Colt's Detective .38 Special

[pmer]

I saw one of these at the gun shop in blue for $525.00. It was good conditon with little to no holster wear.

I was wondering what people think of this rig. I don't have a conceal carry but am thinking along those lines. Its the same size as the 5 shot LCR and the Smiths but its a Colt; and it has 6 shots.

Thanks.

[Guesser]

My favorite carry concealed is a late model DS, Colt is my favorite but I do have a couple S&W and Taurus and Rossi that qualify. The price may be good, get the S/N and go to Proofhouse to date it unless its a late model, then call Colt on Monday. Go to Gunbroker and get a feel for price.

[Dframe]

Colt's Detective Special is probably the finest snub nosed revolver ever made. It's slightly larger than the J framed Smiths but (as you note) it's a six shooter. Some people don't care for the feel of the Colt action with it's V mainspring but most old timers like me LOVE it.
$525 is at the higher end of what I'd consider normal for these guns although with Colts these days just about anything is possible. (I saw a Cobra last week at a show and the guy was demanding $895) I didn't even stop to ask. When I see a price THAT preposterous I don't even try to negotiate, I just move on.

[pmer]

Thanks, It did feel good in my hand. I tried a little dry firing and it seemed to stay pretty straight on target. Sometimes DA with J frames the muzzle can jerk right for me as the shot breaks. Maybe that helps with the V main spring.

[MtGun44]

Great guns, although I have a Cobra with the short grip frame. With the Pachmayr Gripper
Compac (with the pinky cutout) it is a death ray to 10 yds for me. Just look where you want
a hole and it appears. I do NOT normally point shoot with any guns, just discovered that
this one would do it. 3 decades of IPSC has taught me to aim, fast, but the Cobra (same
gun as the DS, alum frame, later models had short grip frame) is special for me. Smooth
action. Colts are more difficult to get fixed properly than S&Ws and tend to wear a bit
faster into needing a "tuneup", but great old revolvers.

Bill

[oldhickory]

I have 2 Colt DS's, one old style with the long grip frame, and a newer type with the short frame. I prefer the older type myself, but I guess it's a matter of personal preference. The price seems high, but in these days it may be what they're going for, after-all, they don't make em anymore.

What MtGun44 said about wear and service is true. The old Colts can be kept out of the shop for repairs though by using the D-A pull sparingly, (avoiding just for fun D-A shooting) not slamming the hammer back on S-A shots, and properly lubing the working parts, (I use U.S. military grease in mine-the brown stuff issued for M1 rifles-1lb can @$1.00 gunshow find). My newer DS is almost 30yrs old, and my older one is crowding 50-Both show considderable holster wear, but in tip-top shape mechanicly, I keep loads at a reasonable level and both guns will out-last my grandson.

[Bret4207]

Very nice guns. I like the older ones myself, had the alloy version (Cobra?) for some time that withstood a lot of heavy rounds. I always thought of the DS/Agent/Cobra as more of a small, light holster gun and the Smith J frames with 1 7/8" barrel as more of a concealed carry/pocket gun. Just me I suppose.

A DS or J frame with 3-5" barrel would make an excellent field gun in 32 or 38.

[LouisianaMan]

Add my vote to the list--the DS is a great revolver. If you want a snub-nose, you really can't do better than this. The ONLY downside to it, IMO, is that it's harder to get a Colt worked on if it does develop problems, than it is a Smith & Wesson.

I spread out my available time & $$$ shooting various guns, rather than really getting good with one, but I probably put 1000-2000 rounds thru it in about 20 years of ownership, and it looked as good and shot as well at the end as at the beginning. I preferred it to my S&W snubbies, but since S&W's are still in production, I standardized them for my family instead of Colts. Didn't want wife & daughters--and perhaps me--grappling with cylinder release under stress, much less trying to figure out which way the cylinder rotates when desperately reloading a spare round or two.

As for the price, I leave that to you to judge.

[Snyd]

Great little snub. Can't go wrong.

[dk17hmr]

I gave my future wife one before we moved to Wyoming a couple years ago. Recoil get stout when I loaded it up with defense loads but she does fine with it. She is very quick with it and plinking loads, after I showed her how to use the speed loaders she is just as quick with 12 rounds as she is with 16 rounds from my 1911.

They are great little revolvers.

[Suo Gan]

That price seems real high to me. Usually gun shops charge a premium for a Colt. They are no better than a Smith or Ruger IMO. I see several J frames every year for less than $300 OTD, that is the rubric I use for determining if a snubbie is worth buying. I bought 2 last year for $200 a piece. Just passed on a excellent 686 for $310. They are out there if you are looking.

[gray wolf]

On the job in Colorado I carried a little 5 shot smith ( chief ) off duty.
One night I had to use it in an almost dark ally way. It ran out of bullets real quick.
It also turned out to be a little small for my hand and follow up shots were slow.
I was being shot at from an old H&R 10 shot 22 RF.
The next morning I bought a Colt DS six shooter.
It felt so much better in my hand and I wanted that extra round. The little chief concealed a little better but in real life it let me down. Felt great in the gun store, but never again.
Back then autos were not the big thing,
and off duty guns were a smith chief, a colt DS, or cobra.
I like the Colt DS, nice balance and a good shooter.
I think I paid $165.00 for it--what a steal.