Today I came across a little Colt that I fell in love with. I know it's all sorts of wrong, but I love well executed modifications. So here's what I *think* I have, I would love an expert take.

It seems as near as I can figure to be a Police Positive 38 or a Police Positive from either 1926 or 1920 originally.

The Detective Special barrel is a later addition, I don't know enough about them to know if it was modified to have the ramp, or if it came that way. Can anyone give me a date on the barrel? I think it actually is a .38 S&W barrel and not .38 Special, it doesn't appear to be too tight for a .38 S&W at least, but I can't find my calipers at the moment to measure it.

The frame, which you should see in one of the pictures below, appears to have been cut and then the butt repositioned after removing material giving it a shape that allows for the Pocket Positive grips that are on it (which have a different S/N on them on the back) to basically fit. It's not perfect as you can see, but it's very very close.

The reason I have the last two pictures there is because that seems to be the one problem with the gun. The lockup and endshake are perfect, but you can't close the cylinder beyond what you see in that image without pulling back the cylinder release. When I opened up the gun I found it full of hair (long red hair in fact) and started cleaning it, going to need to take it fully apart for a better cleaning I think. In any case there isn't anything gumming it up any more, but the problem with closing the cylinder still persists.

Is the fix for this complicated? Or do I just need maybe a new spring in there behind the cylinder release, the old one seemed pretty used up.

Thanks for the help, I have to say despite the problem and the unoriginality of the gun I really fell in love with it right away, it's a charismatic little thing and I am really curious to know when someone might have done this work to the gun to make it that way.

I can't help with your questions, but that's cool!!! Both are! I like well worn firearms.

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Thread Killer.

The official Colt serial number is on the inside of the frame with the cylinder open. (also on the crane)
That serial number on the bottom of the butt looks hand-applied and may be just a police rack number of some sort.
If you check the "real" serial number you can find the year of production easily.
I have one that has been re-barreled as yours but it didn't have any work done to the frame.

The ramp-type front sight is the post-war version for Colts.

The number on the Butt matches the one inside the frame.

Guessing someone put it on there when they did the modifications?


I snapped a couple more pictures that may help.

That's a pretty awesome specimen. Did you catch the three inch Det Spec at DJ's?

Can't help you on the colt but the pics look great

I saw it, but I only really wanted a pre-war one. I don't want to really own that many colts, so when I buy one it's either going to be a good functional charismatic gun, or one King has worked on.

This is just one of those guns I bought because I love it, no other reason.

Sweet! Can't help you with the fix, but if it were mine I'd just put up with having to pull the latch back until I found a Colt-qualified revolversmith. Unfortunately, they are getting rare.

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Pisgah

That's really first-rate work on the butt (and barrel, too).

Mine with the Detective Special barrel but without the other mods has a Police Department's initials and a number engraved on it.
It seems like such a lot of work (in both cases) for such minimal benefit that I have speculated that mine (and maybe yours) was done by a police armorer as a backup gun for someone on the force.
High quality work without someone having to pay real money for it...

I was reeeeeally close to getting it, got the Cobra instead.

I think I would have jumped on that too, it's a unique gun. Hopefully it will handle .361 boolit's okay.

If your Colt is a Police Positive .38 it looks like it was made in 1926 according to www.proofhouse.com

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

Well, we don't really need a reason to buy a gun, do we? But if we did, buying one simply because we love it or it appeals to us in some way we don't really understand will justify a purchase just fine.

Love the gun, love the photos. Oh, and that old Ithaca you're using for a prop looks to have a lot of charisma, itself.

Very cool! Sorry I can't help on your question.

Yeah, that was my first 1911 and I love it dearly. It's not exactly an Ithaca though.





The frame is a 1918 Remington, slide is of course Ithaca, High standard barrel. The grips were made in the Philippines and nicely date themselves.

All I had to do with it was replace the recoil spring, that was a bit worn out. Otherwise it works great. I find I like guns like this far more then nearly any new in the box gun. It's just so much more interesting to think of where the gun has been, who may have used it through WW1, WW2, and Korea.

Cute revolver! Looks like it wants to be an Official Police when it grows up!