I've turned the corner on this troublesome Colt Agent

sigp220.45 · #1 09-30-2018, 10:45 PM

I've posted about this little Colt before. I got it as a bag of parts for 80 or 90 bucks at a police supply place. It had been a range gun at a local Sheriff's Office, but the mainspring broke and it sat in a bag for 20 years.

I replaced the mainspring, but learned the #1 lesson of Coltography - if you fix one thing, you have broken something else.

I finally admitted defeat. I put it away, but then remembered I have access to a unique institution - The Colorado School Of Trades. Its like barber college, but for guns.

I dropped it off and forgot about it for several months. Then they called and said come get your gun.

It works great now.

These things were made in the 80s, supposedly during some labor difficulties at Colt that required the old guys doing finishing to stay home and watch Luke and Laura on General Hospital. Hence, the un-Colt-like finish.

It shoots like a champ, though. It is an alloy frame, nice and light. Action is typical Colt DS. I think all the cost-cutting was on the outside.

I don't normally like Pachmayr grips, with the exception of the Compacs. They feel great.

I tried it with standard velocity 158 grain stuff and it shot high for some reason. I have a stash of these that followed me into retirement. The +P+ designation will give some folks a case of the vapors, but 147 grains at 925 fps isn't exactly .38/44 territory, so I don't worry about it. These things shot right to the point of aim at 15 yards, so this is what it gets.

I've been carrying it since it was fixed, in a Galco Stow n Go, no belt, Homer Simpson T shirt, Aloha shirt overgarment. Works great.

I don't know why it has the two-tone look. Most of the others I've seen have a uniformly ugly appearance. I have a partial can of Brownell's Alumahyde lurking in the garage. This old boy will never be a collector's item, so I may try to even out the finish. Or I may just leave it as is.

Anyone else have one of these ugly-on-purpose Colts?

les.b · #2 09-30-2018, 11:08 PM

I have two Agents, but neither has the phosphate, or whatever it is finish. I sometimes carry the shrouded barrel version. They both have the short walnut stocks, and I use them with a Tyler T Grip.

Best Regards, Les

Buford57 · #3 09-30-2018, 11:13 PM

I had one in the 80s. Carried it as a BUG in an ankle holster. It worked right.
After I inherited a 1950s-era Cobra I sold the Agent to a rookie.

KEN L · #4 10-01-2018, 03:42 AM

I have one in the exact configuration as yours. I seem to recall, that when these were built in the 80's, the fit & finish was a cost cutting measure to help improve sales or make them more affordable. Not the best decision, but one that created yet another collector's version of the D frame guns. The picture below is not my gun, but shows the type of grips they typically came with. I've also seen them with checkered grips too, so apparently they were using whatever they had on hand to complete them. Found mine in a pawn shop for the princely sum of $350. Not really a Colt guy, though I have several, but couldn't pass it up at that price.

one eye joe · #5 10-01-2018, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by les.b

I have two Agents, but neither has the phosphate, or whatever it is finish. I sometimes carry the shrouded barrel version. They both have the short walnut stocks, and I use them with a Tyler T Grip.

Best Regards, Les

WOW----THOSE ARE 2 GREAT LOOKING COLTS.......

one eye joe · #6 10-01-2018, 04:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sigp220.45

I've posted about this little Colt before. I got it as a bag of parts for 80 or 90 bucks at a police supply place. It had been a range gun at a local Sheriff's Office, but the mainspring broke and it sat in a bag for 20 years.

I replaced the mainspring, but learned the #1 lesson of Coltography - if you fix one thing, you have broken something else.

I finally admitted defeat. I put it away, but then remembered I have access to a unique institution - The Colorado School Of Trades. Its like barber college, but for guns.

I dropped it off and forgot about it for several months. Then they called and said come get your gun.

It works great now.

These things were made in the 80s, supposedly during some labor difficulties at Colt that required the old guys doing finishing to stay home and watch Luke and Laura on General Hospital. Hence, the un-Colt-like finish.

