Old Smiths; Old Colts; what's best for an old coot?

M

Maddox

Inactive
Presently, my modest revolver collection contains only Rugers and Smiths. How do the old standard service Colts compare to the old old Smiths? To be more precise, how does a Police Positive .38 Special compare to an old model 10? Can I expect the same reliability and accuracy from the Colt, or will the Colt be more prone to go out of time or have other problems? (Please feel free to discuss models besides the Police Positive.)

I've never owned a Colt revolver, only a few 1911s.

Thanks.
 
Colt revos do not measure up in terms of ruggedness and reliability to the S&Ws. Sorry to say but the Colt automatics are among the best as you seem to know, but among revolvers the S&W revos ARE the best.

Stick with the S&W revo unless you just want to collect. The Colts are much more valuable to a collector. Just like the Winchester rifles, Colts have that mystique when it comes to collecting.
 
Colt's, as a general rule require a longer double action
trigger pull. Probably, the most durable of the old Colt's
is the Lawman series. Rugged, heavy, and built like a
tank.:eek: :D :)

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
The best revolvers are built by Smith and Wesson and the best semiautos are built by Colt. You can't beat a J, K, L or N frame Smith and Wesson, even though the older Colts are good guns. I would pick a S&W product everytime over a Colt and yes I've heard of the much vaunted, though fragile Python. Give me an L or N frame everytime, if my butt has to depend on it to survive. By the way I do own several Colt revolvers such as Cobra, Army Special, 1917 and others as well, but when it comes to revolvers or heavy use, think Smith & Wesson or Ruger...

7th
 
My oldest Smith shooter is an I frame .32 Hand Ejector 1903 pattern that has been in fairly continuous use for bout 85 years.

Still in reliable shooting condition and is happy as a clam in ankle or pocket holster.

Soooo....on a basis of one....pretty reliable and durable.

All the rest of my Smith shooters are recent....less than 60 years old.

I have destroyed a couple of Smith stainless guns tho, without heavy loads.

Sam
 
What you are used to. All my training has been with S&W. I just know if I use a Colt I'll be forever pressing the latch forward!!!:o
 
My revolver collection is fairly evenly split between S&Ws and Colts. I don't think either is better or worse in general, but of course preferences can vary.

On the suggestion that the older Colts are not as reliable as the S&Ws, well, hogwash. Colt OWNED the police market until the 1960s when S&W aggressively started taking many police sales away. I have a New Service in .45 Colt manufactured in 1917 that shoots as good today as it did when it was new. I have a Police Positive Special made in 1920 that still works great too.

Colts have a longer trigger pull which has a distinct two-stage feel to it. Many shooters do not care for this and prefer the S&W's trigger feel. Colt bores the barrels .001 tighter so they are usually a tad more accurate than the Smiths. The older Colts have the unsupported ejector rod and some folks don't care for this feature. The old Colt revolvers had heavy barrels, which S&W didn't offer until the 1960s. A Colt just seems to hang better in the hand for many shooters.

Choose between a M10 and a Police Positive Special? Or a M20 Heavy Duty and an Official Police? No thanks. Have 'em all and plan to keep 'em.
 
I would enjoy a nice example of either. :D ;)

Personally, I have a New Service and a S&W 1917. Both are near mint. Both are accurate and reliable. The trigger on the S&W seems slightly, and I do mean slightly, lighter than the Colt. The difference is so small that it could be purly subjective.

In the lighter frames, I don't have a J frame to compare to the Police Positive, but I would trust my Police Positive under any conditions.
 
Sam, DAMN!

That one is early. Mine's a Model of 1905, 4th change, IIRC, 422,2XX.

The mainspring snapped a few months ago, and I've yet to get another one.

Mine is a Regulation Police with the stepped backstrap and round butt, 4" bbl.
 
"On the suggestion that the older Colts are not as reliable as the S&Ws, well, hogwash. Colt OWNED the police market until the 1960s when S&W aggressively started taking many police sales away."

Mmmmmm.... Sort of. My research has indicated that Smith began gaining significant ground in the 1920s with a number of large contracts for police firearms, both companies suffered greatly during the Depression, and World War II helped put Smith on very comfortable financial footing that allowed them to undercut Colt on police revolver sales in the post-war years, to the point that about 1955-60 Colt simply abandoned the police revolver market and began to focus on military contracts. That later came back to bite Colt in the butt in the 1970s when the company lost its rifle contracts and discovered that it had lost touch with what American shooters were doing.

I don't think reliability is the issue, but durability might be a greater issue. Colt revolvers do tend to go out of time more easily than an S&W.

Realistically, though? They're easy enough for a decent Smith, or even a home hobbyist, to repair.
 
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