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Took a Chance on a Diamondback

5K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  benalpha 
#1 ·
Hello everyone, this will be my first post on the forums, and thank you in advance for your knowledge and advice!

I have always appreciated Colt's quality and craftsmanship, and have wanted to get one of their snake guns for quite a while now. I am not a collector, but despite the high prices, the python and diamondback in particular are appealing to me, because of their history, reputation, and awesome appearance.

Recently, I purchased a 4" .38 diamondback I saw listed online. Now, I haven't purchased a gun online before, so despite the seller's positive rating and the photos of the gun, I knew I was taking something of a risk. But for it's appearance and the price I could not pass it up (I paid $1100- only wear I can see are some small scratches on the trigger guard). But I want to get your opinion! Was this a good buy? Does everything look correct on this diamondback?
I will post some of the seller's photos and put my own up when the gun comes in!
Firearm Gun Revolver Trigger Gun barrel
Gun Firearm Revolver Starting pistol Trigger
Revolver Air gun Cylinder Tool
Gun Firearm Revolver Trigger Shotgun
Firearm Gun Revolver Trigger Starting pistol
 
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#2 ·
Waste of your money. People in the know only spend their money on Pre War Colts. So its not a complete loss I will give ya $500 to get you out of your hole.

I kid I kid. From what I can see it looks nice, and 1100 is a good price for a Dback today. Cheapest I have seen for sale is $1450 in an LGS, though I haven't really been trolling online for any.

You should be happy with it.
 
#3 ·
The trigger guard "scratches" appear more like road rash. The 1st picture indicates pitting on the frame but the quality of the picture is iffy at best. Can't see the left side VP on the trigger guard. Truthfully? An evaluation is sketchy given the seller's pictures and lighting and lack of close ups of the sideplate screw, left side barrel marking showing a clean rollmark of the "Diamondback". Here's a '78 unmolested owned by me.

One picture only as it arrived to me before cleaning.

Firearm Gun Revolver Trigger Air gun
 
#6 ·
You may be correct on the grips. My '77 has the smiley and you have the straight cut under the medallion. We both may have the wrong date. I'm not a grip expert by any means but I think we need to switch!:cool:

Diamondback <<- Click here

What I do know is... one of the older fellas will be here soon to tell us what is right.


Firearm Gun Revolver Trigger Starting pistol
 
#7 · (Edited)
I 'think' that font style on the right side of the barrel and the use of of a roll pin on the hammer both pre-date the use of the straight line stocks. The light colored wood is also indicative of later production I believe.

The shade of blue on the barrel doesn't match the rest of the gun, but that isn't unheard of with blued Dbacks. Barrel could be original, or could be a replacement.
 
#8 ·
Wow, that's a lot of good information. Thanks! Now I'm really wanting to get this gun in and examine everything (determine if the stocks are correct or replaced- if the barrel is original or replaced- and of course if it functions as it should). Like I mentioned, I am not a collector, so I won't lose sleep if something isn't original, but it will be nice to know:)
 
#10 ·
Sometimes the direction of polishing on the barrel versus on the frame of a gun will result in a difference
appearance in some types of lighting.
I would not be too concerned about that difference until you get it in and look at it in different lights (outside
on a bright overcast day is best).
If you do find those grips are not exactly right for the age of the gun, they probably will still have a similar
value. If you find you need earlier grips, offer a trade in the 'Want to trade' section of the Forum.
A price of $1100 is about what I would expect to pay for such a DB if it were for sale at a local gun store.

Welcome to the Forum!!
If that does not work, try to sell them in the 'want to sell' section and use that money to buy the ones
that you need from another member or on Ebay.
 
#11 ·
Thanks for the advice SaintClair! I checked Colt's website and if the serial # is D15782 that would make it a 1968. If it is R15782, then it would be from 1978 (It's hard to tell which from the photo). The stocks make me think it is a 1978, but a couple members seemed to think it was the older model. I look forward to finding out which it is.

I have heard that while the amount of hand-finishing for diamondbacks was less than pythons, some of the early production diamondbacks did have more "TLC" put into them than later ones. Any ideas if that is true?
 
#13 ·
Very nice Diamondback. Now you need to find a .22 Diamondback to match it.:rolleyes:

The grips/stocks look mismatched unless I misread something above - you have a smiley cut panel on one side and a straight cut panel on the other side.

I didn't look at the serial number itself, but looking at the hammer itself would put the serial number as a "D" prefixed serial number with roughly a 1966-1967 manufacture date.

1966 — SN D1001 +
1967 — SN D2600 +
1968 — SN D14400 +
1969 — SN D26500 +

Yes, the hammer on your Diamondback is what they call an HHRP hammer (Hollow Hammer Roll Pin) - this was something Colt was doing in roughly the 1966-1967 time frame, and possibly slightly later. After receiving several comments that the Colt HHRP hammers made the Colt's look like a Smith & Wesson, Colt went back to the less obvious filled in roll pins on the hammer.
 
#14 ·
Had to scratch my head on that one.... thought I was going nutz.

Take a look at the first post.... that is his gun and it seems the grips are a matched set. What's confusing is there are two other pictures in this thread that aren't his gun. Those two have smiley cuts. Yeah... I know.... it's all confusing to me too. :D
 
#17 ·
Haha I saw these comments and was thinking "how in the world could I have not seen that the grips were mismatched??" Glad to get that worked out;) I should be getting the gun in tomorrow and will post my own pictures when I get it. Thanks to your information, I am thinking this is an early Diamondback with newer grips on it. The grips look to be in great condition so I may keep them or try to trade/sell and get some correct ones for it.
 
#20 ·
The biggest part of the "S" serial numbers are mid production with some chaotic scatterings of "S" serial numbers in some of the later years.

1979 — >S01001
1980 — S27029
1981 — S62978-S88000,
 
#21 · (Edited)
Ben --

One more visual indicator to date your diamondback as an early one - it has the skinny Rampant Colt with the long mane and tail with both legs over the lance. This style ran up to roughly the late '60's ('66-approx 68 for Detective Specials).

Text Organism Human Joint Drawing
 
#22 ·
I paid close to that same money for a used Diamondback, about one year ago.
The finish wasn't nearly as nice as the OP's gun, matter of fact, the one I bought appeared to have been refinished by a police armourer, because it was a utilitarian polish/finish.

The gun was nice and tight, and appeared to have been fired sparingly.
Rather than polish/reblue the gun, I had it Nickel Plated, and it was returned to Me just before Christmas.
Well worth the cost for the finish, and the 6.5 month's wait time!


Here's one of the images:
 

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#24 ·
That nickeled gun is a very early 1978 with R prefix serial.
My original Diamondback is also an R serial prefix, but that one, I bought brand new in Nov 1977....(just a couple weeks after buying My then new 1977 Buick Century station wagon)

Both revolvers are equipped with factory original (to the guns), smiley grips.
Here's My old, well used, 1977 Diamondback.
 

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