Official Police Question

[Mzuri]

I just ran into a 4" Colt Official Police at a pawnshop. Finish looks good, with a little bit of metal showing at the muzzle. Mechanically it seems fine. (The cylinder rotates the wrong way but I am sure a competent gunsmith could correct this.)

It has the "Coltwood" (i.e. plastic) stocks and what appears to be parkerizing rather than blueing so I think it's a wartime or just post-war gun.

I have never owned or even handled a Colt before this, so I am a bit lost in terms of know what to look for and value.

They want just under $400 for it which seems quite reasonable, but I wonder if the plastic stocks reduce the value a bit.

Are there any Colt specific mechanical issues I should look for?

Does $400 seem reasonable for something that does not seem functionally all that different than a model 10 that one could probably pick up for $50 less?

 

[mtgianni]

IMO, the OP is a little stronger than a K frame but not by much. There are plenty of people who can work on S&W timing issues and parts are available, not nearly as many with the Colt.

 

[iPac]

Sounds like a good price for a shooter OP. You will get a classic V spring action that many people love, and if you don't like it, a little tuning will amaze you.

Just check it out for mechanically integrity. Colts demand more attention than S&Ws, plus you need to know what to look for. I actually have an in-person checklist exam for these guns. If you're interested message me. Probably better than anything you'll find on the net.

 

[VaTom]

I have a Colt Official Police (1956). Smooth action with a little larger frame than the Model 10. Some post war Official Police models had the Colt plastic grips before they went back to walnut grips. War time production was called the "Commando" and has a sandblasted blued finish. Made from 1942-1945 with serial numbers 1-50,000. Sounds like a reasonable price if mechanically sound. Official Police production was from 1927-1969.

I like mine and shoot it from time to time. No problems. Single action is superb but the Model 10 has better double action IMO. A little less recoil that the Model 10 due to heavier frame but the grips are narrower than the model 10 so I tend to shoot the 10 a little better.

 

[poordevil]

I also have a Colt OP with 5" BBL from 1957. I like it just fine. The OP frame is the same (as far as I know) as the Python, a .41 cal. frame.

 

[Absalom]

I just ran into a 4" Colt Official Police at a pawnshop. Finish looks good, with a little bit of metal showing at the muzzle. Mechanically it seems fine. (The cylinder rotates the wrong way but I am sure a competent gunsmith could correct this.)

It has the "Coltwood" (i.e. plastic) stocks and what appears to be parkerizing rather than blueing so I think it's a wartime or just post-war gun.
........
They want just under $400 for it which seems quite reasonable, but I wonder if the plastic stocks reduce the value a bit.
........
Does $400 seem reasonable for something that does not seem functionally all that different than a model 10 that one could probably pick up for $50 less?

You need to be sure what this is. If it is marked "Colt Commando" on the barrel, the parkerized finish is likely original, the plastic grips are correct, the serial (in the yoke) should be below 51000, and $400 would be a real steal. In the condition you describe, a REAL steal.

If it is marked "Official Police" and parkerized, it's refinished, and all bets are off; likely still a good shooter, but without pictures I wouldn't venture to speculate further.

For finish comparison, here are pictures of original-finish OP's (1942 and 1951) and a Commando (1943). The 1951 OP has post-1954 replacement grips; it would have shipped with Coltwoods.

 

[Mzuri]

It definitely says Official Police on the barrel, not Commando. I'll take a closer look at the finish tomorrow. It may just be blued but not with the sort of spectacular blueing that I thought Colts were supposed to have.

 

[VaTom]

Great post from Absalom. Here is a picture of my 1956 OP. When I bought it at auction several years ago the blue was dull. Appeared it had been put away for years. A cleaning and some flitz brought out the original Colt bluing.

IMO the Colt Official Police revolvers are undervalued for what you get. My understanding is that they have the same internals as the higher end Colts.

Good luck!

 

[Muddyboot]

400.00 for a 4" OP is not a bad price. The 4" barrel on the OP is my personal favorite.

 

[jframejoey]

They say OPs dont go out of time as easily as Pythons, Police Positives, Detectives, Agents.

 

[Warren Sear]

^^^Army Special, Official Police and Pythons share internals. The others are different frames.

There is nothing overly difficult about working on old Colts, in spite of the internet lore to the contrary. Anyone worthy of the title of gunsmith should be able to work on them.

 

[les.b]

I have a couple of Official Police revolvers. I have found that holsters designed for the "L" frame Smiths are just about right for the OP. Sounds like a good price to me, depending on degree of finish and good mechanIcal condition.

Best Regards, Les

 

[DWalt]

There is a lot of misguided or misinformed information about Colt revolvers getting out of time easily, etc., which is largely untrue. Given reasonable care by any normal shooter, a Colt will give no problems over several shooter lifetimes. The Army Special, the Official Police, the various Officer's Model.38 target revolvers, the .357, the early Troopers, and the Python all use virtually identical frames and internals, most of which will interchange. The only significant difference is that those chambered in .357 have firing pins in the frame rather than on the hammer (sort of like the S&W K-22 does).

 

[LedFowl]

I've had this Official Police, made in 1966, for a couple of years. If you enjoy revolvers and shooting revolvers, why wouldn't you want a Colt to compare against the others you own? I paid $380 in 2015.

Plus, the OP is the revolver Barney Fife carried in the Andy Griffith Show.