I got a free Colt 38 Special revolver, can anyone give me feedback?

P

Purdue_XD40

New member
i got a Colt 38 special 'official police' model

it is a 6 rounder swing out revolver, leather holster, and all the goodies, it came with a box of 50 or so 154 grain lead bullets, i think 15X

anyways, are those +P+ loads? what is good ammo to shoot out of this? what is the highest grain that it can take?

are these accurate and if so, how far can i expect to see decent results?

i dry fired it, nice light trigger :)

if you have one please send me more info if you have time

smith329@purdue.edu

thank you!
 
Others will certainly give you more details than I can, but the Official Police model from Colt held the majority of the police revolver trade prior to World War II, when Colt shifted production to the M1911A1 for military needs. Most for "beat" carry had a five-inch barrel. Colt experts will need to tell you more about your particular model.

After the war, the S&W Military & Police became the most popular revolver for law enforcement, due to no fault of the Colt revolver. They had simply been gone too long from the market, and the Smith is a fine revolver in its own right.

I'm about at the limit of what I know for this revolver, but I expect you will have a great time shooting it. Enjoy!
 
I have an Official Police model that is stamped on the grip frame, "N.J. State Police". I looked it up and found out it was made in 1930. It still shoots great. I have been told to stay away from +P ammo in these guns. They weren't made for that kind of pressure.
If you do a search, there has been a thread here before that gave a link to look up your serial number and find the year of manufacture.
They are fine old guns, classic police sidearms. They are starting to go up in price too.
 
great! thanks everyone for posting, i am just starting to get into pistols so i dont know much, but want to read up as much as i can.

i will try and find the thread that has the serial number lookup.

keep em coming :)

thanks


EDIT:

i foudn some stuff...

http://www.gunsandammomag.com/values/april_0625/

2nd article on the page, it is the 38 special, and it is the shorter barrel
 
Congratulations on your acquisition!

I found a new-in-box Colt Official Police (made in 1937 :) ) a month ago and it has rapidly become my favorite revolver. It shoots to the sights with std. pressure 158 grain SWC and is stunningly accurate. I think the Official Police cylinder and frame are plenty stout for any .38 Special load (it was originally rated for .38/44 loads that exceeded modern +P loads), it's the lockwork that's more fragile. As with any pistol, shooting hot loads will accelerate wear. I don't see much use for +P stuff, so I tend not to shoot it in the OP.

vanfunk
 
I would be heasitant to fire +p ammo in that revolver as it is getting older and I belive they're smaller than a S&W K-Frame. I myself have much more effective ordinance anyway so I would just use it as a fine old target practice revolver and enjoy its history.
 
The Official Police is built on the Colt .41 frame (same as the Python) and as such is a little more robust than the S&W K frame. The heat treating of the very old ones isn't as good as modern examples, though. I've never heard of an OP blowing up from firing +P ammo (not that it couldn't happen, just unlikely), but again, shooting high pressure ammo will accelerate wear. Standard pressure 158 grain SWC factory ammo is all I fire in mine, though I wouldn't be the least bit worried about firing +P fodder if I had to. YMMV

vanfunk
 
i found the serial number, does anyone know of the site ot look up when and where this gun was made?

Official Police
.38 Special CTG

Colt's PT. F.A. Mfg

6 digit serial number
870XXX

then a 4 or y under the serial number and a k to the right of that

if anyone know this would be great!

also, can i dry fire a revolver or does that damage it in anyway? i know with an autoloader it can damage it over time.

standard .38 special is 154 grain correct?

thanks for all the help so far
 
870XXX was made in 1960.

The numbers that year started at 870000, and ended at 876999.

The other letters and numbers stamped around the serial number are factory inspector's stamps.

Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company has been located in Hartford, Connecticut since the 1840's.

Within reason, dry firing won't harm your Official Police.

Standard .38 Special ammo is 158 grain.
 
the grip is either plastic or some other material which is kind of worn, hogue grips or similar are avaliable to replace, or does it cost more for the original type of grips?

the sights on the top, looks almost like a rail, is it more than a rear sight?

i want to get this checked out by a gunsmith to make sure the timing it right, etc, does anyone know how much that usually costs and how long it may take, etc?

thanks
 
The grips MAY be original.
During WWII Colt used a reddish-brown plastic grip for the wartime version of the Official Police, and after the war continued using it for some time.

They called this early plastic "Coltwood", and used it on a number of Colt revolvers and automatics.

These grips are red-brown, with moulded-in checkering and Colt emblem.
Coltwood.jpg


The best place to get your Colt checked out and possibly tuned up is:
The Colt factory. Colt does top quality work at good prices and probably the fastest turn-around.

Another excellent facility is:
Pittsburgh Handgun Headquarters
1330 Center Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15229
(412) 766-6100

Pittsburgh use to be Colt's factory warranty repair overflow site so they do factory-level work at good prices.

I'd be VERY wary of letting any local gunsmith work on your Colt.
These days, VERY few people are really qualified to work on the older Colt's, no matter WHAT they may say.
 
My appologies, I had the frame size of the Official Police mixed up with that of the Police Positive and Police Positive Special.
 
The Colt OP is one of the really fine old revolvers. It will tollerate +P ammo, but I'd use mostly standard pressure loads because, as stated, higher pressure (+P) loads will accellerate wear of the lockwork, and there are not many gunsmiths who are really competent to repair it. Grips and parts are available from
www.gunpartscorp.com

You have a great revolver, a little bit of American history. Check several quality revolver sites ( like this one) to learn the basics of caring for and shooting a revolver.

Get a cleaning kit, and take the revolver to a gun shop to get some basic instruction ( and ask about ammo, etc.)

Hang on to it - I don't see many of these guns around any more.

Mark
 
I have two of these guns (1944 and 1961 versions). Love them. From what I've been told from various sources: It was the popular and standard police and later FBI issue even before it got its name in the early 1900s . Prior to 1927 it was (I think) called the Colt Army Special but it was found that there was a bigger market for them in the police forces so in 1927 they changed the gun's designation to Official Police. This gun was standard issue (along with it's S&W counterpart the M10/Military&Police) all the way until the 1969 when it was discontinued (Used models no doubt survived long after Colt discontinued it, in fact it's been said to me that you can probably find a small handful of older LEOs around the country that still carry theirs or the "dad's" old OP) If made after the war they will handle +P rounds. If made prior to 1945 they will still handle +P rounds but since that older version is harder to find and the steels were a little softer then, it's been recommended not to "put a steady diet" of them through it as it will cause accelerated wear. The Official Police model from 1940 (some day even guns back in the Depression era) forward was rated to handle any .38 round of day including the .38/44 (the strongest .38 cartridge round of the day and stronger the +P today). But for my 1944 version I will put 6-20 rounds maybe once ever couple of months just to stay used to it.

I use one of mine for a CCW all the time. Nice piece. :cool:
Enjoy yours.

Doug
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top