What do you guys think is a fair value for this .38 Special Colt Police Positive? I'm told it was made in 1960 if that matters. Just the gun.

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The best I can with what I got

Police Positive or Police Positive Special?

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My sgntr is mor thn 30 chrctrs

That has the long cylinder; it's a Police Positive Special.

Listed as a Police Positive. Don't know enough about Colts to tell the difference. How do you tell? And how does that affect the value?

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The best I can with what I got

It will be marked on the barrel. Do you have the gun at hand? The cylinder is about a 1/4" longer than the Police Positive cylinder so that it can accomodate longer cartridges like the .32-20 and .38 Special. I'm far from a Colt expert or an expert on anything else, but the revolver in the photo appears to have a long cylinder; I've been wrong many times before.

PP shoots .38 New Police which is similar to .38S&W (some were also chambered fro .32 New Police)

PPS shoots .38 S&W Special (some were also chambered for .32-20). It has a longer cylinder and frame.

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My sgntr is mor thn 30 chrctrs

No. It's at a LGS. Says .38 Special so I'm assuming the longer cylinder. Listed at $425 and could maybe be got for less. Good deal, bad deal or why aren't you on your way?

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The best I can with what I got

I'm not up on prices, but that may be a good deal if it locks up okay and everything checks out. A few years back when I did keep up with prices somewhat, the Police Positive & Special models (for reasons unknown to me) always lagged behind other similar modern Colt revolvers. Interest just wasn't there apparently. Things may be very different nowadays.

Think of these as Detective Specials with longer barrels. Handy frame size but not one you'd hot rod with stout loads.

Good Deal at $425. Make sure action locks up tight when trigger is pulled - Colt action is very different then S&W.

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My sgntr is mor thn 30 chrctrs

It sounds to be a good price for the gun as pictured, if you like it. Colts lock up solidly with the hammer down and trigger pulled and if there is any play that is a bad sign. Good luck in your decision.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Well, in that case, I may just try to make a deal. Let you know how it goes.

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The best I can with what I got

Good deal at that price and as far as the comment about not running hot loads in it, the Colt is not any more fragile than the same era S&W k frame.

That would be Colt's "D" frame. Its a tad bit smaller than S&Ws K-frame, but bigger than the J. That same size frame is used for the Detective Special and Diamondbacks. I'm quite fond of it myself.
At that price, I would definitely buy.

If the other side looks like the side pictured, I would pay that without regret. I have a PPS in 32-20 and would love to find the one you are looking at in my area for that price.

I have a Police Positive Special and it's so marked on the left side of the barrel . It's in fantastic condition and I paid $400 for mine and was glad to get it . It's a fixed sight revolver but shoots very very accurately with my handloads , 3.5 grs of Bullseye using a 158 gr RN cast bullet . If you decide to buy it I would recommend having it disassembled , cleaned and oiled . I had that done to mine as I figured it hadn't been serviced since leaving the factory and it sure lightened up the action a bit and smoothed it . He charged me $50 , best money I have spend in a long time . If you buy it I wouldn't " hot rod it " , using 38-44 loads . Good luck , Regards Paul

It came home with me. Got it for $400 OTD. First Colt I've ever owned. Aftermarket grips, but they look nice. Locks up tight. Looks like a carried a little and shot even less gun. Handy. I like it.

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The best I can with what I got

I hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine . It's " Colt quality " from one end to the other . When I just want to unwind and have some fun that's the one I most often grap . It's light weight , points well and is very accurate . Regards Paul

A local gun shop has a Colt Police Positive , chambered in " 38 Colt New Police " . That's basically the S&W 38 just with a flat nose on the bullet instead of a RN . It's looks like , well " rough " and they want $450 . The sad part is I have the correct bullet mold that drops a 150 gr swc size .363 and Starline has 38 S&W 38 brass in stock . Haven't decided if I want to tackle it or not . Regards Paul

Every revolver collection should have at least one vintage Colt in the stable. You may want to clean the bluing lightly with Flitz and then a coat of Renwax. My one Colt is a 1956 Colt Official Police (.38 Special) that I bought at a local estate auction a number of years ago. Looked to have been a "sock drawer" revolver. It was somewhat dull but the Flitz/Renwax cleaning really brought out the bluing. Shown here with my nickel Model 10. Being a former LEO from back in the revolver days I am partial to a nice revolver.

Nice buy. Enjoy it.

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Looks like I'm gonna have to expand my reference library. What are some good books on Colts?

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The best I can with what I got

I have one like it and love it. I would buy another for $400. I see those offered for $6-700. I don’t know what they sell for, but easily worth $400.

"The Book of Colt Firearms" by Wilson is a good one.

