My LGS has a Colt DS in great condition....it has the shrouded barrel, in 38spl, etc. They're asking $699. Should I? I know these are getting harder to find. I'm thinking up picking up s good quality snubby. Any other options you'd suggest?


Thanks

Love the Detective Special, but.....is it difficult to get them "smithed" if need be?

Parts available?

They sure are handsome guns, though.

Keeping posted to see what others think.....

Assuming you are in the market and the gun is in good condition that is a reasonable price, at least in CA. I own three, a very old one, a middle-aged one and a relatively new (like the one you are looking at) one. The new one was my carry gun for quite some time.

You didn't say whether it was blue or nickel. Blued price is not bad. Nickel price is great! Nickel always seems to command a higher premium. I wouldn't take less than a $1000 for this one.

Circa 1976

There are numerous generations of a DS depending upon when they were made, and all are priced differently. $699 would be super for a pre-war DS. Not so great for a post-war version, at least some of them. I recently bought a ca. 1960 version in .38 Special in great condition for $525 OTD. The really valuable ones are those chambered in .38 S&W, and those in .32 Long are also worth a premium. I personally would have no interest in one with a shrouded barrel at that price. I passed up one of those LNIB and nickeled for $875 about 3 months ago. I was tempted, but not at that price.

No one is ever going to build a Colt DS, they are functional history. If you love snubbies they are required acquiring! In new condition $700.00 for a 3rd generation is a reasonable price!

The strange thing about a DS "generation" is that many collectors have differing ideas as to what a "generation" is. I have seen numbers between three and seven generations of the DS put forth. To me, the classic DS is any generation before the barrel shroud and the short grip were used.

I purchased a one owner "4th gen" DS a couple years ago for $600.00. I was told then I over paid. Today, I am still happy I purchased it at that price.

I don't think it's a bad price. It isn't a really good price BUT, as they will never be made again, I think that it's a price that I would be willing to pay. Yes, there are fewer and fewer qualified smiths to service them if they need work but, again, as long as a user takes care of them, doesn't abuse them by rough handling, and doesn't stress them too much, they shouldn't need to be serviced too much. I have an "Official Police" that was made sometime in the early fifties that has quite a few rounds through it and it is as tight as it was when it came off the production line... So, that particular issue, while valid, may NOT necessarily occur. Buy it. Enjoy it. It is a fine revolver and they will never be made again....

Most people will never come close to putting enough rounds through a DS to cause any significant mechanical wear problems. All of those I have seen have been carried far more than they've been shot. I passed up a heavily used and banged-up DS with barrel shroud at $450 a year or so ago, but it was otherwise very tight and in time. If the seller would have dropped his price to $375, I'd have made the buy.

$700 is lower end price of a collector 98% DS. For that money it should come with an appropriate box in good cond. Since it's a shrouded barrel they're "supposed to be" O.K. with +P if you're fond of that load and intend to carry the gun. Even then a steady diet of +P is not recommended. The DS/Cobra/Agent has had the "short butt" since '66. Those type grips are much easier to find than the "long butt" grips should you want replacements. Timing is all important on these guns and the tests for timing on a Colt are different than S&W tests. If you're unfamiliar with Colt test go the Colt Forum and check out their sticky on the subject.
Parts for these guns are hard to come by. It's to the point some parts are being rough manufactured by skilled hobbiest machinists and once you buy the part you need to find a gunsmith very familiar with Colts to install it.
I realty like the DS format and carry an agent or Cobra regularly.
The only DS I have now is on the lower right of pic. The others are 2 Cobras and 1 Agents. The gun on the upper right is a well finish challenged Cobra I got 2 weeks ago for $155. Lockup on all these guns is perfect, though they range in finish quality the DS being about 96.6786%.

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SOS USA

The answer here is usually "yes."

If you want to have a Colt DS to admire and handle (and say you have one), it's unlikely that their prices are going to go down.

If you're looking for a CCW revolver, your money may be better spent elsewhere.

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Because of the metric system?

What Pete said. If you collect, go for it, but first, see if the LGS' price is flexible. If you're looking to carry, move on down the showcase.

