There it was, under the glass in my local Cabelas.



I looked at it, put it back, obsessed over it for a night, and went back. I pitched them $400, they said NO. I held tough for 3 seconds, and said: $450? and they said OK. With my GI Joe discount it was $425. Seems like a decent price, but I haven't kept up with what these go for. I have one other New Service - a .45 Colt 7 1/2" but I got it when I was 14 (46 years ago).



Its the first model, made in 1903 per the serial number.



It hasn't been refinished. Some blue is left, but it is mostly brown.

Its my first .38 WCF.



Some of the markings are faint, but they are there.





Stocks are nice, and numbered to the gun.



Of course at Cabelas I was buying a pig in a poke. No way to check the action until I got it out of the store and got that cheesy lock off in the parking lot, and then no returns on used guns. Oh boy - the action would barely turn. I didn't want to force it, so I came home and gave it a good cleaning. The innards were dry as a bone and sticky, but it cleaned up well and now has a smooth action. The bore and chambers are good. The lanyard ring is missing but the base for it is there.

Now to find some ammo. None to be had at Cabelas.

I love it. There is something about these plain old guns that makes me feel like they would jump out of a holster on their own and shoot a sassy bandit out the saddle.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

No ammo at Wal-Mart, either!

I wonder who polished off the checkering on the extractor rod.

I wouldn't have bought a gun in that condition. But I hope it works for you. You probably know the power is about on par with .40 S&W. Reloading the bottle neck cases may prove difficult, with a high rate of ruined cases.

You presumably have, Sixguns, so let Elmer be your guide, keeping in mind that some powders may have changed and he loaded hot much of the time.

That gun was made between 1897 and 1905, so I'd load carefully. The frame was improved in 1905.

A wonderful piece of pre war history . i probably would have bought it too . I don't have the knowledge of most of the other forum members but I think it's great . I like it a lot . Kenny , Texas

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Too good

I don't know what the bug a boo of loading 25/20-32/20-38/40 & 44/40 is all about. I didn't know about it and have been loading them for years with no problems. When loading cast you just have to have the correct amout of bell in case mouth. If not you will deform the case. I've done it myself but once you see what you have to do its not a problem. R

I had about 2000 44-40 brass (1000 Star-line & 1000 odds and ends)

First time I loaded a batch, everything went fine and smooth. The second time, Constant shoulder bulge, or worse, up to total collapse! I went to seat and crimp in two steps, and by the 3rd. reloading went to the dreaded Lee Factory Crimp Die. 44-40 was the only case I routinely used the FCD on (although I own 10 or 12 different ones, I don't usually need one!) Until I went with the FCD I would stick every reload in a detached cylinder to make sure they chambered, about 10% were in need of reworking. With the FCD I ended up stopping the chamber testing, as it became a waste of time.

Starline says their 38-40 neck walls are .0062" thick. 32-20 & 22 Hornet are .010" and I thought they were thin!

I think you may really want to order a Lee Factory Crimp Die, when you get your other dies (My loading die set in 44-40 is RCBS, but I inherited a friends "Old West" die sets when he died and there is a regular Lee set in there (without FCD), aside from being on the short side I don't see any problems with them.

Ivan

Reeves Ace Hardware in Clayton, GA probably has ammo for that gun; and they ship.

That is a neat old Colt.

THAT, my friend, is a thing of beauty, Congratulations!
And ignore the comment made about the ejector knob, it isn't true.

I see a candidate for a custom snubby!

I wanna know how come you didn’t take home that nickel plated Python in the case right underneath the New Service?

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Everybody could shoot

Congratulations on a fine catch.
To me, the New Service and SAA are Colt's finest revolvers.
The 38-40 is a great cartridge, lending itself to cast bullet handloading. It's idiosyncrasies are well worth the effort.

For the reloader, it's one to take your time with, and watch the details. It's probably not the best choice for the progressive press, high volume guy looking to drive JHPs like the daylights.

Also, what beautiful patina! In some ways, nicer than a mint condition bluing. Thank goodness nobody refinished this baby! Personally, I'd give it a good hand rubdown with a soft cotton cloth and some camellia oil.

And, the price! Wow! What a score.
I hope I get this lucky one day on a New Service.

Jim

I had 3200 reasons!

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Looks like a good one to me!

