Old is New Again
By Billy H
There was a day in modern law enforcement circles where an officer felt well armed with a 5 or 6 shot revolver and a few spare bullets on the belt. Far longer than police officers have been carrying semi-automatics, officers have been serving communities with distinction and these wheel guns were the trusted tools of choice to defend the beat.
When I started my law-enforcement career in the latter part of the 80’s, police departments were well on their way to issuing high-capacity wonder guns that were an advance over the restricted capacity of the issued side-arm that had been the steadfast companion in a cops holster for multiple centuries.
In the rough law enforcement town that I came up in, there was a group of old time detectives that were members of what was then called the 2 ½” Club. No doubt this name provoked a multitude of jokes unrelated to the true reason for the club name. The 2 ½” Club was a group of law enforcement officers, mostly seasoned Detectives, who qualified regularly, and at an expert level, with to a 2 ½” or less revolvers. From 25 yards to about 3 feet, these Officers were noted for regularly shooting a score far above those with semiautomatic pistols. Many of the Detectives carried J-framed five shot Chief Specials and some carried 2 ½” K frames in one configuration or another. A few of them owned and revered a shiny blue piece of carbon steel with elegant lines that had the advantage of one additional round of ammunition over a J-Frame. This was the Cold “Detective” Special.
First introduced in 1927, the Colt Detective Special was one of the first truly successful short barreled, swing-out cylinder revolvers that was mass-produced primarily for law enforcement and home defense. Early models of this pistol adorned the pockets of big city detectives and eventually federal agents nationwide. Today, seeing one of these pistols still in service is usually regulated to the fact that it had been passed down within a law enforcement family and now someone was carrying it as a backup gun or allowing such a piece to ride around in the glove box of the pickup truck should the odd varmint come along that needs to be dispatched. Those that have them, love them, and when seen by astute professionals, they are still a respected tool of the trade in Law Enforcement circles.
As the nation has seen an increase in the concealed weapons carrying, a trend of new improved and handy revolvers have sprung up. Today’s current Smith & Wesson online catalog lists no less than 50 different configurations of 2 ½” or less revolvers in calibers from 22 to 45. It would appear the 2 ½” Club is alive and well.
Many still believe that the finest example of 2 ½” was the D- Frame Detective Special. For those who have carried and shot them, the Detective Special was, not without it's detractors. The most criticized portion of the design, thefront sight, would easily disappear, gray-out against the target, thus rendering the site picture difficult to acquire. Other complaints included sharp edges, especially around the hammer and a trigger stroke that was stiff and long. This got me to wonder what a modern design of the Detective Special would look like.
Thank God there are men like Bill Laughridge from Cylinder and Slide, and a few other talented gunsmiths, who don’t have to leave you in wonderland about just such a pistol. Bill and his Crew in Fremont Nebraska know how to improve upon a design. They can take a solid work horse of a pistol and turn it into a modern masterpiece suitable for any personal defense inventory.
I recently had the opportunity to send Laughridge a “Dick Special” that was a 1994 production run from Colt. I was relatively specific about what it was that I wanted, but also flexible enough to respect the knowledge of the given gunsmiths that Laughridge employs. My request was simple: improve the trigger, improve the sights, and remove the razor like factory edges that are found on a pistol that so often marks it's owner while performing reloads. What I got back was nothing short of phenomenal.
About a week into the project, I received a call from one of Bill’s gunsmiths who explained that my request for a serrated front sight with a simple white insert would not be an adequate fix for my aging eyes. He explained to me that the angle of the front sight in relation to the rear sight notch would not facilitate a proper sight picture and the degree of improvement would be nominal. What he suggested was the removal of the existing front sight ramp and the installation of a dove tail mounted serrated ramp front sight with whatever type of insert I desired. After short discussion I opted for simple white dot. I know that with modern firearms today night sights are all the rage and the current crop of fiber-optic front sight tubes provides an improved sight picture, but hoping that this modification would retain some of the traditional lines, I opted for the simplistic. The result was a front sight that was fast to acquire and coupled with the wider rear sight notch, a flash site picture was effortlessly accomplished. Other improvements in the sights included the Parkerizing of the top strap and barrel with a dull finish. With these simple improvements, a non glare sight picture was insured.
Unique to the Colt design is a "bank-vault" lockup with the trigger and cylinder functioning to insure the shot is fired at full lock-up. Cylinder and Slide is one of the few remaining institutions that understands the importance of the trigger action as it applies to this lockup. Unlike the Smith & Wesson design that allows a shooter to stage the trigger before ignition, the stroke of the trigger on the D Frame Colt is a consistent pull that results in a shot being broken at full alignment of the cylinder hole and barrel alignment. A glossy, consistent trigger pull for this operation is a must. What started as a 13 pound double action pull returned as a decisive 10 pound trigger. It was void of any irregular areas in the take up of the trigger that are common with a factory DA revolver. The noticeable differences in the stroke of the trigger made holding the white dot front sight straightforward. “Front Sight, stroke, bang!” The single action pull was crisp and returned at about 3 pounds, having previously been a bit rigid and 4 pounds. I’ve felt lighter, but this being a duty gun, I stuck with a Standard Action Job and it has proven to be all this Investigator needs.
Bill and his crew took the right angles off of the trigger edges and polished i'ts face to help further facilitate double action trigger work. Thisalso took care of any chance of finger bite that sometimes accompanies small DA revolvers. Like all pistols, triggers make or break good shooting. Bill and his crew have taken what was an average factory trigger and produced a superb configuration that best facilitates true double action defensive pistol work.
The only other significant improvement that related to accuracy for this short wheel gun was that the barrel crown cut to 11 degrees. Many would tell you that such a modification is not necessary at the distances in which a belly gun would be employed. Having investigated several shooting in my 21 plus year law enforcement career, I have learned one thing; you seldom get a chance to pick the fight. If you could, you would have much more than a handgun. Should you want to make an “x-ring” shot, why not have a pistol that will hold such a group? The accompanying photographs are proof positive that this modification is worth the effort.
With all sharp edges removed from the pistol and the charging holes of the cylinder chamfered for easy reloads, what was once a right angled, to some extent sharp instrument, has become a comfortable work of beauty, still retaining the traditional lines that make the Colt Detective Special a known for.
Finishing out the pistol is a pair of Walnut Boot Grips Spegel Boot Grips. This is a classic design that is an improvement in two piece hard rubber grips that came from the Colt factory. I find that the Colt grips would bite my shooting hand finger that rests under the trigger guard. The design and flexibility of the rubber cause the grip panels to move apart. Besides, “Blue Steal and Gun Leather” look all the better with find wood stocks.
The proof of the work is found at the range. Bill’s crew did not disappoint as the 148 grain and 125 +p shoots demonstrate. This little Colt is a Mustang in accuracy department and were my eyes better than what they are, you would see better than this.
I wasn’t old enough at the time to be a member of the 2 ½” Club. Today I look back on those men and understand that we owe a debt of gratitude to them that we may never be able to repay. Many of them have passed on, some from cancer, others just from time. None of them ever passed because of being outgunned. Have read and heard about more than one crook that tangled with members of this club, I know from official police reports that those crooks could not say the same.
Old is New Again -a cleaned up Colt Det Spec
It is a great story. Thank you for sharing it.
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