It shoots like a champ, though. It is an alloy frame, nice and light. Action is typical Colt DS. I think all the cost-cutting was on the outside.

I don't normally like Pachmayr grips, with the exception of the Compacs. They feel great.

I tried it with standard velocity 158 grain stuff and it shot high for some reason. I have a stash of these that followed me into retirement. The +P+ designation will give some folks a case of the vapors, but 147 grains at 925 fps isn't exactly .38/44 territory, so I don't worry about it. These things shot right to the point of aim at 15 yards, so this is what it gets.

I've been carrying it since it was fixed, in a Galco Stow n Go, no belt, Homer Simpson T shirt, Aloha shirt overgarment. Works great.

I don't know why it has the two-tone look. Most of the others I've seen have a uniformly ugly appearance. I have a partial can of Brownell's Alumahyde lurking in the garage. This old boy will never be a collector's item, so I may try to even out the finish. Or I may just leave it as is.

Anyone else have one of these ugly-on-purpose Colts?

THAT'S A WONDERFUL RESCUE STORY. I WOULD TRY THE ALUMAHYDE, IF FOR NO OTHER REASON---JUST TO USE UP AND GET RID OF THE CAN......

Texas Star · #7 10-01-2018, 07:30 AM

What's that crack or scar on the topstrap in the OP gun?

Remember, Colt said:

1,000 rounds of Plus P in Agent and Cobra guns, and 3,000 in steel frames. Then, send them to Colt for examination.

This doesn't include any std. pressure ammo fired.

I don't recall any specific round count being provided for Ruger or S&W J-frame guns, but that may be a useful guideline for those, too.

I think the Ruger will take the highest round count before loosening up or otherwise needing repairs. But S&W's Rated for Plus P (M-60-4-on) should hold up well, too, if you don't use Plus P for routine "range ammo."

Watchdog · #8 10-01-2018, 08:05 AM

So it shoots to point of aim with the Federal stuff now, and carries nicely in the holster you use, right? So it does what it's supposed to do. You didn't buy the guy to win any beauty contests with it, and for me, the strangeness of its finish is part of its appeal. I wouldn't make any attempts to "even out the finish", but that's just me.

As a rule, I don't like rubber grips of any kind...I guess because they don't seem traditional (for lack of a better word) to me...but in this case, I can't really fault their use on this gun.

Kudos to you for rescuing the gun.

rwt1405 · #9 10-01-2018, 10:45 AM

Maybe it's just me, but I really like the look of that revolver, the way it is.

When I look at it, I feel like it has a story to tell me, and believe me, I want to hear it!

I only have a few Colt revolvers, 2 of which are Detective Specials (mine are in 3"), but I can tell you that I would happily add that beauty (just the way she is) to my collection!

Glad to see it came out so well!

sigp220.45 · #10 10-01-2018, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Star

What's that crack or scar on the topstrap in the OP gun?

Its actually a small step down from that part of the frame to the next. Maybe it was supposed to be polished out on other models and they didn’t bother on this one.

The same thing is on the ones I’ve seen online (2nd photo).

Texas Star · #11 10-01-2018, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sigp220.45

Its actually a small step down from that part of the frame to the next. Maybe it was supposed to be polished out on other models and they didn’t bother on this one.

The same thing is on the ones I’ve seen online (2nd photo).

It isn't on Les's older, better finished Agents, so was probably a production shortcut on the economy version of the gun.

Thanks.

ladder13 · #12 10-01-2018, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sigp220.45

I've posted about this little Colt before.

Anyone else have one of these ugly-on-purpose Colts?

Why yes, I got this from a member of my gun club a few years before escaping NY. He was an NYPD dick who had just retired.
Came with the rubbers.

Sixgun100 · #13 10-01-2018, 01:40 PM

I like those rough looking Agents. My old cobra had practically no finish left on it’s frame. I had it coated in black to make it look better and help with durability. There’s just something about those old Colts......

