wagoneer1019
Member
my dad is looking at a .38 colt dective this one is an "agent" it has parkerized finished looks relitively good condition, what should he look at as far as contiion? any insight would be great
.38 colt agent
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wagoneer1019
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I just read the post above that's great, any any thought on the make, model?
Shade00
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Two issues are of primary importance with old Colt revolvers (pardon the use of the word 'old,' Old Fuff 
). Timing and lockup are critical. To test timing, pull the hammer back quickly to simulate single-action trigger pull - make sure the cylinder locks in place by the time the hammer is all the way back. To simulate double-action trigger pull, slowly pull the hammer back. If the cylinder does not lock into its notch by the time the hammer is back, then your double-action timing is likely off. This is the first sign of a Colt going out-of-time, which is a costly repair (since there are so few qualified gunsmiths) and is probably a revolver you should stay away from.
As for lockup, pull the hammer all the way back, then, holding the hammer back, pull the trigger all the way in; hold the trigger back, and slowly drop the hammer. While holding the trigger back with the hammer down, check the cylinder to see if there is any play. There should not be ANY movement of the cylinder. These Colt revolvers were built to have a super-tight 'bank-vault' lockup which can be rather costly to repair. If the lockup is not tight, again I would stay away from it. Fuff will probably tell you that there are many simple problems that can contribute to issues with both timing and lockup, but if you are not familiar with the inner workings of these old Colts and you don't have the desire to learn, don't go looking for a project. It's not a good place to start.
). Timing and lockup are critical. To test timing, pull the hammer back quickly to simulate single-action trigger pull - make sure the cylinder locks in place by the time the hammer is all the way back. To simulate double-action trigger pull, slowly pull the hammer back. If the cylinder does not lock into its notch by the time the hammer is back, then your double-action timing is likely off. This is the first sign of a Colt going out-of-time, which is a costly repair (since there are so few qualified gunsmiths) and is probably a revolver you should stay away from.As for lockup, pull the hammer all the way back, then, holding the hammer back, pull the trigger all the way in; hold the trigger back, and slowly drop the hammer. While holding the trigger back with the hammer down, check the cylinder to see if there is any play. There should not be ANY movement of the cylinder. These Colt revolvers were built to have a super-tight 'bank-vault' lockup which can be rather costly to repair. If the lockup is not tight, again I would stay away from it. Fuff will probably tell you that there are many simple problems that can contribute to issues with both timing and lockup, but if you are not familiar with the inner workings of these old Colts and you don't have the desire to learn, don't go looking for a project. It's not a good place to start.
Blacksmoke
Member
I bought a Colt Agent new in 1974 and carried it on my job for about two years. Being alloy frame, I limited the amount of range time with it and used the most anemic loads I could find for practice. The Detective Special is a stronger frame and would be my choice now and back then.
bannockburn
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wagoneer1019
Make sure you do a proper check-out on the Agent. I had of those from the mid-'80's and it had a major problem right out of the box. I noticed the cylinder appeared to be sticking halfway through a full rotation. Turned out the cylinder crane assembly was misaligned to the frame, and causing the problem. At the time, Colt was having on again, off again, labor issues with its workforce. As a possible consequence, some less than the best products got past QC. Just something to be aware of when checking out Colts from that time period.
Make sure you do a proper check-out on the Agent. I had of those from the mid-'80's and it had a major problem right out of the box. I noticed the cylinder appeared to be sticking halfway through a full rotation. Turned out the cylinder crane assembly was misaligned to the frame, and causing the problem. At the time, Colt was having on again, off again, labor issues with its workforce. As a possible consequence, some less than the best products got past QC. Just something to be aware of when checking out Colts from that time period.
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