colt agreed to stop producing lever actions if Winchester stayed out of the revolver market.
Facinating history lesson. I never knew of this. I guess in the good ol days you could make executive decisions with a gentleman's agreement and not a room full of lawyers. Imagine that ...
What a great old rifle from the Cody Show. I have managed to get 3 old 73's together here in Australia. It makes me so envious that there are these wonderful old guns still out there. A nice addition to the collection Mark, well done!
I had a Uberti replica Burgess I acquired through Taylors & Co in .45 Colt. I don't know if it was the .45 Colt cartridge or what, but I could never get it to run right. I never could finish a stage with it at a cowboy match, so I sent it back to Taylor & Co twice. Their gunsmith said he couldn't find anything wrong with it and it worked fine for him. He advised I may be trying to run it too fast however I'm not the fastest cowboy on the block so I know it wasn't me. The third time I sent it back, Taylor & Co offered to swap it out for a Uberti 1873 rifle so I agreed and had no trouble with the 1873. I now shoot a replica of the Colt Lightning and have no trouble at all with it. I really did like the Burgess however and it was a pretty replica of the rifle. I just couldn't get it to keep working.
That's a shame. I'd seen that they were making a reproduction Burgess and wondered if they were any good. I would have liked to tried to get it running. It's great to hear that you're using a Lightning in cowboy action. My friend Eldon Penner used to shoot cowboy action with Lightnings and slick them up for others.
That was a great bit of insight. It is but a snapshot into what most of us overlook when talking about historical events or politics...and that it appears there is always a delicate, subtle, yet powerful element of communication and social nuances in these high-up circles of 'movers and shakers'.
Great video as usual! About 10 years ago at the Tulsa gun show, a fellow had a table with nothing but Colt Burgess rifles on it. First time for me to see one and wondered why such a good looking rifle was so obscure. Now I know the rest of the story!😊 Thanks.
I think I probably saw the same guy with a table full of them at a show in Las Vegas. He even had a half octagon and a nickel-plated carbine. I couldn't afford any of them, but I sure enjoyed looking at them.
Very interesting video on the Colt Burgess. I didn’t know much about them before. If you’re ever in Southern California I would be happy to let you try out several of my exceptional Marlin Ballard rifles. One is even pictured in John Dutcher’s book, “Ballard, The Great American Single Shot Rifle”.
Another great video Mark. Other great designs out there other than just Winchester. Marlin made some great rifles too. Thanks for the lesson on the Burgess.
I’ve always liked the odd ball stuff in a lot of things. When I came across an article on Burgess I learned about his rifle design, described as stronger then the 1873. I bought a Burgess and a Lightning, both reproductions, because they were different from the 73, 92, 94 and 86 lever guns I have. And thanks again for another great video Mark. I can never get enough of what you do. Peace.
It's really nice to see a fine old model like this Burgess still doing as it was designed to do. Thank you for giving us the vicarious opportunity to get in a bit of 'range time' and a good bit of understanding, too. If you ever come across a Kennedy or a Robinson, you'll be certain to have my (as always), undivided attention.
Thanks for letting us know the rest of the story. Paul Harvey would have been proud. Always love hearing about the history of the development of the old lever guns. Thanks for taking the time to pass it on.
Very cool, slick little gun. Have always thought it was a superior design to the Winchester 73. I think Winchester knew it and made a deal with Colt to bury its manufacture. Thanks very much for sharing, great video!
That is a neat design. Thanks for the peek inside. It does seem superior to the Winchesters of the day both in strength and efficiency (size). Great Paul Harvey impersonation, by the way!
That is one neat old rifle! Never seen the inside of one! Always wondered how they worked. Thank you for the great video! Your lucky! Would love to shoot one of those some day! Thank you for posting!
Those are great little rifles. I don't know for sure whether Burgess directly designed them. If not, their design was certainly influenced by his earlier design work for Marlin. Thanks for watching.
Thank you Mark. An educational and highly entertaining video. It always seemed strange to me that John Browning could have been so far ahead of other gun designers as his legend suggests. Andrew Burgess’s work fills a gap in my knowledge.