Stevens · #14 10-01-2018, 05:01 PM

Below is mine, bought new in the early 80s it lives in my nightstand. it came with nice wooden grips. I changed them for Pachmayr about 10 years ago. Shoots well and comfortable.
Steve W

Toyman · #15 10-01-2018, 06:15 PM

I can understand the Homer Simpson t shirt but you carry a COLT ? !!

Texas Star · #16 10-01-2018, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toyman

I can understand the Homer Simpson t shirt but you carry a COLT ? !!

What bothers me is the Homer Simpson tee AND the Hawaiian shirt!

It's a cinch he isn't trying to be inconspicuous...

Texas Star · #17 10-01-2018, 08:29 PM

While we're on the Agent, wasn't the Courier basically just an Agent in .32 with a three-inch barrel?

I'm a big fan of the Modesty Blaise novels written by the late Peter O'Donnell from 1964-1996.

Until she changed to a Star PD .45, Modesty's main gun was a "Colt .32." I don't think it was an auto, and not the ancient New Police model seen in the author's hand on a book jacket.

Kept wondering if she might have had a Colt Courier, if she was real. I finally settled on a Cobra with three-inch barrel, in .32. I think Colt called the ammo .32 Long Colt, basically the same as .32 S&W Long. But Modesty could shoot like the Lone Ranger, although she didn't shoot guns out of bad guys' hands. She just hit their vital spots.

When I read, I mentally change words into images, so I "see" what's happening in the book. So, I "saw" Modesty with that .32 and with such items as a Luger, a S&W .41 Magnum, and Lee-Enfield and AR-15 rifles. Villains had toys like a S&W Bodyguard .38, a S&W .41 Magnum, Lugers, and a Colt Commander .45. In all, for a British author, O'Donnell did an exceptional job of arming his characters.

I never wrote to him and now regret that. But I think some other gunwise readers did, and I suspect he read, Guns & Ammo for ideas. So, Modesty eventually got a Star PD.

A friend in South Africa sent me a clipping from the Johannesburg Star, telling how an off duty cop killed several AK-47 wielding men with his PD in a bank lobby. So, Modesty had a gun capable of useful things.
The cop's Star wasn't an issued gun. That would have been a P-38 or the Z-88, a local Beretta M-92F clone. He was off duty and just went to the bank at the right time, and had high skill with handguns.
He prevented a robbery, and maybe worse.

Toyman · #18 10-01-2018, 08:42 PM

Isn't there an adage on the forum with out pictures it never happened ??

les.b · #19 10-01-2018, 08:51 PM

Well, I used to have a Detective Special in the .32 Colt New Police (that's the one interchangeable with the .32 S&W Long). Sometimes simply called the .32'Colt Police.

Traded it off, though, but here is a cool little Colt .32... My Colt Pocket Positive. An older one, but I think made up til WWII.

Best Regards, Les

SVT28 · #20 10-01-2018, 08:52 PM

I like the patina and the fact that after decades of sitting around not being used, its back in action. In regards to the finish, I believe these guns were similar to the Smith Airweights in that the frame and other parts are aluminum, other parts are steel. This one has the kinda seldom seen parkerized factory finish which was offered in the 80s on these, and the finish appears to wear differently for the different metals.

FWIW I saw a near mint one in person a few months back and there was a noticeable finish difference between the cylinder/barrel vs the frame.

Your gun would be a great one to carry out here in the desert heat!

SVT28

Texas Star · #21 10-01-2018, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by les.b

Well, I used to have a Detective Special in the .32 Colt New Police (that's the one interchangeable with the .32 S&W Long). Sometimes simply called the .32'Colt Police.

Traded it off, though, but here is a cool little Colt .32... My Xolt Pocket Positive. An older one, but I think made up til WWII.

Best Regards, Les

Les-

THANKS! The Pocket Positive was another gun that I thought Modesty Blaise might have carried, but I went with the Cobra in .32, as the books didn't begin until the 1960's.

If you like reading thrillers with a beautiful heroine, look for Modesty Blaise on the Net. You'll see plenty of pics, including the comic strip that ran in 57 countries, as well as the novels.

