I saw my first Colt Diamondback today. Used 6” blued model at a gun shop. Great balance, surprisingly lightweight pistol with secure and comfortable grips. It has sleek lines. The DA and SA triggers were a little heavy, but can probably be lightened. Can anyone tell me about the positives and negatives of this gun?
Tell me about the Colt Diamondback
- Thread starter John T
- Start date
I had a Diamondback, .22 cal. with 4 inch barrel, at one time. Good guns, but not as good as a S&W Combat Masterpiece, Combat Magnum, etc. Mostly appreciated because they're not available! They weren't around for too long, which might indicate what the public really thought of them.
Diamondbacks
A beautiful gun. I prefer the blue 4 inch variations. They have the old Dective Special lockwork with (usually) a shade better fit and finish.
On a general scale (my opinion) they aren't as durable as a Ruger (is anything?), but almost as good as an older S&W - which is very good if you aren't the 1,000 round a week shooter. If you are the 1,000 round/week shooter you'll send it to a good smith every 3 or 4 years for a tune up.
If you can get two, one in .22 and one in .38 Spec., enjoy the hell out of your shooting. Don't dink with the trigger pull(s). Just use them.
A beautiful gun. I prefer the blue 4 inch variations. They have the old Dective Special lockwork with (usually) a shade better fit and finish.
On a general scale (my opinion) they aren't as durable as a Ruger (is anything?), but almost as good as an older S&W - which is very good if you aren't the 1,000 round a week shooter. If you are the 1,000 round/week shooter you'll send it to a good smith every 3 or 4 years for a tune up.
If you can get two, one in .22 and one in .38 Spec., enjoy the hell out of your shooting. Don't dink with the trigger pull(s). Just use them.
I encouraged my wife to pick out her own handgun and she picked a blue 4" 38sp Diamondback. She could've done alot worse.
I loaded up 500 rounds of light SWCs and she took a womens handgun course put on by the local PD. Shot best in class.
Great little revolver, good balance, good sights, fair trigger, Getting harder to find (esp the 4" .22)
I loaded up 500 rounds of light SWCs and she took a womens handgun course put on by the local PD. Shot best in class.
Great little revolver, good balance, good sights, fair trigger, Getting harder to find (esp the 4" .22)
A .22 Colt Diamondback with a 2 1/2" barrel was "my" first handgun, which my father bought for me as an 8th grade graduation present. Chose this because the gun shop didn't have a K-22, and my father felt the shorter barrel would make me pay closer attention to sight alignment; he was right. (And no, it never even occured to me to take it to school for some nefarious purpose - that sort of thing never was part of my world view.) Of course, my mother had conniptions . . .
It was a nice little gun, remarkably accurate, but the hammer fall was on the light side; I got more misfires from that revolver than with other .22's.
Traded it a few years later for an M70 in .30/06, and as with every gun I've gotten rid of (except for a Colt 1911 jammamatic) I miss it now. Especially since I understand not many .22 Diamondback snubbies were made . . .
[Edited by HankB on 03-13-2001 at 12:44 PM]
It was a nice little gun, remarkably accurate, but the hammer fall was on the light side; I got more misfires from that revolver than with other .22's.
Traded it a few years later for an M70 in .30/06, and as with every gun I've gotten rid of (except for a Colt 1911 jammamatic) I miss it now. Especially since I understand not many .22 Diamondback snubbies were made . . .
[Edited by HankB on 03-13-2001 at 12:44 PM]
I have 3 Diamondbacks, a 6" 22, a 4" 22 and a 4" .38 special. I have S&W's in the same calibers and barrel lengths, and I would have to respectfully disagree with the poster who said the Smiths' are better. These are sometimes called 'Baby Pythons' due to their appearance and great fit and finish. they are extremely accurate (at least mine are), but the trigger pulls are probably not as smooth as a Smith. If you find one in good condition at a reasonable price I would advise getting it.
SnakeLover
New member
I own a matching pair of 6" bbl Diamondbacks, one .22, one .38. The .22 goes with me on every range trip. Smooth action, crisp trigger, good groups, and cheap ammo make this the gun I shoot most often. I prefer Colts(hence the username), so my response is likely biased. Just like some folks like Fords and others Chevy, the Colt vs S&W discussion could go on for a while.
If you found one in good condition, that fits your hand well, and is in your price range, then you need to decide if it is worth it to you. Most guys I shoot with like mine and are always wanting to try it.
SnakeLover
If you found one in good condition, that fits your hand well, and is in your price range, then you need to decide if it is worth it to you. Most guys I shoot with like mine and are always wanting to try it.
SnakeLover
Peter M. Eick
New member
My 4" 38 special Diamondback has been great. It had its first maintenence in 21 years last month for a broken latch spring arm. Considering I cannot even begin to accurate guess the number of rounds I have fired out of it I would not worry about the reliablity. For over 10 years this was my families only centerfire pistol and we used it about every other week.
Mine is superbly accurate, still very tight and has an exceptional trigger. I would not hesitate to buy another one like it in a second. The problem you will find is that once you get used to the smoothness of the diamondback, most "new" revolvers seem so gritty and rough that I have found it hard to get interested in them.
Mine is superbly accurate, still very tight and has an exceptional trigger. I would not hesitate to buy another one like it in a second. The problem you will find is that once you get used to the smoothness of the diamondback, most "new" revolvers seem so gritty and rough that I have found it hard to get interested in them.
9mmepiphany
New member
my first DA revolver was a 4" .38 diamondback, so i guess i'm sorta bias 
too. the dimondback is the ultimate 
, fit and finish, member of the colt d-frames (detective special, cobra, agent, police positive and viper)
i have a smith 6" k-22 (m17) and a 4" .22 diamondback in my current collection. my d"back, on my worst day, is as accurate as the k22...granted i had the action done by my python guy
i had a 6" .22 for about a year but found the front sight too short (compared to the 4" and smith) to consistently locate. 
too. the dimondback is the ultimate , fit and finish, member of the colt d-frames (detective special, cobra, agent, police positive and viper) i have a smith 6" k-22 (m17) and a 4" .22 diamondback in my current collection. my d"back, on my worst day, is as accurate as the k22...granted i had the action done by my python guy
i had a 6" .22 for about a year but found the front sight too short (compared to the 4" and smith) to consistently locate. I have a 4" nickle plated .38 Diamondback I bought off a older friend of mine. It came with the original and Mustang grips. I modified thhe Mustangs to allow a speedloader. Its a very "dandy looking" gun and shoots well. The trigger isnt a Smiths but very nice. Although I CCW a G27 I have it on my permit as well. It likes to go camping with me from time to time. Its my only ".38 only" revolver.