Colt 38 Detective Special

[JB White]

Sentimental value trumps all.

[noslack327]

Looks like it was marked for evidence.

[Merc]

Looks like it was marked for evidence.

It would be interesting to know the gun's history. Pistols marked for evidence these days rarely make it back on the street.

[mike9905]

Two other tests. Looking at the revolver from the business end press against the cylinder to see if there is play between the frame and crane. There should be zero play. With the pistol unloaded, for each chamber cock the hammer and with the hammer held back pull the trigger; if the cylinder moves the pistol is worn and out of time.

[ww2eyes]

i think it is shootable, i have seen even older funs function without a hiccups, but to be on a safer side its best have it as a safe queen.

[Merc]

I had a gun smith look at the cylinder play and he says the wear is minimal and the action is functioning normally.

[Merc]

I took the 1948 Colt .38 Detective Special revolver to the range the other day and shot about 30 rounds at a 12" target at a distance of 25'. 19 of them were on the paper and 5 were just off the paper. Trigger pull was heavier than expected with the hammer in the uncocked position so most of the rounds that were on the paper were fired with the hammer in the fully cocked position with a very light trigger pull.

Update: I give the barrel and cylinder a good post-range cleaning. I also removed the grips and the spring area that was visible was dry. I worked some gun oil into the spring mechanism and around the hammer and trigger. Trigger pull feels about the same and is probably normal. Might invest in the services of my gunsmith to disassemble and give it a good cleaning and lub.

Curious as to the estimated value of the pistol. As previously mentioned, it's probably in average condition for a 70 year old. There's some holster wear resulting in some bluing loss on the forward surface of the cylinder and around the tip of the barrel. No nicks or dings from being dropped. The grips are minty checkered wood without flaws. The barrel rifling appears crisp, the cylinder wear/play is minimal, bullets load and fired cases extract easily. The trigger/hammer functions properly without sticking. The entire firing mechanism is tight. Best of all, it shoots well. The only damage occurred when someone scratched their initials and date into the surface of the side plate.

Update: The best examples of similar vintage Detective Specials I've seen on www.gunbroker.com were bid in the $400 to $800 price range. Newer nickel models were higher.

[Merc]

I found a great site for Colt revolvers:

www.coltfever.com

[Merc]

image.jpg

According to the various issued models of the Detective Specials shown on www.coltfever.com, it appears that my DS began its life as something other than a DS. The serial number is 500727 which, if it was a DS, indicates it was made in 1948 however the squared butt handle as shown in the photo indicates that design would have been used on the earliest DS model made between 1927-1933. HOWEVER, the s/n 500727 was also assigned to the following revolvers which indicates a high likelihood that it wasn't originally a DS. The best candidate would probably be a 1923 Army Special or Officers Model Special since all post-war models had rounded butt handles.

Officers Model Special
Police Positive Special
Army Special
1911 Military

The front sight on the earlier DS issues was half moon-shaped while the front sight on my DS is the later ramp-shaped which indicates the original long barrel was replaced at some point in time with a newer 2 inch DS barrel. The hammer and trigger on my DS are checkered while the cylinder release knob is not checkered. The mix of components in this revolver reminds me of the way the war-time rebuilding processes were conducted on military rifles. Use anything from a pile of parts that fits and works.

It's an interesting revolver that shoots well and I guess that's what counts.