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Old 07-31-2018, 03:12 PM
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Good afternoon! I wish it were a Smith, but it's not.

I have the opportunity to purchase a 1913 vintage Colt Police Positive. The barrel is marked 32 Colt, but it doesn't say whether it is 32: Short, Long, or New Police. The owner is not a gun person and they are clueless. I called Colt CS, and they feel it would be chambered for the New Police round. Any idea which round this revolver fires?

Thanks in advance!
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Old 07-31-2018, 04:08 PM
robertrwalsh robertrwalsh is offline
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IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY it is the same shell case as the .32 S&W long, though the factory load bullet was very slightly different from one to the other.
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Old 07-31-2018, 04:16 PM
kcwheel kcwheel is offline
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I believe it would be marked 32 New Police if that were the case. It is probably a 32 Long Colt. This is a smaller diameter cartridge. Look in the chambers and if it has a shoulder in the chamber, it is NP. Bored straight through is a LC.
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Old 07-31-2018, 04:47 PM
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I don’t think the Police Positive was ever chambered for the .32 New Police (the Police Positive Special/Detective Special were).

So yours should say .32 Colt on the barrel and be .32 (long) Colt, which is a bit smaller in circumference than .32 S&W, although I think it’s the same case length. The .32 Short will thus also fit.

Last edited by Absalom; 07-31-2018 at 05:16 PM.
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Old 07-31-2018, 05:55 PM
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The Colt Police Positive was chambered in both the .32 Colt and the .32 Colt New Police cartridges (also the .38 Colt New Police, like the .38 S&W). The two .32s are not the same and not interchangeable. At least the earlier PPs were chambered in both. The .32 Colt New Police was basically identical to the .32 S&W Long, but it had a flat pointed lead bullet. The .32 Colt cartridge is long obsolete, and is essentially in the realm of the cartridge collector today. It has a smaller diameter than the .32 Colt New Police, therefore the .32 NP or .32 S&W/S&W Long cannot be used in revolvers chambered for the .32 Colt. If the Colt PP has a caliber stamping of .32 Colt, I would not buy it if you are intending to use it for shooting purposes as you will probably never be able to find shootable quantities of ammunition for it at a reasonable price.

Last edited by DWalt; 07-31-2018 at 06:02 PM.
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Old 07-31-2018, 07:33 PM
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Originally Posted by DWalt View Post
The Colt Police Positive was chambered in both the .32 Colt and the .32 Colt New Police cartridges (also the .38 Colt New Police, like the .38 S&W). The two .32s are not the same and not interchangeable. At least the earlier PPs were chambered in both. .....
Indeed. I stand corrected. Perusing what's on offer, the PP in .32 Colt is actually quite uncommon. More PP's seem to have been chambered in .32 New Police (which would make sense as the successor model to the Colt New Police which introduced that round). They are, however, clearly distinguishable by the barrel marking "32 Police".
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Old 07-31-2018, 07:35 PM
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I wonder what the bore size is on the .32 Long Colt vs the .32 Colt New Police? Does the .32 Long Colt use a heeled bullet? Might be able to re-chamber to .32 new Police AKA .32 S&W Long.
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Old 08-01-2018, 01:45 AM
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I wonder what the bore size is on the .32 Long Colt vs the .32 Colt New Police? Does the .32 Long Colt use a heeled bullet? Might be able to re-chamber to .32 new Police AKA .32 S&W Long.
The .32 Colt (Long Colt) did use a heeled bullet of .311" diameter initially. Late in its life, it was changed to use an inside lubricated bullet of .299" diameter. The .32 S&W/.32 S&W Long case is about 0.02" greater in diameter and therefore will not fit into the .32 Colt chamber. I suppose if one wanted to go to the trouble and expense, I'd expect that a Colt PP revolver chambered in .32 Colt could be re-chambered to use the .32 S&W/.32 S&W Long. Of course, that would destroy any collectible value the PP might otherwise have.

Last edited by DWalt; 08-01-2018 at 01:48 AM.
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Old 08-01-2018, 10:05 AM
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Thanks DWalt, I was too lazy to dig out my Cartridges of the World to look up the info.

Yes, I wouldn't re-chamber a nice condition Colt PP. I would do a so-so condition one if I wanted a shooter. Plus, I own a .32 S&W Long reamer.
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