Genuine Non-Political Colt Detective Special Question!

J

justinr1

New member
Found this entry in gunbroker.com that really caught my attention:
Original COLT Detective Special-Brand New-Unfired, Model # D1425, 2" 38spl.

I know there are various models out there and was wondering what the range of years in making this gun for the above model number. It looks real sexy! My questions are:

o I assume original point of aim for this gun is 158g. I personally would never put a +P in this gun even if it was so rated.

o What Colt frame is this? Wouldn't it be cool to put some nice wood on it? And finally;

o I would like a nice pancake holster, in brown. Difficult to find?

The whole point of getting it is as a good looking range gun that I would baby with 38spl's only. I want a brown holster just because. They want a bid of $399 for it. Don't care if it's a little over-priced, it just looks nice. Good plan?

justinr1
(The Recreational Shooter)
 
Judging from the picture, it is probably one of early 1990s vintage. These were made from a stockpile of spare parts which Colt had been holding in reserve after the Detective Special was discontinued in the mid-'80s.

My 1974 vintage DS only shot to point of aim with 125gr slugs, but your mileage may vary. It is a D-frame, and most major stock manufacturers like Hogue offer wood replacements. Personally, I found the factory wood stocks on my DS to be a little too slick. Moreover, they were not clearanced for speedloaders. The only factory rubber grips properly clearanced are the Hogues, (designed for the later Carry Magnum). Various holster manufacturers can also provide suitable leather. Among the off-the-rack varieties, a Ruger SP101 holster should work if a Detective Special-specific model is not available.
 
A friend was looking for a DS or Cobra a couple of months ago.

At the gunshow he went to we found a table with at least half a dozen of each, in various conditions and age ranges.

Not a single one was over $350.

$399 sounds way too high for this gun.

A pancake holster should be easy to find.
 
I can show you two of them right now, vintage Dick Specials/Cobras from the 50s or 60s, used but in good shootable condition for $239 and $249, IIRC. I would stay away from the 90s production (which I believe had a shroud over the ejector rod) in comparison with the older Colt's revolvers. HTH
 
I've had two blued-steel ones, and one stainless one. All of the latter manufacture with shrouded ejector rods. NONE had acceptable timing. All had notable stacking near the end of the DA trigger stroke. IIRC, the steel-frame models were endorsed for about 5K rounds of +P before a factory check-up.
 
Det. spl shrouded bbl.

IIRC; the barrel shroud was put on the Detective Special & Cobra in 1972. The shrouded barrel was considerably heavier also.

marsh
 
Notable stacking near the end of the DA trigger stroke. Isn't that the Colt way? Remember, this is a new gun. All I want to shoot is 38spl. Don't intend to shoot 5K rounds of +P. Looking for groups of 2 inches or less at 25 FEET. My 586 snub will do that all day long. Would like to be able to get 10K rounds through the Colt without a smith. Possible?

justinr1
 
The "Dick" Special always had the reputation of being the best snubby of all time.
A grip just large enough to get a firm hold on, 6 shots, and strong enough to handle +P's. They also had a good rep for accuracy.
Buy one, you'll like owning the finest.
Most holster makers offer plenty of holsters to fit. Bianchi has a nice pancake.
www.bianchi-int.com
 
JustinR1: no, the "Colt Way" of classic times was an absolutely dead-smooth DA stroke with absolutely no warning whatsoever that it's gonna cut loose. Try the trigger on a good classic Python, or an old Officer's Match, or an unshrouded-barrel Dick Special.

Some people like that trigger type. Takes practice to do fast strings, moreso than with an S&W-type "stack-at-the-end" trigger, but accuracy goes up once the Colt pattern is mastered.

I learned on the S&W-type trigger. What happens is, as you come down from recoil and are pulling the trigger back for the next shot while the barrel is still dropping, you get a "final warning" that allows you to do the last bit of sight alignment just before cranking the next round off. This is a good thing, except that the last bit of trigger hiccup theoretically hurts accuracy.

To do the same thing without that hiccup takes practice, because you simply have to get the sights lined up when the trigger breaks, and know when the trigger is gonna cut loose purely by muscle memory. But once the practice is done, along with periodic followup, you get fast shots with smoother letoff.

This is part of why the Python has the rep it has for accuracy, and for that matter the Dick Special has that rep among all the snubbies.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm thinking very seriously about this purchase. Oh, by the way, this isn't a politically incorrect buy, is it?:eek:

justinr1
"The Recreational Shooter"
 
Stacking is not at all uncommon on Colt handguns with the old-style lockwork.

The lockwork on S&W guns, with the rebound slide, helps insulate the trigger from stacking.

My old DS (with factory hammer shroud) had a fairly light and smooth trigger, but it stacked.
 
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