Colt - Should I Buy It?

[DocB]

I am not a Colt person. I might own ten. There is this Detective Special 38 Special 1951ish at a LGS. It looks refinished to me because the hammer is blue. Nicely done and showing some age, so not a recent refinish. The price on it is $599 plus tax (7%). That is totally out of the question. I can get him to come down. . .how much. . .not sure. At what price should I buy it? At what price does it go from being a "deal" to being a fair market price? It does have the wood grips that are probably original.

 

[rwt1405]

While I like the Detective Specials, they aren't getting the money other Colt's are, and if it is refinished, I wouldn't pay more then $350 - 400 maximum.

 

[NYlakesider]

I am not a Colt person. I might own ten. There is this Detective Special 38 Special 1951ish at a LGS. It looks refinished to me because the hammer is blue. Nicely done and showing some age, so not a recent refinish. The price on it is $599 plus tax (7%). That is totally out of the question. I can get him to come down. . .how much. . .not sure. At what price should I buy it? At what price does it go from being a "deal" to being a fair market price? It does have the wood grips that are probably original.

If your right in that it has been refinished and the rest of the weapon stands up to the usual prechecks on a Colt revolver to me its about a $150 high! I'm northern NY so I do not know what guns are selling for in your area!

 

[NCBeagle]

I am not a Colt person. I might own ten....

Okay....that sort of made me laugh. I get it. But, you can see how that might sound to a non-gun person. That's still a lot of colts.

Doc, I agree with what the others have said on pricing. Refinish, unless factory, hits the price hard.

 

[kip595]

Having been looking for a good shooter grade D.S. for some time I concur with the above estimates, For me, 350 would be good, 400 would be pushing it, 430 or so would be the top dollar and only if I was in a really good mood. Those are assuming bank vault lock up and so on.

I paid 325 for a beautiful older refin O.P. last year and don't regret a nickel of it; D.S.s will always tend to run a bit higher. Out here they seem to be creeping into snake gun territory in LNIB shape, but shooters are still out there if you look hard enough. The trouble, at least here, is that those selling shooters see the LNIB prices and believe they can ask for a price on a good shooter or refin D.S. commensurate, percentage-wise, with a Python of similar shape.

To paraphrase the Duke, "Best get to haggling!" Good luck!

 

[Absalom]

A blued hammer and/or trigger on an older Colt is not the "idiot-proof" indicator of a re-finished gun that it usually would be on a S&W.

At various times, Colt shipped revolvers with trigger and hammer finished like the rest, for example on nickeled guns or the parkerized Commando. I have a 1970 DS where is no possibility of a refinish which has a hammer that's metal-colored on the sides, but the trigger is full blued. Maybe a replacement trigger? Who knows.

On Colts, you need to look elsewhere for proof of refinish.

 

[DocB]

Good information so far. I did not know that blued hammers exist on the DS. It was a very bright high polish blue that looked just like the rest of the gun.

 

[arjay]

When I was looking for a DS about 10 years ago,the nicer ones were selling for $500 or so.

 

[DWalt]

I'd say the $599+7% has a lot of profit for the dealer built in. On the other hand, the postwar DS (before they hung barrel shrouds on them) is the best to have for shooting and CC. A couple of years ago I bought a near-mint 1960 DS for $475 and felt good about it. It had incorrect stocks (Coltwood) on it, but I easily made an even trade for a correct pair in top condition.

 

[gman51]

$400 would be my highest offer. $600 is IMO ridiculous. But to each his own.

 

[alwaysoutdoors]

They're very high. I don't recall that the case colored hammer/trigger test holds true on colts like smith (refinish clue).

 

[DocB]

I think the stocks are original. I will pull them off tomorrow and check for a number (if Colt even did that). The gun stores around here let me take their guns apart, but get really nervous when it's a Luger and I tear it down on the counter. It has a big number "7" on the butt of the grip frame where Smith puts their SN's. I don't know what that means.

 

[NCBeagle]

Sort of wondering how this new Colt Cobra is going to affect old Detective Special, particularly 3rd generation, pricing. Now (or soon), you can go buy a new 6 shot stainless steel "Cobra." This fills the void created by Colt's discontinuing the Detective in the mid-1990s, for some folks.

I will always prefer blued steel and wood, but anticipate a 10-15% drop in the market price of non-collector grade Detective Specials.

**Note - the percentages cited were pulled straight from my rear end, but going with my gut on this one.

Dumping these into the discount bin....

 

[Absalom]

They're very high. I don't recall that the case colored hammer/trigger test holds true on colts like smith (refinish clue).

Colts never had case-colored triggers/hammers, at least on 20th century DA revolvers. That was a S&W thing.

.......
Dumping these into the discount bin....

Learned something. Looks like all blued DS models had the blued trigger and the hammer with shiny sides. I can stop wondering .

 

[loeman]

Don't buy it!

 

[policerevolvercollector]

Doc,
Colt Detective Specials are bringing a premium in good condition. $450 wouldn't be outlandish. Again, condition is the key. Has this one got the ejector rod shroud?

The old test to determine if a Colt has been refinished is... Can you see the legs on the pony? If the legs/hooves are visible, you are in good shape.

I'm curious about the number 7 on the butt. That sounds like a rack or issue number to me. Colt only put serial numbers on the butt in very early guns. I don't think they did this after 1900-1910 or so.

PM me for more info.


Are you going to get that Banker's Special???


Best,
Charles

 

[Absalom]

.....
I'm curious about the number 7 on the butt. That sounds like a rack or issue number to me. Colt only put serial numbers on the butt in very early guns. I don't think they did this after 1900-1910 or so.....

I second that. I somehow missed your remark about the number on the butt. That is no serial number, and an inventory number on the butt makes this an entirely different ballgame in terms of collectibility.

 

[DocB]

No, I'm not paying that for the Banker's Special. Would like to have one now that I know what it is, but he is way too high. Now I have to think about the "7" on the butt some more. I didn't realize that was a good thing.

 

[NYlakesider]

Sort of wondering how this new Colt Cobra is going to affect old Detective Special, particularly 3rd generation, pricing. Now (or soon), you can go buy a new 6 shot stainless steel "Cobra." This fills the void created by Colt's discontinuing the Detective in the mid-1990s, for some folks.

I will always prefer blued steel and wood[/B], but anticipate a 10-15% drop in the market price of non-collector grade Detective Specials.

**Note - the percentages cited were pulled straight from my rear end, but going with my gut on this one.

Dumping these into the discount bin....

I'm guessing but I think to a lot of people there will be a big difference between the old and the new. Sort of how many people on here fell about things like recessing,pining and locks.

I have 2 Colt Revolvers from that area, both in above 90% condition. A blue DS and a hammer shrouded Cobra (both are .38s 2"

 

[jimmyj]

If the revolver is something that you want---BUY IT !
1. Its only money
2. No one has ever observed a Brinks Armored Truck in a funeral procession--one does not take one's money with one.
3. At grave side no one remarks, "Wow, he really got a great deal on that Colt D.S."