commygun
Member
I have one of the .22WRF Target models as well. My grandfather bought it in 1937. Has significant flame cutting because my Dad and uncle put tons of .22LR through it, but it shoots like a champ.
I'll be getting an older Colt Police Positive in .32 Long in a few days and am wondering if anyone has any thoughts or comments on it.
I'm not a big Colt guy: I've got 3: a .38 Sp. Official Police, a 1917 .45, and a 1903 .32acp; and while I am fairly knowledgeable about Smith & Wesson revolvers and pistols, I am a rank rookie when it comes to Colts.
Full Disclosure: I found a half-dozen boxes of .32 longs in the back of the safe (and can't recall why they are there) so, rather than sell the ammo, I figured it was a great excuse to buy a gun...so in the market for a .32 and I don't mind adding to my Colt accumulation (my LGS has one at a good price).
Any advice or review of them would be appreciated.
Are you shooting jacketed rounds?I have a nice one in .22WRF, six inch barrel I think, but I've never been able to get good accuracy out of it. When I first got it, I thought it would be the perfect "woods gun" for small game and survival, with a little extra oomph for slightly larger critters or the coup-de-gras. So it was/is a bit disappointing. The one time I took it out with me hunting I shot at a grouse about eight times, missing it each time. However, nice pistol for sure.
My father in law used it to shoot coons, it is a minute-of-coon gun, but she won't shoot minute-0f-grouse. Would probably do okay on rabbit.
Though not a decent self-defense round, you can buy ammo from Buffalo Bore (BB) that makes the most out of one of these small revolvers. BB does NOT load these hot due to the condition of most of these revolvers. BB prices are very high and the shipping prices kick you in the shins 'till you bleed. I took the financial abuse and bought a couple of boxes of cartridges loaded with hard cast full wadcutters. BB uses powders best suited to this and they go for low-flash / low-report.
Old Hobo, welcome in and appreciate the BB info. I've been using Flocci Wadcutters. My EDC and house guns are all in the .32 family and this will be a fine upgrade. Thanks.
Old Hobo, welcome in and appreciate the BB info. I've been using Flocci Wadcutters. My EDC and house guns are all in the .32 family and this will be a fine upgrade. Thanks.
Have been testing in ballistics gel only, don't own a chronograph. Recently tested Magtech & Flocci, w/ 2" S&W 632, these were the penetration results.
Magtech: tested two, 11" and 12.5". Flocci: tested three, 13.5", 12.5", 13.25". In all cases you can see the track inside the gel goes an inch or so further and settles back to the numbers posted. One Magtech and one Flocci flattened out a bit and were .38 and .37 in diameter respectively. Not too shabby IMO. Once I get the BB I'll post the figures, prob in a few weeks.
Old Hobo hope you recover and can get some range time before long/before the range closes down.
Are you shooting jacketed rounds?
Just FYI, Colt even warns against using jacketed bullets in those guns because of the possibility of a seperated jacket getting left in the bore.Yes, that's the only ammo I have. I have some CCI, some Winchester, and I think some Remington loads. Yes, I think the pistol is capable of better accuracy.
Just FYI, Colt even warns against using jacketed bullets in those guns because of the possibility of a seperated jacket getting left in the bore.
If you are handy with a drlll press, you can drill out a fired .22 WMR case and turn it into an adapter sleeve for .22 LR. Another possibility I explored with mine was having a machine shop drill out the cylinders and permanently sleeve them for Long rifle rounds.
I ended up selling my WMR Target Positive and buying an Officer's Model .22, but I kinda miss the silly little Positive and wish I had converted it.
View attachment 1103901
Have been testing in ballistics gel only, don't own a chronograph. Recently tested Magtech & Flocci, w/ 2" S&W 632, these were the penetration results.
Magtech: tested two, 11" and 12.5". Flocci: tested three, 13.5", 12.5", 13.25". In all cases you can see the track inside the gel goes an inch or so further and settles back to the numbers posted. One Magtech and one Flocci flattened out a bit and were .38 and .37 in diameter respectively. Not too shabby IMO. Once I get the BB I'll post the figures, prob in a few weeks.
