Colt Detective Special?

[Miles2014]

My LGS has a Colt DS in great condition....it has the shrouded barrel, in 38spl, etc. They're asking $699. Should I? I know these are getting harder to find. I'm thinking up picking up s good quality snubby. Any other options you'd suggest?


Thanks

 

[wheelyfun66]

Love the Detective Special, but.....is it difficult to get them "smithed" if need be?

Parts available?

They sure are handsome guns, though.

Keeping posted to see what others think.....

 

[robertrwalsh]

Assuming you are in the market and the gun is in good condition that is a reasonable price, at least in CA. I own three, a very old one, a middle-aged one and a relatively new (like the one you are looking at) one. The new one was my carry gun for quite some time.

 

[KEN L]

You didn't say whether it was blue or nickel. Blued price is not bad. Nickel price is great! Nickel always seems to command a higher premium. I wouldn't take less than a $1000 for this one.

Circa 1976

 

[DWalt]

There are numerous generations of a DS depending upon when they were made, and all are priced differently. $699 would be super for a pre-war DS. Not so great for a post-war version, at least some of them. I recently bought a ca. 1960 version in .38 Special in great condition for $525 OTD. The really valuable ones are those chambered in .38 S&W, and those in .32 Long are also worth a premium. I personally would have no interest in one with a shrouded barrel at that price. I passed up one of those LNIB and nickeled for $875 about 3 months ago. I was tempted, but not at that price.

 

[bronco45]

No one is ever going to build a Colt DS, they are functional history. If you love snubbies they are required acquiring! In new condition $700.00 for a 3rd generation is a reasonable price!

 

[DWalt]

The strange thing about a DS "generation" is that many collectors have differing ideas as to what a "generation" is. I have seen numbers between three and seven generations of the DS put forth. To me, the classic DS is any generation before the barrel shroud and the short grip were used.

 

[revho]

I purchased a one owner "4th gen" DS a couple years ago for $600.00. I was told then I over paid. Today, I am still happy I purchased it at that price.

 

[Aircrewman]

I don't think it's a bad price. It isn't a really good price BUT, as they will never be made again, I think that it's a price that I would be willing to pay. Yes, there are fewer and fewer qualified smiths to service them if they need work but, again, as long as a user takes care of them, doesn't abuse them by rough handling, and doesn't stress them too much, they shouldn't need to be serviced too much. I have an "Official Police" that was made sometime in the early fifties that has quite a few rounds through it and it is as tight as it was when it came off the production line... So, that particular issue, while valid, may NOT necessarily occur. Buy it. Enjoy it. It is a fine revolver and they will never be made again....

 

[DWalt]

Most people will never come close to putting enough rounds through a DS to cause any significant mechanical wear problems. All of those I have seen have been carried far more than they've been shot. I passed up a heavily used and banged-up DS with barrel shroud at $450 a year or so ago, but it was otherwise very tight and in time. If the seller would have dropped his price to $375, I'd have made the buy.

 

[JcMack]

$700 is lower end price of a collector 98% DS. For that money it should come with an appropriate box in good cond. Since it's a shrouded barrel they're "supposed to be" O.K. with +P if you're fond of that load and intend to carry the gun. Even then a steady diet of +P is not recommended. The DS/Cobra/Agent has had the "short butt" since '66. Those type grips are much easier to find than the "long butt" grips should you want replacements. Timing is all important on these guns and the tests for timing on a Colt are different than S&W tests. If you're unfamiliar with Colt test go the Colt Forum and check out their sticky on the subject.
Parts for these guns are hard to come by. It's to the point some parts are being rough manufactured by skilled hobbiest machinists and once you buy the part you need to find a gunsmith very familiar with Colts to install it.
I realty like the DS format and carry an agent or Cobra regularly.
The only DS I have now is on the lower right of pic. The others are 2 Cobras and 1 Agents. The gun on the upper right is a well finish challenged Cobra I got 2 weeks ago for $155. Lockup on all these guns is perfect, though they range in finish quality the DS being about 96.6786%.

 

[petepeterson]

The answer here is usually "yes."

If you want to have a Colt DS to admire and handle (and say you have one), it's unlikely that their prices are going to go down.

If you're looking for a CCW revolver, your money may be better spent elsewhere.

 

[Donn]

If you're looking for a CCW revolver, your money may be better spent elsewhere.

What Pete said. If you collect, go for it, but first, see if the LGS' price is flexible. If you're looking to carry, move on down the showcase.

 

[DWalt]

I would have no hesitation to carry a DS concealed. But I don't, one reason being that if I ever had to use it, it would likely be taken by the police, and I might have a tough time getting it returned.

 

[petepeterson]

I would have no hesitation to carry a DS concealed. But I don't, one reason being that if I ever had to use it, it would likely be taken by the police, and I might have a tough time getting it returned.

It will certainly do the job. I'm lucky enough to have a DS and Cobra in mint condition, but I also have a '62 Cobra that has a lot of miles on it. I've carried it a good bit, no hesitation there, but I wouldn't carry one of the nicer ones unless I had no other options.

 

[DWalt]

I ran across a fairly nice Cobra last gun show. Some lady was carrying it around trying to sell it from table to table for $1000. I looked at it and told her that if she lowered her price to $500-$600 she would be more likely to get a buyer fairly quickly, but she insisted that someone told her it was worth $1000, and that was what she would sell it for. When I left she still had it.

 

[Double-O-Dave]

I only have 2 Colts in my collection, an AR-15 (CRE-18), and my Detective Special - here compared to a Model 649-0. I still wonder how S&W is unable to manufacture a similar sized revolver.

Regards,

Dave

 

[Miles2014]

Thanks all,

You've all given me a lot of good info to think about. The Colt DS is in fantastic condition, so I'd be apprehensive about carrying it every day and wearing on the finish. That being said, I'd still love to have it. I'm not a big collector so I'm wondering if I'd be better off getting a nice 686 S&W instead. I don't think I'd want to pay $700 for a safe queen, I'd like it to be available in case the wife needed to access it.

Any thoughts?
Many thanks.

 

[Targets Guy]

If you want it then yes. I got a '67 DS last fall for $600.00. Great revolver and my first Colt.

Now my Chief is no longer lonely.

 

[DWalt]

Keeping it in top condition and using it are not mutually exclusive. If you handle it gently and keep it cleaned and waxed, it will maintain its appearance indefinitely. Maybe not so much if you plan to use it for daily carry instead of carrying it in a pistol rug and shooting it every now and then.