William Mason was another talented gun designer of the time. He was involved in designing Colt's single action army and early Colt double actions. He then went to work for Winchester where he refined Browning's prototypes. He turned them from rather spartan, but functional concepts into the classic Winchesters we know.
Very interesting video as they all are, interesting design does remind me a bit of the early Marlins. Had they continued production I suspect it would have been real competition for Winchester.
I agree. It's too bad they didn't continue with them. I'd also have liked to have seen how Winchester's revolvers would have done. They were pretty impressive as well.
I have long been curious why Colt and Winchester maintained their separate lines with rifles and pistols but never knew the back story. Very interesting history lesson which explains it very well. Thanks for shareing that!! Love your videos, they are a wealth of knowledge!!
Mark, I have to be honest with myself and tell you, I’m just always feeling disappointed after watching each of your videos. I’m so very disappointed that it’s over, disappointed there isn’t another new one and, disappointed I have to wait to see another interesting episode on the cinnabar. Now go get back to work and keep up you great work!!!
Sorry to disappoint you.😉 I admit I was feeling pretty bad when I started reading your post. Thanks a bunch for watching the channel. Life gets in the way of filming at times, but I'll do my best to post more often.
It's really good to see a new video, I look all the time. Your knowledge and expertise on older firearms is extraordinary. I love to see you shoot the old levers. Hopefully I won't have to wait as long for the next one. By the way is your shoulder healed?
Thanks so much for being a dedicated viewer, Lloyd. I've had trouble finding the time to do much filming lately, but I've got a couple more in the works. Keep an eye out.
Thank you well done as always.I was at a Harrisburg Pa gunshow a few years ago and there was a fellow walking a levergun around for sale. I studied it from a distance for a while. Eventually I went up and asked him about it. He show we’d me the rifle with pride relaying the “ gentleman’s agreement” story. Only one I have ever seen. Any more thoughts on having cabins or RV spots for a week of new friends and old guns?
You might have a source in mind but this might be an option. Years ago I needed a stock for a rare old rifle and finally came across one from a dealer in Yuba City, Ca.. He was good enough to ship it to me in bush Alaska. I believe there was only one listing in Yuba City for rifle stocks.
Those are interesting old rifles I thought those were always pretty cool looking. I agree that it is a better or stronger design looks like it takes down pretty easy.
love the blanket table cover and work bench carpet... so was it the win86 from JMB which really closed off the chance for this to catch on for its status as greatly improved toggle?
Thanks David! Colt had already pulled the plug on the Burgess before the 1886 was introduced. I think the toggle link would have been at the end of it use anyway, though. Firearms design was progressing rapidly at that time.
Amazing what can be accomplished by two business people without lawyers that only relied on their word to one another even if only by a wink and a nod. These days there would be threats and lawyers and hostile stock buys. Nice old rifle
The Colt Burgess toggle link is significantly beefier and stronger than the Winchester design. The original Winchester links are really pretty weak. I'd estimate that 20-25% of the '66s and '73s that come into the shop have cracked links. I think the only way you could crack a Burgess link would be with an excessive overcharge, and even then, I think something else would fail before the toggle link. I'm sure the modern reproduction Winchester links are much stronger because they're made from superior materials.
Excellent video, I want to ask you , do you ever give opinions on the Italian reproduction lever guns? I think about grabbing the Uberti version of the Burgess,..
@@usualsuspect5173 somewhat rough internals with michine marks but functional. No 1873 or 66 in smoothness and it's rare to even see a uberti burgess. As a shooter it's worth it. Not something many have ever seen.
1967. I was stationed at Forbes AFB , Topeka Kansas. A gun shop had bought a lever action rifle collection. The owner had passed and the wife sold it. There had to be a couple of hundred rifles. Stacked in the shop, ran out of space behind the counter. Stacked in the aisle four deep. I picked up what , I think, wasva " 73" Octagon barrel, cresent butt.....$ 35 ....All of them had a price of $:35. When I returned to buy one, a month later. Every one was gone. I think about the rifle I picked up might have been an " 86". It weighed about 9 pounds. I didn't know much about lever actions. I wonder what other brand rifles might have been in that collection
