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Old 01-24-2021, 07:46 PM
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Default I found this awesome Colt Commando Revolver

I stumbled onto this super nice Colt Commando .38 spl. It is a 4" gun that is all original. Has the army ordinance marking (Flaming bomb) and the military inspector marking (GHD). This thing is really nice and the timing and action is spot on. I have never seen or held one before. Colt's serial page dates it 1942. From the small amount of research I have done, this seems to be a rare bird.
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  #2  
Old 01-24-2021, 07:58 PM
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Very nice find. Quite a few made but not very many remaining in such good condition.
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Old 01-24-2021, 08:02 PM
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A very nice one.

It‘s not a rare bird, though, just an excellent example of a standard 4“ Commando. In contrast to our S&W Victory, the G.H.D. and Ordnance bomb do not indicate a military-shipped gun; it could just as well be a DSC contract. I have one so stamped that shipped to Northrop Aircraft.

The Colt serial info as well as Proofhouse.com is incorrect. Unless your Commando has a very low serial, three digits or less, it was made later than 1942. As a rule of thumb, up to about 33,000 were produced in 1943, the rest in 1944, except for the very last in the high 40/low 50-thousands in Jan/Feb 1945.
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Old 01-24-2021, 09:02 PM
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All things considered, from what I gathered in research there were a total of 50,000 made between 1942 thru 1945. My guess is as a utility weapon most did not survive in high condition. This was my meaning of "rare bird". A better definition would be scarce in today's market, at least in my area. All debate aside, I was excited to find it.
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Old 01-24-2021, 09:18 PM
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What timing!
You may find this thread interesting...

Colt Commando Value?
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Old 01-25-2021, 12:31 AM
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Man, that is sweet!
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Old 01-25-2021, 02:27 AM
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very nice find
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Old 01-25-2021, 11:47 AM
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Another really high condition Commando. Nice.
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Old 02-23-2021, 03:23 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Absalom View Post
A very nice one.

It‘s not a rare bird, though, just an excellent example of a standard 4“ Commando. In contrast to our S&W Victory, the G.H.D. and Ordnance bomb do not indicate a military-shipped gun; it could just as well be a DSC contract. I have one so stamped that shipped to Northrop Aircraft.

The Colt serial info as well as Proofhouse.com is incorrect. Unless your Commando has a very low serial, three digits or less, it was made later than 1942. As a rule of thumb, up to about 33,000 were produced in 1943, the rest in 1944, except for the very last in the high 40/low 50-thousands in Jan/Feb 1945.
Yes sir, you found out the same thing I did on mine. My Colt letter arrived yesterday, verifying it shipped in February 1944 to the Chance Vought Aircraft Division. The Colt Serial number lookup says it shipped in 1942, hey, only missed it by 2 years. 😃

Someday I would love to know what the other stamps mean, but a lengthy internet search came up empty. The SP 214 is probably Security Police, where many ended up, the DPC 3A.2623.26 on the back strap is a puzzle that most likely will never be solved.
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Old 02-23-2021, 06:22 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NavySCPO View Post
...
The Colt Serial number lookup says it shipped in 1942, hey, only missed it by 2 years. 😃

Someday I would love to know what the other stamps mean, but a lengthy internet search came up empty. The SP 214 is probably Security Police, where many ended up, the DPC 3A.2623.26 on the back strap is a puzzle that most likely will never be solved.
One thing you have to understand about the Colt serial look-up that a lot of folks are not aware of:

It is not a serial look-up. Meaning it does not look up your gun’s serial. It is simply a database of serial ranges, and if you enter a serial, up pops the year within which that number falls. That is all. And somebody at Colt entered 1942 for the entire Commando serial range, so that’s what pops up for every Commando, and as a result the auction sites have only 1942 Commandos for sale

As for your gun’s markings, I believe it had a second career after Chance Vaught sold it. The gun appears refinished; the butt stamping was actually S.P.D. 214, likely a police department. The D is barely visible, mostly buffed out and parkerized over. As to the backstrap, I won’t even begin to speculate.
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Old 02-23-2021, 06:39 PM
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My father went to work for Tempco right out of college and then moved over to Chance Vought a few years later. Jimmy Ling bought them both and renamed the new company Ling Tempco Vought (LTV). My dad spent 35-40 years with those companies. I would love to find a gun that letters to Vought.
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Old 02-23-2021, 07:20 PM
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Great find congrats!
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Old 02-23-2021, 07:50 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Absalom View Post
One thing you have to understand about the Colt serial look-up that a lot of folks are not aware of:

It is not a serial look-up. Meaning it does not look up your gun’s serial. It is simply a database of serial ranges, and if you enter a serial, up pops the year within which that number falls. That is all. And somebody at Colt entered 1942 for the entire Commando serial range, so that’s what pops up for every Commando, and as a result the auction sites have only 1942 Commandos for sale

As for your gun’s markings, I believe it had a second career after Chance Vaught sold it. The gun appears refinished; the butt stamping was actually S.P.D. 214, likely a police department. The D is barely visible, mostly buffed out and parkerized over. As to the backstrap, I won’t even begin to speculate.
Thank you sir, yet another day that didn’t pass without learning something on the forum. I certainly did not know that about the serial number lookup, sheds a whole new light on that process, much appreciated.

I agree it likely had two lives, one at Vought, and one at a Police Department somewhere, but far to many SPD’s to even hamper a guess. Thanks for seeing the ‘D’ also, I thought I saw something, but wasn’t sure.

Yes, it has been refinished, when I bought it years ago, it had a horrible nickel job, but it was less than $400 OTD so I bought it with the intention of putting it back to the original parkerized finish. Ford’s did a nice job, and pretty reasonable then. Of course that killed any collectibility, but I didn’t care, didn’t buy it for resale, I just liked it and wanted it to at least resemble the original. Hate to count the money I’ve spent on guns that I liked, with little regard for worth, oh well Momma once told me when I sprained my ankle that I was crippled way too high for crutches. 😜
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Old 02-23-2021, 07:53 PM
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Beautiful Colt! But, what is the guitar in the background? Sincerely. bruce.
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Old 02-23-2021, 07:59 PM
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"...crippled way too high for crutches."

Now that made me spit my iced tea! I have some friends who fit that description, too.

Thank you!
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