You can now buy bound editions of the comic strip, called "graphic novels."

In the US, only the Detroit Free Press ran the comic strip, as it was deemed too adult for most American family readers. And I think the Free Press censored some panels.

Texas Star · #22 10-01-2018, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toyman

Isn't there an adage on the forum with out pictures it never happened ??

Aren't you seeing the photos?

If you mean the robbery I cited, it was in a foreign newspaper in the 1980's and I've long lost that clipping. But, The Johannesburg Star is a reputable newspaper, as much so as any newspaper really is. I don't doubt that the incident happened. Maybe one of our South African members will recall it.

We have one in Cape Town and I don't know where the other lives. But the event probably made the national news then.

sigp220.45 · #23 10-01-2018, 09:50 PM

My little guy is blocking the Homer shirt, but note the Blinky hat and camo-themed Aloha shirt. I’m outside, so there’s a gun there somewhere.

les.b · #24 10-01-2018, 10:00 PM

Nice photo!!!

I wouldnt do a single thing to that Colt except use it. I think it looks like it's all business, and you don't have to worry about wearing the finish off of it. Looks like a perfect holster, as well. I've found that my Agents (and other D frames) fit in the same pocket holster as my J frame magnums as well.

Perfect carry gun!

Best Regards, Les

Texas Star · #25 10-01-2018, 10:13 PM

Have you chronographed that 147 grain Federal round from a snub .38? Seen any other good tests?

I know it's Plus P Plus, but wonder if the drag of the metal jacket causes velocity less than the previous FBI load with 158 grain lead bullets.

I think the 147 grain JHP was to improve penetration in cars.

les.b · #26 10-01-2018, 10:23 PM

Hey, T-S, I don't know if you've seen them, and don't want to derail the thread any more than I have already, but check out the tests that Lucky Gunner did as a follow up to their semiauto ammunition tests of a couple of years ago. They have tested many of the commonly available .38 spl and .357 magnum defensive loads.... Really a pretty impressive amount of data here... Check it out: https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/rev...llistics-test/ .

They test from both a 2" and 4" barrel.

I don't want to get into a big brouhaha over test mediums, etc., just offering this for what it's worth. I've contacted Chris at Lucky Gunner about using this data, and have permission to do so. I reference it in one of my courses.

Best Regards, Les

Texas Star · #27 10-01-2018, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by les.b

Hey, T-S, I don't know if you've seen them, and don't want to derail the thread any more than I have already, but check out the tests that Lucky Gunner did as a follow up to their semiauto ammunition tests of a couple of years ago. They have tested many of the commonly available .38 spl and .357 magnum defensive loads.... Really a pretty impressive amount of data here... Check it out: https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/rev...llistics-test/ .

They test from both a 2" and 4" barrel.

I don't want to get into a big brouhaha over test mediums, etc., just offering this for what it's worth. I've contacted Chris at Lucky Gunner about using this data, and have permission to do so. I reference it in one of my courses.

Best Regards, Les

Les-

That's a superb list of loads and results, including some of my favorites. But it doesn't list the 147 grain Plus P Plus .38, in part, I'm sure, because it was never available to the public.

Muley Gil · #28 10-01-2018, 11:19 PM

So, what was wrong with the Colt Agent? I've worked on several Colt revolvers over the years and haven't run into any problems that I couldn't fix.

A friend bought one of the parked Agents back in the '80s and carried it for a number of years. I bought an older one without the enclosed ejector rod when I returned from Afghanistan in 2007. It gets pocket carried every time I leave the house.

How old are those +P+ rounds? IIRC, when the +P+ round was introduced in the 1970s, it was recommended that they only be shot in .357 revolvers. It was a way to get .357 power into police hands while politicians were able to say that their officers were only armed with .38s, not those vicious magnums!

Texas Star · #29 10-02-2018, 06:58 AM

No std. specs on Plus P Plus, as it was loaded to each ordering agency's needs and they had to sign waivers attesting that they knew it'd cause premature gun wear.