I would definitely get this one. Great find BTW. You will enjoy that Colt.

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I’d say $400 is not bad. At one time, maybe 50 years ago, you couldn’t give away a PP or PPS. Different story now. The more desirable Colt Detective Special is just the snubby version of the PPS. They were also available chambered in .38 S&W and .32 Long.

Nice! You got a great deal!

Beaver Creek Armory?

Nope. Hummel Arms in Tigard.

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The best I can with what I got

You know, the more I hold this thing, the more I like it. It's not K frame perfect, but it is damn handy. Definitely a cool little gun.

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The best I can with what I got

There is a piece on the target model PP in the latest American Rifleman I got in the mail yesterday.

I've had 2 Smith & Wesson model 10's . The first one shot to the left , about 6" at 10 yds . The 2nd shot over 12" to the right @ 10 yds . My Colt PPS shoots POA=POI , perfect . I would love to have a Colt Detective Special , just a little out of my price range right now . Regards Paul

I have various snubbies but to me, the postwar Dick Specials are the ultimate.

The Colt Police Positive Special goes back a long way. This one that I own dates back to 1922, so it's a century old this year. It still works perfectly.

John


(Click for larger image)

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

I'm in agreement. I've had a well worn 1955 Detective Special with a factory shroud for years and shoot it several times a year. The slightly larger size size and a hair more weight may make these guns a little easier to shoot well for some in comparison with a J-frame snubnose, but my results have been inconclusive.

Sort of like a Tyler grip adaptor, the shroud's usefulness is questionable, but it looks neat.

IMO 4” barrel Colt PPS and S&W Model 10 and 64 are best buy sleeper guns on the market. As states like California move towards totally banning semi-auto pistols it is going to drive demand and price of revolvers up.

I put Hogue rubber monogrip on the Colt PPS for my wife and it makes shooting more comfortable for soft hands.

Frank Glenn in Arizona is a top choice for working on them if you ever need a gunsmith.

Glad you like it.

As a warning regarding books, the Standard Catalog of Colt is not of the same quality as the SCSW.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Yes, you can spend your money on something much better. The Book of Colt Firearms by Wilson is much better but costs quite a bit more. I don't know if there are revised editions (mine only goes up to about 1970) but if your interest is in older guns, it's quite adequate.

Condition is everything. Nice Colt PPs average $400-$500 in these parts. A S&W M10 goes about $100 more in same condition. The one thing the older Colt DAs had over S&W was the back sight. S&Ws is hard to see, Colt go a nice square notch. S&W has bigger demand than Colt in the service grade models. They both do well in snubbies.

Excellent price $400 considering the condition. As mentioned earlier due to frame size/weight the PPS checks a lot of boxes, basically a Colt Det Spcl with a longer barrel by 1 inch, Det Spcl came in 2 and 3 inch barrels.

I have a gunsmith right here in the DFW area . He's been smithing about 40 yrs . I asked him if he was comfortable working on my PPS . He just laughed and said , " S&W has a few large parts , Colt as a basket full of little parts " . He is very comfortable working on the older Colts . I was lucky to find him . He recently did an overhaul on a S&W 681 for me . Great men like that are hard to find . Regards Paul

As I said, I have quite a fondness for Colt's D frame guns.



Detective Special 3rd Issue .38 Special
Diamondback .22 LR
Police Positive Special 4th Issue .38 Special
Diamondback .38 Special

Thank you. I wondered about that. That's why I asked.

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The best I can with what I got

Gray fox, how do u think that Diamondback compares to a K22? I’ve always thought they were a beautiful gun.

I have two 6" Diamondbacks that I've had for a long time. Neither shoot quite as well as a Model 17, Model 18, two early Trooper .22s, or a couple of Officer Model Match .22s. But the Diamondbacks look good for sure.

The .22 Diamondback looks and handles extremely well. But I must confess that the S&W K22s are more accurate.

Now the .38s are equal to, maybe even better, than anything S&W makes.

If I were required to carry a .38 special revolver, it would be a 4" Colt PPS. It is a little lighter than a K frame.

I have had a half dozen D frame Colts in .32-20 and .38 special. All have been good shooters.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I like the Police Positive Special and have a couple of them. A .32-20 from 1922.



and a .38 Special from 1915.



Good shooters, both of them.

That's a remarkable price and condition, congrats!

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Rather be outdoors

I'm actually in the process of selling some guns. I was there to pick up some money for some guns that had sold and I told the owner that this one was too pretty to be left behind. I think I might have a condition.

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The best I can with what I got

I used mine for this years LEOSA qualification and as cowboy4evr and others have said it is a real nice shooting revolver.