Greetings,

Yes, I know that this is the S&W Forum, but lately, I have come across a couple of old Colt revolvers at what I thought were pretty decent prices, but I passed on as I know next to nothing about them. I'm hoping that some members of the Forum can help me...

First up, I was offered a tapered barreled Detective Special with plastic grips in .38 Special. Most of the finish was worn, and it appeared that this was a "glove box gun". The price was a firm $250.00. I found out later that Colt offered this model from 1947 - 1952, and then went back to the wooden grips. Questions: was that a good price for a "shooter grade" Colt, and could it fire modern grade ammo to include the occasional +P round?

Next up, an old, 1910 Colt Police Positive in .38 Special. Most of the original finish was gone, and it had a soft, brown patina overall. It had the original hard rubber grips without chips or cracks. The barrel was clean, but there was very little rifling. The seller said that Colt at that time used very shallow rifling. Price was $250.00. Questions: is there any truth to the "shallow rifling" story? Also, would this pistol be safe to fire with modern (non Plus P) ammo, or is this really more of an antique?

Any advice and insights would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Dave