I would have no hesitation to carry a DS concealed. But I don't, one reason being that if I ever had to use it, it would likely be taken by the police, and I might have a tough time getting it returned.

It will certainly do the job. I'm lucky enough to have a DS and Cobra in mint condition, but I also have a '62 Cobra that has a lot of miles on it. I've carried it a good bit, no hesitation there, but I wouldn't carry one of the nicer ones unless I had no other options.

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Because of the metric system?

I ran across a fairly nice Cobra last gun show. Some lady was carrying it around trying to sell it from table to table for $1000. I looked at it and told her that if she lowered her price to $500-$600 she would be more likely to get a buyer fairly quickly, but she insisted that someone told her it was worth $1000, and that was what she would sell it for. When I left she still had it.

I only have 2 Colts in my collection, an AR-15 (CRE-18), and my Detective Special - here compared to a Model 649-0. I still wonder how S&W is unable to manufacture a similar sized revolver.

Regards,

Dave

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Thanks all,

You've all given me a lot of good info to think about. The Colt DS is in fantastic condition, so I'd be apprehensive about carrying it every day and wearing on the finish. That being said, I'd still love to have it. I'm not a big collector so I'm wondering if I'd be better off getting a nice 686 S&W instead. I don't think I'd want to pay $700 for a safe queen, I'd like it to be available in case the wife needed to access it.

Any thoughts?
Many thanks.

If you want it then yes. I got a '67 DS last fall for $600.00. Great revolver and my first Colt.

Now my Chief is no longer lonely.

Keeping it in top condition and using it are not mutually exclusive. If you handle it gently and keep it cleaned and waxed, it will maintain its appearance indefinitely. Maybe not so much if you plan to use it for daily carry instead of carrying it in a pistol rug and shooting it every now and then.

I usually carry a pair of J-frames - big believer in the New York Reload. Rather than a Model 686, I'd go with a K-frame in .38 Special, and then carry the Colt DS as a back-up - big reason for that is the speedloaders for the K-frame should also fit the Colt.

Good luck,

Dave

Not quite. The D frame Colt's use a slightly smaller size.

Most of the DS's I've come across look good, but are often well worn mechanically.

Most of the Cobras I've found to be in great shape mechanically but with heavy holster wear.

I entertained getting one for some time but found a like new 649 instead.

She's not alone... Changing the subject slightly, a gal at a show in '14 had a NIB Agent with exposed ejector rod for $700. I was mildly tempted, but if I have to worry about shooting and carrying what is today considered to be a collector's item, why bother?


Kaaskop49
Shield 5103

Love the Colt DS! But, I must admit, I'll never carry it as an EDC. It's just one of those "I have to have" guns. Especially, for a fan of snubbies. Mine is a beautiful mint '67 DS that I found years ago. I've fired about 100 rounds or so through it, just to make sure that it does the job for which it was built. And, it does that just fine. Buttery! The only action it sees anymore is the occassional fondling when I pull it from the safe, that accompanies the drift into a daydream that takes place in a bygone era.

Like others have implied... Don't expect the price for a DS to ever move in a southern direction. If you decide to buy it and ever did need to call it into action, it should serve you, or the Mrs., just fine. Good luck!

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Unless you are throwing it on the ground, you can still keep it's value while shooting it occasionally. Carrying it will give the majority of finish wear. It will serve well as a drawer gun for the house.

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Because of the metric system?

Cobras were introduced in '50-'51 and were the first of the "Snake" Colts. They're sought after now by people wanting to round out their Snake collection. Agent came out in '55 and ran to '61 in the first short butt style. It had a short butt with rounded corners unlike the following short butt guns. There after Agents took on same frame/butt as Cobras. The earlier Agents are very "collectible".
What surprises me is the interest now in .32 DS style revolvers. I had a couple chambered in .32, one of which was reamed to .32 H&R mag.. 8-10 yrs ago you couldn't give away a .32 DS style gun, now they command big bucks. Smith .32 J Frames the same way.
People are paying big bucks for guns that a true collector wouldn't touch for the money. It's all about the money now and that's ruined the revolver market. I now see HB Mod 10 Smiths that are obvious ex police guns for asking prices of $500.