S&W reps conducting a product announcement/demo when the L-frame guns appeared told me that much Plus P Plus was so hot, it caused greater gun wear and more chance of cracking barrel throats on K-frame magnums than did the very hot 125 grain .357 loads! They said that Plus P Plus was a prime reason why the larger L-frame guns were designed.

I think the FBI version was among the milder examples.

Richard Simmons · #30 10-02-2018, 08:06 AM

Congratulations to the OP on resurrecting his Agent. I picked these two up years ago with the intention of replacing my S&W M38 for CCW, figured the extra round of capacity couldn't hurt. Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately they've remained NIB. Actually had the smooth stocked one in my range bag once but changed my mind before I left the house.

rwt1405 · #31 10-02-2018, 08:56 AM

I'm a terrible photographer, and mine are no where as nice as the others shown, but here are my two Detective Specials.

Bubba2014 · #32 10-02-2018, 09:42 AM

Those old Colts are nice guns, and will never be made again.

rogerwnuss · #33 10-02-2018, 11:12 AM

I bought one of the Colt parked snubbies back in the eighties, but I could swear it was called a Commando, rather than Agent.....

sigp220.45 · #34 10-02-2018, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogerwnuss

I bought one of the Colt parked snubbies back in the eighties, but I could swear it was called a Commando, rather than Agent.....

That was the steel framed version of this gun, made at the same time. Not to be confused with the WWII version, which was also called the Commando but was a parkerized and slightly simplified Official Police.

99bob · #35 10-02-2018, 01:38 PM

I bought one several years back and called the LGS when I got it home. I said "Hey! this Colt is missing the Rampant Colt Logo". He laughed and said yeah, it wasn't there when you looked at either. I learned all about the strike era Agents. I wish I still had it. They are great carry guns. Don't have to worry about beating them up. My favorite was and still is an 1967 early version with the short stocks. I added a T Grip, bobbed the hammer and still carry it from time to time. The finish was already distressed.

CA Escapee · #36 10-03-2018, 02:29 PM

sigp220.45,

I've sent you an IM regarding an Agent in Thornton.

Bill

Agent.jpg

crazyphil · #37 10-04-2018, 04:25 AM

Here is my Colt's Agent. I had the hammer spur and single action
notch removed for DAO. The extended boots are by Craig Spegel.

Agent has slightly shorter grip frame than the DS or the Cobra.
It has the Parkerized matte finish.
Because of the alloy frame, Colt recommended it be checked if
over 1,000 rounds of +P are shot through it. So, I only shoot
standard pressure in mine, so no worries about stretching the
frame. Commando was basically the same as Agent except it has
a steel frame.

Personally, I think it's a thing of beauty, but what do I know?

Second from left with the gator trim holster by KD.
Third is a lizard high ride by Black Hills.
Fourth is a 120TS (Tension Screw) by Price Western Leather.
Fifth is a Gaylord style speed scabbard by Thad Rybka.
(This one is shown with the original Colts grips)

Believe it or not, I have 9 more holsters for the Agent.

To enlarge just click on the photo once or twice.

raljr1 · #38 10-04-2018, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by les.b

Well, I used to have a Detective Special in the .32 Colt New Police (that's the one interchangeable with the .32 S&W Long). Sometimes simply called the .32'Colt Police.

Traded it off, though, but here is a cool little Colt .32... My Colt Pocket Positive. An older one, but I think made up til WWII.

Best Regards, Les

Cool, Les. I had a pair of those, but sold them off to someone here.

Abbynormal · #39 10-06-2018, 09:29 PM

My 2nd gun ever bought was a Colt Commando. I saved up for 4 months in 1982
to buy it and on it's first range experience, it locked up

! God was I mad!

I wanted a 6 shot BUG that was concealable, so I sent it back to Colt, with a letter
describing my requirements for the gun. It returned with a tuned trigger, lighter pull and 100% reliability.

I carried it for 20+ years and only sold it when I came across a 70's new in box
Detective Special. Haven't looked back since!