Old Hobo hope you recover and can get some range time before long/before the range closes down.
Howdy
Although I am very familiar with Smith and Wesson frame sizes, I am not as familiar with the name of Colt frame sizes.
However I can tell you this: Colt Police Positive Specials have a slightly longer cylinder and frame than standard Police Positives. That is because the standard Police Positive was chambered for the 38 S&W round, while the Police Positive Specials had a slightly longer cylinder and frame to accommodate the longer 38 Special round. And the only Police Positive that was chambered for 32-20 was also built with the same longer cylinder and frame as the 38 caliber Police Positive Specials.
Dad left me his Police Positive in .38 Special along with a newer Police Positive Special in .38 Special.
He bought it in the 50's on his return from the Marines from a retiring butcher who kept it, wrapped in an oily rag in the delivery truck glove box.
There was some identifying marking on the but that has faded.
The serial number is under 28,000 which lists to 1909 when I looked on-line.
It has a 1.5" cylinder in .38 Special so I'm guessing a special order could get the .38 Special in the Police Positive.
Just be careful, man.
Some of these revolvers were chambered for the .38 New Police instead of the .38 Special cartridge.
Why did Colt do this?! I sure don't know. I'll not even speculate. If you have put a long cylinder in a revolver, why even dare chamber it in a less powerful cartridge?! Seems stupid, silly, ....
Due to this, one should make sure yours is one of the vast majority of .38 Special chamberings.
Also, when buying ammo, make sure it is a standard pressure loading -- not anything +P. You already know this, but I had to say it. I'm OCD.
Here's an article about such a revolver chambered in .38 New Police:
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2020/06/17/wheelgun-wednesday-colt-police-positive-special/
"The Colt Police Positive Special was produced from late 1907 to 1995. It came as an iteration of the Colt Police Positive. The only design differences are that the Special had a strengthened frame and lengthened cylinder to make space for the more potent .38 Special cartridge. My personal Colt is that of the third issue of Police Positive Specials and is chambered in .38 S&W rather than .38 Special. The third issue was made from 1947 to 1976 and sported a grooved trigger, a new cylinder retention system, and a ramped front sight. According to Colt’s serial number lookup, my Colt was manufactured in 1970."
[emphasis, Old Hobo]
Oops, I should have also included the following from the above article:
"I had mentioned earlier that my Colt is chambered in .38 S&W (Colt New Police). I suspect the reason is that my particular revolver was imported from China and was once a Royal Hong Kong Police revolver and .38 S&W was either preferred or more common than the relatively new .38 Special."
Barrel clearly says Police Positive .38 Special the 2 words share the same P and that's what we've been shooting thru it.
The newer [larger frame] says Police Positive Special .38 Special.......
Bingo on the Police Positive Target .22WRF . Notice the CCI ammo had printed "not for pistols" on the boxes and I could never figure why , having used it as lower powered ammo for my .22 Mag revolvers . However I had a rather Large Stash of the older two runs of Winchester WRF to use up and that , being plated lead flat points, is what gave me remarkable accuracy in the old Colt WRF ! I also had a 1890 Winchester pump with tang Marbles peep that I got from the same source , a large famous ranch in Monterey County Calif in the mid1970s . Those two guns were from the estate of an old monied family Cowgirl and there was story behind them. I used them sparingly in the almost 50 years I had them and I shot up a brick of the three bricks of Winchesters runs in the early 80s and early 90s between them and found them to both be astonishingly accurate and killed smaller medium game animals very well. The Colt 6" pistol chronographed 1150+- FPS and the 24" rifle a high 1300s FPS with those flat nosed 45 grain bullets and killed very well ! I got over $2200 for both guns and 800 rounds of the Winchester ammo from a very appreciative collector this last spring on GB. I still use the CCI 45 grain jacketed ammo in my .22 mag pumps, bolts and revolvers .Are you shooting jacketed rounds?
They were designed for lubricated lead round-nose. The bore is a hair too tight for jacketed, but thats about the only .22WRF you will find these days.