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SOS USA

I own a pair, one nickel, and another in blue. I found a set of used stocks and had them finished for the blue one.

'74 and '68. I carry the '74 almost every day. In my area, that's a fair price.

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My latest EDC is a 1972 Colt Detective Special that I bought at a local gun show for $370 out the door. It was obviously carried a lot and shot very, very little. The lockup is factory new. I had been looking for one for a long time, and this is the first one I had seen "in person" for sale is maybe twenty years. I was and am delighted to give it a new, warm, caring home. Colt rates it for limited +P usage, its new carry ration.

...just to give you an idea what is lurking out there. The same dealer had just taken in a 1975 Detective Special in excellent nickel finish with really good, full coverage, non-factory engraving. The action was clean and factory tight. I was sorely tempted for $800 but resisted.

You'll forgive the slight hijack here, but I wanted to take advantage of what seems to be some knowledgeable people on this subject: where does the three-inch DS fall in values? More desirable, less?

This one is in good condition and those obviously aren't the factory stocks, but I am curious about it and rarely see the DS with the longer barrel mentioned.

My opinion only, and we all know what opinions are worth. 3" DS's are bringing (or at least asking for) 40-50% more than the 2"er in the same condition. The LNIB 3" DS's do bring as much as twice the price of a similar 2". Does your gun have a long or short butt? What year was yours made and what overall condition would you rate it?

Jim

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SOS USA

A Cobra for $155?

Got this one for $200 but that was almost 20 years ago from a retiring police Capt.



Fellow forum member wheelgun28 and I ran into 2 DS's that were in a local gunshop. One was a Masback Trophy gun given to an academy graduate from NYPD circa 1968.
I went back about 2 weeks later and both were gone.

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Sure you did

I encounter one of similar vintage recently in very good shape with original stocks, it was priced $850.

I am afraid I don't know enough about the subject to tell you about the butt, but the serial number is C444XX.

That would make it '73 production. "Short butt". I'll look around and see if it makes any difference to value. What would you consider overall mechanical/appearance condition?

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SOS USA

[I really should apologize to the OP for getting so far afield]

I am no judge, but I would rate it good to very good. The action is nice and crisp but there are some wear spots on the bluing, principally the cylinder. I don't have the box, but do have the original stocks.

"8-10 yrs ago you couldn't give away a .32 DS style gun, now they command big bucks."

Have you seen the prices being asked for a DS in .38 NP (.38 S&W)?

Yes, I'm not a collector, I couldn't dream of spending money on something I couldn't carry. Lack of funds comes with my retirement. It's crazy ain't it. I know they made .22 Cobra 3" guns that are pricey too.

Here's some GB'er links to 3" DS's. Give some idea of pricing.

GunBroker.com - Error
Colt Detective Special 3" Great Condition With box : Revolvers at GunBroker.com
Restored Colt Detective Special 3-Inch Barrel Blue : Revolvers at GunBroker.com

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SOS USA

Please see entries #22 and #23, above - I'm not trying to be argumentative, but at least with the Safariland Comp II speedloaders, the same one I use for my K-frames does fit and function with my Colt Detective Special. See photos - #1 shows the loaded Safariland Comp II speedloader along with my Model 65-3, and the Colt DS. #2 shows how the Comp II works as expected in the Model 65-3. #3 shows the same Comp II speedloader feeding the Colt DS. I assure you, no Photoshop or Jedi Mind Tricks were used here.

Regards,

Dave

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	Speedloader 3.jpg (28.6 KB, 20 views)

Sure. I use HKS. Different size.

About six years ago I found this lonely ignored '52 Cobra in a Sports/gun store for $300. I got it for $250 and they threw in a lefty Bianchi holster (but pictured here with rare uncatalogued Berns-Martin IWB holster). I added the T-grip, then a couple months ago stags. It was apparently always carried but rarely shot. People just ignored it for a couple weeks looking at all the black plastic squirt guns instead.