What do I have?

[blazer610]

Hello,

I have an early Colt Police Positive. Serial number indicates a 1925 production date. However, there are things about the weapon that I'm not too sure about and need wisdom from the knowing.

It has a nickle plate finish with a 2 inch barrel. It has checking on the "thumb pad" of the hammer and the cylinder release. It has half moon front sight. Barrel has no roll marks nor any other inscription. It has black hard runner grips with COLT at the top. This example is chambered in .38 special. Serial number 293---. below the serial number on the crane the is an X.

From what I've read, the Police Positive was available with 2.5" barrel at that time, but not available in .38 special. Seems like a Fitzgerald type conversion to 2" barrel but it has a complete trigger guard and spur hammer.

I traded a friend a trolling motor for this revolver quite a few years back. When I received it, the nickle plate finish was completely flaking off but the mechanical parts were excellent. Very tight lock up, great trigger, and seemingly a very low round count.

The only history that I was able to get was that the gun spent as much as 50 years locked in a storage cabinet in a boat house in Florida. After that it spent nearly 20 years on the top shelf of an indoor closet.

After I got weapon, I fired some rounds through it and was very impressed. It looked terrible and shot perfectly. So, I sent it off to Colt for a new nickle plate finish and a new replacement set of hard rubber grips. It looks fantastic now and has not been fired or handled since the refinish job.

Just wondering if anyone had any ideas about it. Also wondering what it might be worth.

I can get some photos posted if that will help with identification.

Thanks in advance,
Larry

[Kid Sopris]

We live through Pictures here...

[blazer610]

Here are a couple of photos.........

[Oyeboten]

Post some images..!


Factory 2 Inch "Police Positive Specials" would have the words "Police Positive Special" occuring on the left side of the 2 Inch Barrel, and, no small patent or other texts on the Barrel top or right side of the Barrel.

Cut-Downs, unless heavily buffed or filed and buffed, will tend to show partial texts in these areas which texts had over-ran the cut-off portion.


Probably in response to people making or having Gunsmiths make 'Cut Downs' out of erstwhile longer Barrel Police Positive Specials, and or of people requesting them from Colt, Colt began offering them as a Catalogue item in the latter 1920s, but Home-made or Gunsmith-made versions were popular and remain interesting, and to me, are important examples of the Arms people actually owned and or carried back when.

For most of the 20th Century, the 2 inch Police Positive Special, or the 'Detective Special' as it came to be known by the late '20s, was the most powerful compact Revolver in existence.

[Oyeboten]

You were too quick for me! Lol...


It sure looks nice, and very well done.


Ejector Rod length is just right...( which would be unusual in Home Made versions of the day ).

You could get a 'Letter' form Colt, which would tell you what it originally shipped as ( as far as finish and Barrel Length and Stocks )...and who it shipped to.

[Kid Sopris]

I don't know what it's worth, But It's Pretty. I like it, even refinished I like it.

[blazer610]

I assure you that it's wasn't pretty at all before refinishing. It really didn't have a finish because what remained of the plating flaked off every time I touched it.

[Oyeboten]

Value, realistically, in the Marketplace as it is, as for what this would likely sell for on Gunbroker, say...with respect to the following which period Cut-Downs enjoy...

Stocks appear to be reproduction, so that is something of a 'minus' to some afficionados, but might be a 'plus' to others since they do look nice and are very crisp...so, or but, otherwise, being as it is well done overall, quality of re-finish is very good ( other than for loss of Barrel Texts ) - how is the Rampant Colt Emblem? - somewhere in the high 2s or m-a-y-b-e, maybe, low 3s would be my guess...maybe a little more, but it would be unusual for an informed buyer to spend much more than 300-ish as far as I have seen...and, few would spend more than high 2s no matter how nice a re-finished Cut-Down may be.

[twaits]

Unless my eyes are decieving me it looks like the barrel is about 2 1/2 inches. Make sure you are measuring the barrel from the cylinder face to the end. If it was a Police Positive Special 2" it would simply say "38 Special" on the left side of the barrel and no markings on the other side. But according to Peers book ALL of these so called "pre-Detective Specials" were made in 1926.
So I think what you have there is a Police Positive Special that has been altered. It looks like it was nicely done though and Colt did their usual amazing job of refinishing. The grips are wrong for the year though. They should be the stylized "C" grips. Those grips are the early Police Positive grips which I don't think Colt installed on Police Positive Specials.

[twaits]

Here's a 2" barrel DS for comparison