Colt Army Special 38

M

Mike / Tx

New member
I have my pop's old revolver and as the title states it is a Colt Army Special 38. Being as I do not have a 38 SPL only revolver I loaded up some lite 148gr DEWC's to give the wife and grandson's something to shoot that wasn't overly heavy to hold or too snappy for them to shoot accurately.

We got it out yesterday and tried several loads though it. I noted that in order to hit anywhere near the center of a paper plate at 20yds I had to hold at the bottom of the plate to barely cut the top lip.

Just wondering if anyone has some experience with these, what the standard load might have been that shot POA with the fixed sights?

I'm at our farm right now and the internet here is akin to two cups and a string. Loading a page up takes enough time to get a cup of coffee and take a look see out back for critteres. Fortunately this site loads up fairly quick, google not so much.
 
The standard load was a 158 gr LRN at a nominal 850 fps. Probably slower in a real revolver than the testbed.

The front sight might have been filed or worn, though.
A 125 gr bullet should shoot lower.
 
All those old Colts (and S&W's as well) were sighted for a 158 grain lead bullet (the "standard load") at 25 yards. Light bullets at higher velocity will shoot lower because they exit the barrel before the recoil moves the gun up to hit the point of aim.

Jim
 
Mike / Tx - I have a 1910 Colt Army Special - 6" barrel. I've tried a lot of loads out of her . . . the best as far as POA and POI of rme has been the 159 RN that I cast in a Ideal/Lyman 358-311 mold over 3.5 gr. of Bulls Eye. Normally I don't like to give "loading data" but my Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook shows for the 358- 311 is shown as a minimum of2.8 gr (656 fps and a max of 4.2 gr (880 fps) this is from the 3rd edition.

I have a number of vintage Smiths as well as the Colt AS and I primarily shoot mild to middle reloads in them. My 5" M & P (pre 10 k frame) seems to shoot best with the 158 gr RN over 3.4 gr of Bulls Eye. I never like loading towards the "max" loads so adjust my sight picture to compensate when necessary.

I have a number of different molds/grain weights - WC, SWC, RN. The other RN I use a lot is out of a ideal 358-242 - the 121 gr RN version. Every revolver will shoot different so you just have to play and work you a load that will work best with the cast slug you are using without loading heavy enough that it is uncomfortable for the wife/children. I've shot a lot of SAA so I'm used to adjusting my sight picture according to the land and throwing a little "Kentucky windage" into the pot as well. I''m no Annie Oakley but do have fun linking.

Enjoy that Army Special - they are nice revolvers. Do your know when your's was made? Serial number/dates are on Proof House. Good luck!
 
Enjoy that Army Special - they are nice revolvers. Do your know when your's was made? Serial number/dates are on Proof House. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Never had given it much thought, but pulled up the link and it appears from the '20's era serial numbers with 445***. Cool ol revolver to say the least. I also have my grandfathers Colt 45 Colt which is beyond shooting condition. I do however know it has at least three BG's to it's credit who tried to rob him while he ran his gas station. It was nickle plated who knows when, and the timing is gone as well as most of the rifling.

I have a dozen or so 38 cal molds to play with so I will get something figured out. The heavier bullets sound like the ticket and the Lyman 358429 or 358477 sound like good candidates. Plus I have a couple of the MP molds as well. I can certainly find something to hit POA now I'm in the right ball park.

As for the sights being files, nope still nice and sharp. I do however recall pop always just shot Peter's RN bullets out of it. When he surveyed all over the swamps of Louisanna, and down in S. Texas he carried it for critters both two legged and other. He used it on plenty of snakes and jackrabbits while they were out in the boondocks camping and surveying.

I once had a fellow offer me $300 for it just seeing across the table at a gunshow and not even handling it. I figured I would just take it around to se what was offered. I wouldn't sell it for anything to be honest.
 
I have a 5" Army Special (I like 5" revolvers) stamped for the St. Louis PD (I like department marked revolvers) serial 509600 that I think dates from 1924. These old fixed sight guns are rarely precise on paper targets. You can play around with various bullets and powder charges and see if you can get a combo that works well but generally these service revolvers were intended to be accurate enough to hit a man at 20 yards.
 
Mike - yours would have to predate 1927 as that was the year they changed the name from Army Special to Official Police (a marketing ploy). My excuse for buying mine was that it came out in 1908 - the same year my Dad was born as well as Henry Ford's Model T and because the name was changed to Official Police in 1927 - the same year my Dad graduated from High School. LOL The "excuse" worked for me! :eek:

Saxon - I agree with you . . . I like a 5" barrel as well. A lot of the "accuracy" depends on what and how you've shot as far as the blade/groove sights. I was brought up on SAAs so am used to the simpler sights. I have a 1929s S & W M & P Target with adjustable sights as well as a Combat Masterpiece. Nice revolvers but I still will grab my Smith M & P 5" when I go shooting.

The AS/OP is a good revolver. Personally, I like the feel of my Smith M & P better I can shoot better with it. The AS/OP served well though as a service revolver for PD for a long time. I think it's like anything else these days. If we stuck to shooting just one revolver, we would "learn it and know it". The AS is capable of good accuracy but if you only shoot it once in a while, it's going to take a few rounds to learn the feel, balance and how it shoots.

I doubt I will ever do it but I would love to have a earlier AS in 4", 5" and 6". They'd look good together!
 
My 38 sp Colt Army special was made in 1908, the first year.
I got it in 2014, two weeks before private sales ended in my state.
 

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