Colt Forum banner

Famous Colt Snubbies

7K views 31 replies 21 participants last post by  gkitch 
#1 ·
I've been going through Gary Peer's book again and the page on Jack Ruby's Cobra got me thinking - what other famous Colt pocket revolvers or snubbies are there...famous and infamous?
 
#5 ·
An S&W Model 37 was given to J Edgar Hoover and a Model 38 was given to Clyde Tolson as well. They are each inscribed. They are shown in Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson 3rd Ed.
However, that was many years after Hoover carried that Pocket Positive. Hoover's Pocket Positive was his carry gun, at least in the mid 30s. The S&Ws are post war guns and I don't think they were ever carried.
 
#7 ·
On the day he testified at his son's kidnapping and murder trial, Charles Lindberg was wearing his Colt Fitz Detective Special in a shoulder holster.

I don't know where they are, but there's John "Fitz" Fitzgerald's snubby .45 New Service revolvers.

Texas Ranger turned bad man Bass Outlaw carried a Colt SAA with the barrel and trigger removed and the front of the trigger guard cut off to form a trigger-like grip for the trigger finger. The gun was fired by "slip firing" the hammer.
It's very possible Fitz got his idea from a cut-off like this.
 
#8 ·
My holy grail would be the D special Jack Webb carried in the early 50's Dragnet series....made a huge impression on me as a 5 year old and probably why I love older D Specials so much. Webb wasn't gun guy in real life so his D special was probably provided by the props dept. Broderick Crawford's 2" model 10 from "Highway Patrol" wouldn't be bad either :)
 
#10 ·
SAC Melvin Purvis carried a Detective Special during the hunt for the 1930s “Public Enemies”. He had the distinction of capturing more criminals from the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list than any other FBI agent, a record which I believe still stands.
My favorite famous Colt snubby though, is the shrouded Colt Detective Special used by Sgt. Pepper Anderson of the LAPD.
 
#11 ·
I t-h-i-n-k ( but I have not checked to be sure, ) that the old TV Series "M Squad" with Lee Marvin...I think he carried 2 Detective Specials.


Lee Harvey Oswald was supposed to been apprehended with, and to have earlier shot Patrolman J.D. Tippets with, a cut-down Victory Model S&W 'Snubby' which had been converted to .38 Special, even though that is of course not a Colt Snubby...
 
#12 ·
The Pocket Positive .32 carried by Douglas MacArthur early in WWII, it had a 2.5" barrel and he carried it in his right hip pocket. It was rumored that he stated that he would not be taken alive. He carried that gun during his escape from Corrigidor, and in Australia.
 
#14 ·
Saw an old "Highway Patrol" starring Broderick Crawfored as Dan Mathews a few very early mornings ago. Had to look up what he carried but believed to be a S&W Chiefs Special and always shot from the hip. Dismal acting to the point of comedy and many episodes were filmed in the San Fernando and Simi Valley areas of CA when they were still very rural and full of orange groves. His ID call sign was "21-50" and when he called in a millisecond later "this is headquarerts" was the reply. Now that was an oldie and moldie show ;)
 
#16 ·
Floyd Boring's Detective Special. Boring was a secret service agent and used the Detective Special in the gun battle which foiled the assaination attempt on President Harry Truman on November 1, 1950. The story is detailed in a neat little book American Gunfight: The Plot to Kill Harry Truman. The Detective Special is displayed in the Truman library and museum.

 
#25 ·
American Gunfight is an excellent book! Highly recommended. The Truman Library in Independence is also well worth a visit...one of the favorite of the many Presidential Libraries I've seen over the years. The Luger and P-38 used by the Puerto Rican Nationalist terrorists were also on display.
 
#19 ·
Ron, it's more than just the grips. Those style grips were used from 1947-1949. That style ejector rod head was used for about 1 year or a little less between 1948 & 1949.
At any rate, the gun is a late 40s DS. I doubt the Truman museum will help us pin it down any further :D
 
#21 ·
In 1988 Agent Boring was interviewed about the shooting. I like these answers to the questions about his revolver;

BORING: And hand guns, of course.
JOHNSON: You describe this gun that you have as a .38 caliber…
BORING: Special Detective's Special.
JOHNSON: Is that a Smith-Wesson?
BORING: No, it's not a Smith-Wesson; it's a Colt.
JOHNSON: Oh, Colt, .38 Police Special.
BORING: Yes, but they called it a Detective's Special.
JOHNSON: It has a short barrel.
BORING: A two-inch job.
 
#22 ·
Hello
I emailed the curator at the Truman Libarary and asked if he would give me some info/date on the revolver. The date confirms it as a 1949 manufactured revolver. He has replied with this.

Ron
April 10, 2012

Dear Mr. Holt:

Thank you for your inquiry concerning the Colt Detective Special carried by Agent Floyd M. Boring. The following text from our accession records should answer your question about the serial number:

Colt .38 Detective Special, Serial No.518967, 2" barrel. Blued finish with brown plastic grips. Both grips have raised "Colt" logo, left side of frame has stamped logo of rampant horse. Left side of barrel is stamped, "DETECTIVE SPEC., .38 SPECIAL CTG." Right side of barrel is stamped, "COLT'S MFG. CO., HARTFORD, CONN. U.S.A." Grip has been fitted with "pachmyer" with visible wording, "____- GRIP" ADAPTER, MERSHON CO. INC., GLENDALE, CALIF., U.S.A." Lower half has been wrapped with adhesive tape for better grip. Frame below cylinder and just above front end of trigger guard has a small hand inscribed "B". Bottom of frame just forward of trigger guard has hand etched "K3, GAB" (markings from ballistics test following shooting). History: This revolver used by Secret Service Agent Boring on November 1, 1950 to fire two shots at Oscar Collazo, one of the two Puerto Rican nationalists involved in the attempted assassination of President Truman.

We would be most interested in learning the date of manufacture and any other information you might have concerning this firearm. Thanks again for your interest in the Harry S. Truman Library.

Sincerely,
Mark L. Beveridge
Museum Registrar
Harry S. Truman Library
 
#26 ·
Well, seeing as how we've strayed from the main title of the thread by including Pythons and Model 29s, plus we've introduced TV shows and movies, lets not forget Napolean Solo's silenced P08 Luger. And just to stay on track, I'm sure there was at least one THRUSH agent who carried a Colt snubbie.
 
#30 · (Edited)
As far as Eliot Ness, there are two references to his sidearm in The Untouchables, the book based on his memoirs, that are noteworthy:

Regarding the raid at 2271 Lumber Street, Ness says "I took my .38 Colt from the shoulder holster under my left armpit, stood back a pace and fired a shot into the lock."

Some time later, Ness took a revolver away from one Frank Foster. In describing the event, Ness says " . . . I lifted a snub-nosed .38 Colt revolver exactly like the one I had pointed at his diamond-studded belt buckle."

Since Ness was appointed as an Agent of the Bureau of Prohibition in May of 1927, it is quite possible he is referring to a 2" Police Positive Special, and if not, then likely a Detective Special, or possibly, a Bankers Special.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top