Anyone carry a Colt Detective Special?

[otasan56]

No mini-revolver for me. G17 9mm or M1911A1 .45 ACP for me.

 

[Eddie Southgate]

I carry (every day ) a short butt Cobra loaded with the old and best I can tell no longer available 125 gr Winchester +p+ LSWCHP . I bought 4 boxes of them about 15 years ago and have not found any since .

Eddie

 

[otasan56]

It is nice to see all of these CCWers here. TX could have used us recently.

 

[iPac]

I carry (every day ) a short butt Cobra loaded with the old and best I can tell no longer available 125 gr Winchester +p+ LSWCHP . I bought 4 boxes of them about 15 years ago and have not found any since .

Eddie

What's your experience with shooting those +P+ rounds out of that Cobra? I'm curious.

Personally, I wouldn't put any +P through a Cobra let alone +P+. However, the newer Cobras with the shrouded ejector barrel ('73 on) may have been rated for minimal +P use, but I can't remember. Also, some +P+ ammo isn't that much more powerful than regular +P. So I suppose you could get away with limited use in the proper vintage Cobra. I wouldn't risk it though, and definitely wouldn't try that the older Cobras like my '61.

I tested some +P+ 147gr Hydra-Shoks in my '68 Detective. This was after confirming there was little felt difference between regular +P and the +P+. The DS shot a couple rounds of it fine, but that was the only time. I will only carry +P in the steel frame Detective. Those +P+ chrono'd at 950fps.

Due to the frame stretching possibility of shooting stout special loads, I always recommend any older Cobra being considered for purchase is given a thorough exam by somebody well versed with what to look for. Back before these guns were "collectible", folks didn't baby them.

 

[les.b]

I have a couple of Detective Specials, a shrouded version, and an earlier version without the shroud. Here is the Shrouded version, can’t find the serial number in the Colt database, so not sure when it was made:

Here is the pre shrouded version, with the Tyler T Grip. In this configuration it fits in my pocket holster, but with the larger grips from the model above, not so well suited for a pocket gun:

Best Regards, Les

 

[les.b]

Here ya go Les. Been carrying old Western 200 grain Super Police Lubaloys in it. I know Sig220 and Erik like that load too.

Joey, that is a sweet looking Cobra!!....sorry, I just saw your post. Hope you don't mind if I enlarge the pic...:

Those D frames with the factory shroud are handy and hard to come by. I had a Detective Special drilled and tapped for a shroud once, but someone had removed the shroud and filled the screw holes with filler screws. I foolishly let it slip away in a trade, and that was a shame, as back then you could still find a spare shroud now and then. The only one I have seen at a gun show was a shrouded Agent, and it was over $1,000.00.

Best Regards, Les

 

[Eddie Southgate]

What's your experience with shooting those +P+ rounds out of that Cobra? I'm curious.

Personally, I wouldn't put any +P through a Cobra let alone +P+. However, the newer Cobras with the shrouded ejector barrel ('73 on) may have been rated for minimal +P use, but I can't remember. Also, some +P+ ammo isn't that much more powerful than regular +P. So I suppose you could get away with limited use in the proper vintage Cobra. I wouldn't risk it though, and definitely wouldn't try that the older Cobras like my '61.

I tested some +P+ 147gr Hydra-Shoks in my '68 Detective. This was after confirming there was little felt difference between regular +P and the +P+. The DS shot a couple rounds of it fine, but that was the only time. I will only carry +P in the steel frame Detective. Those +P+ chrono'd at 950fps.

Due to the frame stretching possibility of shooting stout special loads, I always recommend any older Cobra being considered for purchase is given a thorough exam by somebody well versed with what to look for. Back before these guns were "collectible", folks didn't baby them.

It has held up fine so far , still tight . I don't shoot them in it very often . They are a bit more snappy than standard 158 grain loads but not too much . I am not what I call a collector and do not treat this gun as a collectors item . It is strictly used to keep my old hide intact if needed and if it ever has to do that I will be ok with it if the frame is stretched ( or cracks ) in the process of doing so . I can buy another Cobra but the older I get the dearer my hide gets .

Eddie

 

[sigp220.45]

I forgot about one.

This Agent was in parts in a bag at a cop shop with a note that said "broken mainspring". Sure enough, the mainspring was broken. "How hard can this be?" says I. If only I knew......

90 bucks later it was mine. I got a mainspring, put it together, and then learned the rule of Colt internals: If you fix one thing, you just broke another.

I've got it to where sometimes the bolt won't drop down at the beginning to the firing process. Wiggle the cylinder or pull the hammer back a little, and it will shoot. In my world, this passes for success.

I keep shooting it, hoping the little explosions will joggle everything back into place.

 

[Wyo]

Sounds about like my gunsmithing ability.

 

[jframejoey]

Can finally say I have a Detective Special. 1969 model some dope blued the hammer on. Have matching walnut grips too.

 

[Targets Guy]

Every now and then I'll carry my 1941 DS to the range. Sweet shooter.

 

[markeb]

I'll be honest, I know very little about Colts but found a 1932 DS at a Pawn shop 2 weeks ago. After research, I believe it's a first issue, square butt with original grips and a bit of freckling but overall good condition for it's age. Not carrying it yet.

 

[Old cop]

An old DS was my issued weapon in 1974 when I got into a gunfight, along w/two other officers, w/armed robbery suspects. We were on a small dark parking lot @ 6 PM and that little gun saved my butt.