Colt Army Special 32 WCF

[TXGunNut]

Do the early Colt DA's generally have crappy DA triggers? I've only tried a few and they were only a little better than the ragged-out 32-20 I've been playing with. The ratchet needs work and the barrel looks like a sewer pipe but the little junker shoots quite well in SA. Ratchet has already been reworked at least once but I'm tempted to have someone give it a go one more time.

[50target]

TXGunNut,
I am not really a Colt DA kinda guy since I grew up cutting my teeth on S&W. I have one, a Colt 1917 that , if all DA colt's are to be judged by this one,they are all long and heavy. Wait, I forgot about my Officers Model Heavy Barrel in 32 Long. It breaks clean but hard in single action and the DA is smooth so maybe the better models had a better action than the war guns. Some of the DA guns I really like because they are so stinkin accurate but parts and qualified gunsmiths are scarce as all get out. My 1917 has been out for a year getting all refurbed with new parts, etc. I hope it is going to be worth the time, effort and expense. Maybe some of the more savy Colt folks will be along. You might also try your question over at the Coltforum.com site.

Bob

[rintinglen]

Uh, No. Most older Colt v-spring revolvers have very smooth triggers, not necessarily light, mind you, but smooth. A really good one makes all but the best custom S&Ws feel like capguns. Unfortunately, the good gunsmiths who know the Colt V-spring action are few and parts are nearly non-existent, so My Colt's get fondled more than shot.

[KCSO]

Trigger pull in the Army I had wasn't that bad so I never messed with it. Way back when I worked with Bill Laughridge in Fremont and he could make a Colt sing, but there are no parts for the Army any more and when you start tweaking springs you will lose one occasionally. I would bet that it would cost more than the gun to get an action super tune on it. I don't think Brownells even has kits for the Python any more so I don't know what you could adapt.

[40-82]

Some of the military Colts were intentionally made with heavy trigger pulls, but I have a commercial New Service 45 Colt made in 1924 with a 4-inch barrell whose double-action pull is like something out of a dream. Whether this particular New Service is straight factory or was worked over by a master, I have no way of knowing, but I have seen too many good double-action pulls on early Colts not to have respect for the capabilities of the factory. I am much more confident in working on S&W's than Colts because I can keep a box of S&W springs on hand where Colt parts are harder to come by.

[smkummer]

The army special still share many parts with the last python but these parts are dying up. A Colt 1917 has a double action pull that is really heavy and it does not compare with the Army special or later Official police. My one and only army special of 1925 is a very nicely shootable gun with both a crisp single action and smooth double action pull. Since all of the army specials are 85 years old or older, they have to be evaluated one by one, as previous use or misuse may have effected its current condition.