Do any of you know for certain just when Colt began using wooden stocks and the later, rounded cylinder release on their New Service revolvers?

Thanks,

T-Star

Do any of you know for certain just when Colt began using wooden stocks and the later, rounded cylinder release on their New Service revolvers?

Thanks,

T-Star

I can't say exactly when, but it was in the later stages of production. That would be in the thirtys. I do know that the wooden grips and rounded latches are scarce. I've looked for the latches as replacement parts for years and never managed to get any. The first centerfire handgun I ever fired was a New Service and I've been hooked on them ever since.

It was in 1927-1928 at about serial number 328,000.

Buck

Rounded cylinder releases seem to be scarce, at least I haven't seen many on NSs.

Of course, the Colt 1917, a New Service, had wood grips.

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I’m no authority on New Service revolvers, but I’ll tell you what I think I know. Special order stocks were available from the beginning. Hard rubber was standard (except for target and the military models which came with different types of wood) until about 1927-29 when Colt switched to machine checkered walnut with silver medallions. That’s right about the time that the cylinder latch was changed, but I doubt there’s a clear delineation for the changes. The Murphy book lists them around 328,XXX - 330,XXX.

NMWP commercial (Dudley Do-Right‘s gun!)



Late military 1917



Machine checkered on a Bankers Special

__________________
"I also cook."

Two very nice Colts, s&wchad.

I have a really ugly 45 Colt RCMP New Service with a bent crane. Anyone know a smith who knows and likes old Colts?

Thanks, guys. I know a lady who writes books set in 1920 Kenya, and one of her male characters has what seems to be a New Service, judging from her description. I'm furnishing her with some gun data that I hope she'll incorporate in the books, and wanted to be able to describe Sam's gun in detail.

Sounds as if 1920 is too early for the rounded cylinder latch and checkered wooden stocks as standard issue.

I'm quite sure that I've seen both on guns from the 20's, but evidently not as soon as the decade opened.

I've owned a M-1917 and a commercial New Service made in the mid 30's, and both were fine shooters. The.45 Colt example indeed had both features that I mentioned, and it grouped Remington 250 grain loads every bit as well as my S&W M-29 would group 240 grain .44 Mags. Which was very tightly, at 25 yards, the only range at which I could then shoot.

It wasn't unommon for all six bullets to make one jagged hole. That is shooting "offhand", too. Had I been able to sit and use two hands, who knows how they might have shot? And the sights were "on" for me, something not always true of Colts with fixed sights.

I bitterly hated having to sell that gun for tuition when a GI Bill check was late, and I had to enroll for the semester.

T-Star

Klondike. I can probably straighten the bent crane. I've done a number of my guns and customers guns over the years. PM me and we'll discuss it. I'm kinda backed up right now, but making progress on catching up.

By 1939 (ser #346xxx) the knob was definitely rounded.

Jerry

In Handguns 89 Chuck Karvan says the rounded latch happened in 1928. Couldn't find mention of the grips.

That's a beautiful Colt. I wish I had the money for something like that.

The author spelled his last name as Karwan, but many thanks! I appreciate that!

J-38-

Nice one! As you surely know, the .38 and .357 New Service had six-inch barrels, in lieu of the more common 5.5 inch ones in other calibers.
And some had narrower butts, too. I think those were the target form called the Shooting Master. They were distinct from the normal New Service Target version.

I'll just tell the author to use the flat style latch and have the hero use whatever replacement/special order grips he wants. Being in Africa, wouldn't surprise me if he got some ivory ones made, although that will drive some of the animal-lover readers nuts! They tend to holler to the publisher over things like that. Some of these women are real kooks.

By the way, the character is an American pilot with service in WW I, in which he lost a leg. So, he isn't a British settler more likely to have had his Colt in .455. He could use a M-1917, but I don't think they were legal surplus then. So, I'll suggest a .45 Colt version. I don't like the rough gray finish on M-1917's, anyway.

T-Star