Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! This Colt Model 1877 Lightning carries the unusual distinction of being marked “POLICE OF HAWAII”—making it one of the few American firearms that served both a kingdom and a territory. Shipped to Colt’s San Francisco Agency on November 14, 1899, this .38 caliber double-action revolver arrived just as Hawaii was shifting from an independent republic to U.S. territory. The Model 1877 Lightning was Colt’s first “successful” double-action revolver, featuring a complex clockwork mechanism that earned it the nickname “the gunsmith’s friend” for its tendency to break down when abused with smokeless powder loads. Despite mechanical fragility, the Lightning’s smooth double-action trigger made it popular with police departments that needed fast repeat shots without manually cocking the hammer.
The Hawaiian service timing makes this revolver historically fascinating. By 1899, the Hawaiian Kingdom had been overthrown (1893), briefly existed as the Republic of Hawaii (1894-1898), and was finally annexed by the United States in July 1898. This Lightning likely armed Hawaiian police during those chaotic final months of territorial organization when American law was being imposed on a Pacific kingdom. The hand-engraved “POLICE OF HAWAII” marking on the backstrap, done in factory style according to expert analysis, suggests this was an official police purchase rather than individual ownership. Hawaiian police forces were modernizing their equipment to match mainland American standards, replacing whatever mixture of weapons they’d previously carried.
Hawaii’s strategic location made it a crucial Pacific outpost. Proper law enforcement equipment was essential for maintaining order among the diverse population of native Hawaiians, American settlers, Asian immigrants, and transient sailors. Honolulu’s waterfront was rough territory—drunken sailors, smugglers, and the usual port city criminal element. This Lightning represents American authority extending across the Pacific—one revolver at a time. Hawaiian cops traded whatever they’d been carrying for modern American double-action revolvers that could fire fast and reload faster.
Today this Colt serves as a tangible link to Hawaii’s complex transition from Polynesian kingdom to American territory.
“Hawaiian Police Marked Colt Model 1877 Lightning Revolver.” Rock Island Auction Company, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/5012/58/hawaiian-police-marked-colt-model-1877-lightning-revolver. Accessed 23 June 2025.
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