I'd went into a gun store with a friend (who used to own the store that I managed back in '88-'90; man, did he teach me a lot about guns and business) on Friday. We both looked around and agreed this Police Positive was the only interesting gun in the store. Talked about the revo with my wife when I got home, and thought about it all night. Had to go back and snatch it on Saturday. (Wife is a sweetie, btw, and encouraged me to go spend some money on myself.)
It's an early Second Issue Police Positive from the late '70s, .38 Spl with the heavier 4" bbl. I found it in 95-98% condition (no line around cylinder, slight wear at L/R outside muzzle edge of bbl, small .2" gouge out of butt of rt. grip) with box. It actually didn't look like it'd been fired, just carried - as weird as that sounds. I didn't get a knock-down good deal (he had $250 on it and I only convinced him to take care of the tax for me), but I'm happy with the price I paid given the condition and quality of the revolver I got.
Man, I'd forgotten the quality of work that Colt put into these things, even during the Carter years. Tight bbl/cyl gap, milling down edges of sight groove, gorgeous bluing. They couldn't make this gun for under $1k retail nowadays. It's a poor man's Python, it is.
I like the D-frames because they're smallish, but still plenty stout for the .38s. My (smallish) wife likes the weight and feel of this 4" revo, and (unlike the SP-101 I bought for her to use a while back) she likes the Colt's trigger (great DA/astonishing SA) just fine. She's told me that she has no problems shooting it - that right there makes it great for me to own (the only other gun she feels that way about is her 4" S&W 34-1 .22 lr . . . and I feel a whole lot better with her using this .38). Gun shoots good, too, (1", 3-hole group at 10 yds with horrible smoky PMC 158-gr RNL loads) though I need to make up some decent reloads to see what it'll really do.
Now, here's the part that might be a little odd. I unloaded and put up my .40 Browning Hi-Power, and am now using the .38 Police Positive as a nightstand (locked in the safe during the day) gun. Main reason is that my wife is comfortable with it (she never cottoned much to the BHP or any other semiauto) - she knows it's in the safe, loaded, anytime she needs it. If my local world ever got a lot uglier, I could see the need for the BHP (or my AR), but I feel reasonably confident that the .38 Spl +Ps I've loaded would be effective in a home invasion scenario as things stand.
Well, I'm plenty happy with my new buy and I just had to share! Anybody else use one of these?
It's an early Second Issue Police Positive from the late '70s, .38 Spl with the heavier 4" bbl. I found it in 95-98% condition (no line around cylinder, slight wear at L/R outside muzzle edge of bbl, small .2" gouge out of butt of rt. grip) with box. It actually didn't look like it'd been fired, just carried - as weird as that sounds. I didn't get a knock-down good deal (he had $250 on it and I only convinced him to take care of the tax for me), but I'm happy with the price I paid given the condition and quality of the revolver I got.
Man, I'd forgotten the quality of work that Colt put into these things, even during the Carter years. Tight bbl/cyl gap, milling down edges of sight groove, gorgeous bluing. They couldn't make this gun for under $1k retail nowadays. It's a poor man's Python, it is.
I like the D-frames because they're smallish, but still plenty stout for the .38s. My (smallish) wife likes the weight and feel of this 4" revo, and (unlike the SP-101 I bought for her to use a while back) she likes the Colt's trigger (great DA/astonishing SA) just fine. She's told me that she has no problems shooting it - that right there makes it great for me to own (the only other gun she feels that way about is her 4" S&W 34-1 .22 lr . . . and I feel a whole lot better with her using this .38). Gun shoots good, too, (1", 3-hole group at 10 yds with horrible smoky PMC 158-gr RNL loads) though I need to make up some decent reloads to see what it'll really do.
Now, here's the part that might be a little odd. I unloaded and put up my .40 Browning Hi-Power, and am now using the .38 Police Positive as a nightstand (locked in the safe during the day) gun. Main reason is that my wife is comfortable with it (she never cottoned much to the BHP or any other semiauto) - she knows it's in the safe, loaded, anytime she needs it. If my local world ever got a lot uglier, I could see the need for the BHP (or my AR), but I feel reasonably confident that the .38 Spl +Ps I've loaded would be effective in a home invasion scenario as things stand.
Well, I'm plenty happy with my new buy and I just had to share! Anybody else use one of these?
I've never left an auto loaded that long! (Man, that BHP is fun to shoot!) Even in my worst period of slacking, I get out to the range once a month . . . and whatever two are on the nightstand and on-deck for carry always go along.