[rono]

A buddy picked up a Colt Army Special s/n 4318XX this weekend. Can someone tell me when it was made? I'm thinking around 1919. Got it pretty cheap ($250). Shoots real nice.

Ron

[Starter52]

The Colt Army Special was one of Colt's more popular revolvers. They were made from 1908-1928 and were build on "the .41 frame" which was later called the I-frame and was used for the Python revolver.

You didn't mention the caliber of your gun. They came in .32-20, .38 Special and .41 Colt. The gun proved popular with police agencies in the 1920's and Colt changed the model's name to the Official Police.

You can check proofhouse.com to see if your gun is listed in their database. $250 is a good price for an Army Special.

[rono]

Sorry, it's a 38 special.

[Jim K]

That gun was made in 1918. The Army Special continued the New Army & Navy serial numbers and the Official Police continued the Army Special serial numbers. There were about 249,000 Army Specials made, but ones in top condition are very collectible. Still, none of those DA guns bring anywhere near what they should compared to other Colts.

Jim