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Hue 68 noli me tangere

When I made a "commemorative" set to remember my grandmother (Native American), I wanted 41 LC (one of my favorite cartridges) but the gunsmith refused (I think he didn't have the right reamer), so we agreed upon 38-40 and he did a OM Vaquero for me==I already had an 1892 short rifle take-down in great condition. Had both case-hardened and engraved==Sheephorn grips from Grashorn and a matching Bowie. A de-constructed Outlaw rig from EPS and some Indian penny conchos finished it up! Always get comments at the range!
I love the caliber!

What a great old gun. Congratulations on your latest find.

Major congrats on that one.

The .38-40 ballistics was what the gunwriters wanted for a duty revolver. Elmer, Bill and Skeeter felt that a 180 grain bullet at about 1000 fps in a straight wall cartridge, chambered in a midframe handgun would make a great combo for the average LEO. They got the .41 Magnum instead.

The funny thing is that the .40 S&W comes awful close ballistically.

Back in the late '70s, early '80s I found a 7 1/2" .38-40 New Service in about 98% condition. Unfortunately, bullets, dies and brass were extremely hard to find and expensive to boot. Wound up swapping for a Colt Police Positive Special in .38 special. That NS would have been worth big bucks today.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Great ol' New Service in on of my favorite cartridges.

The Colt New Service is my favorite Colt revolver of all time and I always like seeing 'em on forums.

I'm extremely jealous. Would love to have a New Service and 38 w.c.f. Would be my first choice. I've loaded thousands of them for my SAA's and Winchesters. I am sure you can get ammo from Black Hills and Ultramax.

Congratulations!!!!

Dan

I finally got to the range to see if this old boy would shoot.

Ammo was HSM cowboy loads, LFN 180 grain at around 900 fps.

Single action at 20 yards - with my old eyes and these tiny sights this was about the best I could pull off.



It was certainly fun to shoot. I'm on the hunt for some dies now.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Great old Colt NS!

I picked up a near duplicate at a show a couple weeks ago but in 45Colt.
7 1/2" bbl. Grips are worn more and you have to really look hard for any orig blue! Same early/ 1st style frame. I think mine is a 1907 mfg. Needs a bit of timing work! but I was glad to find it. Nice smooth action.
Lying in a bed of plastic frame semi autos

Nice shootin' there !!

Finally got around to taking a couple pics of the 45Colt NS mentioned above. Early style NewService, 7 1/2" bbl.
Kinda looks like they led the same life!,,well maybe mine got the worst of it.
It's about 5minutes slow on the timing though,,needs some attention.

The plastic gun guy dealer said the 1942 Enger Kress holster was an orig for the revolver and went with it.,,,,"OK, Thanks."











I'm thinkin' it should clean up to NRA Exc. with a bit of sandpaper.

Great revolver! I was in our LGS one day when a older gal came in with a yellow and black Ruger box. The owner declined to buy the contents but pointed to me. There was a bunch of parts that amounted to a thoroughly disassembled but complete nickel 38/40 New Service. She wanted to throw the box and contents away. Said it was her father's old gun and she didn't want it around. Her deceased brother took it apart years ago.Told me she'd wanted $20 for the mess. I explained that assembled it would be worth a great deal more but she refused. Said I could have it for $20. Gave her the money and started working. A couple of small parts easily replaced, were missing. Got them taken care of thanks to Numrich. Did a little research on the lady's family. Her Dad had been town marshal in a little place east of where I live about 10 miles. He'd been part of a roadblock that took out some bank robbers in the early '30s. I'm speculating he used this gun but have no proof. Great fun to shoot but I prefer my .45 New Service since I shoot a lot more .45 Colt.

[quote=bmcgilvray;140551744]Great ol' New Service in on of my favorite cartridges.

The Colt New Service Great ! Issued New Service 38 in patrol. Did't know enough to appreciate it. May have been marked "Border Patrol". Later a fat bbl Colt Border Patrol. Then the new Combat Magnum in 1959. I have an early N.S. 44/40 worth listing but can't work pics just yet. As I recently did, if member would Email me a note at yahoo I can send pics to be forwarded. Remember seeing in the office about a hundred + Colt BPs listed by S.N. on government surplus. Cheap. No-one was at all interrested

Great gun and great price. I would have separated my shoulder getting my wallet out for $450!

