Colt Agent

[Ronald12]

Hello
What kind of finish did Colt use on the Agent? I saw one yesterday that had a dull rough finish(almost like parkerizing) with rubber pachmayers. Everything looked good, just not the nice smooth finish you see on earlier Colts. I was thinking about selling my S&W 36 or trading it for the Agent, but not sure about alloy frames. Granted, it will probably just sit in a nightstand except for an occassional shooting. ANy opinions on the Agent or should I jsut keep the S&W? Thanks, Ron

[ghostman1960]

They used Blue, Nickle and Parkarizing. What you saw was a Colt Commando. They are the same as the Detective Special except for the finish.

[Ronald12]

It said Agent on the barrel. This isn't the gun, but one like it. This one is on gunbroker:
Colt Agent 38 Special : Revolvers at GunBroker.com

[Lawman67]

the 80s vintage Agents were a parkerized version of the earlier blue revolversSomeone swapped the grips. They were ugly but inside were Colts and shot as well as the earlier guns. They were ratedfor limited plus p use .I have one that i had refinished to a black atte finish, added a hammer shroud ,a set of Colt Agent checkered grips and a Tyler T grip. Was my main carry revolver for 20 years. Still pack it when I need a lightweight,accurate revolver. the parkerized revolvers were a hail Mary to get back into the 2 inch revolver market, one they once owned but let slip away.Agents ,by the way ,wer never offered in nickel , Cobras were.

[saemetric]

the 80s vintage Agents were a parkerized version of the earlier blue revolversSomeone swapped the grips. They were ugly but inside were Colts and shot as well as the earlier guns. They were ratedfor limited plus p use .I have one that i had refinished to a black atte finish, added a hammer shroud ,a set of Colt Agent checkered grips and a Tyler T grip. Was my main carry revolver for 20 years. Still pack it when I need a lightweight,accurate revolver. the parkerized revolvers were a hail Mary to get back into the 2 inch revolver market, one they once owned but let slip away.Agents ,by the way ,wer never offered in nickel , Cobras were.

Me too-this is my EDC

[Ronald12]

I think I will just keep the S&W model 36. I wanted a DS, but they have just gotten way out of my price range.

[Ronald12]

Are the alloy frame Agents just as collectable as the regulare DS? Would an older model be better than this newer one. This newer may function like any other, but darn, it is ugly. I know you don't buy to look at, but the early Colt finishes are much more appealing. Ron

[A1A]

Just for the record, this is what they looked like in the 80s:



Here is one with Vintage Industry Colt rubber stocks that makes a great carry gun for me:



and here is a 1984 catalog page showing the Agent of the day and the Commando Special (a matte finish DS):

[JudgeColt]

Are the alloy frame Agents just as collectable as the regulare DS? Would an older model be better than this newer one. This newer may function like any other, but darn, it is ugly. I know you don't buy to look at, but the early Colt finishes are much more appealing. Ron

You may be compairing apples to oranges, since the Detective Special was in production for about seven decades and the Agent was only introduced in 1955 (TBOCF says 1962, an error that has been perpetuated in the Wilson charts since), but a 1955 Agent is far less common that a 1955 Detective Special and is therefore more "collectible."

[Lawman67]

Me too-this is my EDC

just checked to make sure mine was there. Great minds think alike