38-40 is a neat caliber. I'd definitely recommend reloading unless you want to go broke. I'd also recommend RCBS Cowboy Dies. I've never had crushed cases using those with any of the WCF calibers.

Shoot it in good health.

Considering they were last made in 1943.....as the closest thing I ever knew to a gun guru said to me back in 1972 "You don't shoot bluing."

I think you did good on this gun. Although basically only patina left on this gun, it is an original finish gun in a cartridge that has seen a revived interest. The ejector rod tip is correct, That is the style for early frame NS guns. I have seen that head on the 44-40 guns as well.
Congratulations and Thanks for sharing with us

I love it when a long-ago thread for a cool gun makes a comeback.
OP: 2019 (Aah, the "before times")

That was a good deal, too, at $450, or even the full price!

Honestly, every used gun (with those locks on them) at Cabela's should be priced at half, or less, of its presumed full value, just for the gamble buyers take by not being able to fully examine it.

When I was a 20 y.o. whippersnapper, there was a New Service .38-40 in very fine condition that languished in the display case of a local gun and pawn shop. Seemed like it stayed there for years, priced at $200, and could have been had for less, I'm sure. Story was that it had belonged to a well-known local sheriff known as "Hoot" Gibson.

In high school I used to hang out at VL&A until scooted out by the L.C.Smith crowd. Could not afford $15 for a little box of dismantled Colt 1877s bb Oregon Arms Collectors annual show this month. You google time and location

Hands down, a good New Service is the much better gun!
(OK, just my personal opinion )

Would you please tell us how you cleaned and lubed the insides, and how you might have cleaned the semi-browned outsides? Thanks!

[quote=borderbud;141797700]Email sent (I think...) I'll post 'em for you

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)

Have a 7.5 and a 4.5 in 38-40. Fine revolvers.

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Dale has now forwarded me pics of his NS, which are below. He'll hopefully be adding a blurb shortly. Enjoy

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)

Mine are in .455 Eley. Great shooters! I used to buy ammo from Fiochi for them now, I load them myself. I even got some provenance on them. It appears that some brilliant chap had purchased them from an Iron Monger in 1951 for the princely sum of four pounds Sterling. I have the receipt and his permit from The Bury St. Edmunds constabulary.

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I like old Colts but the last time I bought one without checking the action, it ended up being an expensive fix. You got very fortunate! In 10-20 years I'm not sure there will be anyone able to fix these as it seems the experts are all well into what would normally be considered retirement age.

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Psalm 27:2

Ah yes, back in the days when the average, law-abiding bloke in the UK could still own a handgun

Couldn't find a current conversion rate but in 2017, £4 in 1951 would have been about £125.00. Still a pretty good price!

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)

I have a 1909 New Service that was owned by a neighbor’s great uncle. I gave my neighbor $50 for it in 1973. I had already bought and paid for the gun before hearing the story. Before leaving with the gun my neighbor invited me to stay for a coffee. He started to tell me about his great uncle and how he served for a long time in the Army starting at the time of the Spanish American War. As the story went he spent a long time in the Philippines. After that he returned to the US and served under Gen. Pershing during the campaign in Mexico.

I regret not asking my neighbor more information about his great uncle. It would have great to have had a name and track down this man’s service history and learn . But at the time it did’nt seem that important. I was focused on getting a pretty neat old gun for only $50.

My 1909 is about in the same condition as your 38-40. I enjoy shooting light reloads in it. As soon Starline resumes production of .45 Schofield brass I will start using this in the 1909.

I also have a worn but serviceable 1917 Colt that is a great shooter. I have two more 1917s that need work and are with a gunsmith now. It would be great to have a New Service in a caliber other than .45.

The 38-40 is easy to reload and there is some good data out there for cast bullet reloads. I have been using bullets cast from my RCBS mold for my 1892 Winchester SRC.

Good Luck with yours.

The original 10mm. Gotta love it.

Hey, 50 bucks in your pocket is 50 bucks (after taxes, don't forget).

He was able to tune them up quite well.

Fine old Colt. And Colt's largest frame revolver up until the release of the Anaconda in the 1990s.

Thanks for sharing it.

Mine is a 1924 Commercial in 45 Colt.

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