I recently acquired a Colt.38 special ctg "official police" with a 6"barrel, and wood handle without the diamond pattern (plain wood grain). It's in great condition. The ser # starts with 2881xx. Does anyone have any information on this piece that would pertain to a year and possible value, and the ammo that would make it the happiest? Thanks.
colt .38 special
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As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words… 
The revolver is a Colt 1892 New Army/Navy model. They were made from 1892 to about 1907, with the terminal serial number being 291,000. As you can see the one you have is one of the last ones made.
Most of those that were made to use a .38 caliber cartridge were in .38 Long Colt, not .38 Special. But I have handled one that was in the same number range as your gun, and it was a .38 Special. Those that were intended to be used with the .38 Long Colt round have chambers that are bored straight through; so end-to-end they are the same diameter. The relative few that were made in .38 Special have chambers that are stepped down toward the front, so the diameter at the back is slightly larger then at the front.
Someone replaced the original barrel with one that was intended to be used on a much later Official Police revolver – yes, it would fit.
Returning to the chambers, .38 Special cartridges will easily fit in a chamber made for the .38 Long Colt, but at the front the throat is way oversized for the bullet. If the cylinder was originally chambered in .38 Special with the smaller throat at the front this wouldn’t be a problem.
But the revolver, except for the barrel, is over 100 years old. If you intend to shoot it I would be very careful when it came to selecting ammunition. Just because a cartridge will go into a chamber doesn’t make it the right kind to use.
The revolver is a Colt 1892 New Army/Navy model. They were made from 1892 to about 1907, with the terminal serial number being 291,000. As you can see the one you have is one of the last ones made.
Most of those that were made to use a .38 caliber cartridge were in .38 Long Colt, not .38 Special. But I have handled one that was in the same number range as your gun, and it was a .38 Special. Those that were intended to be used with the .38 Long Colt round have chambers that are bored straight through; so end-to-end they are the same diameter. The relative few that were made in .38 Special have chambers that are stepped down toward the front, so the diameter at the back is slightly larger then at the front.
Someone replaced the original barrel with one that was intended to be used on a much later Official Police revolver – yes, it would fit.
Returning to the chambers, .38 Special cartridges will easily fit in a chamber made for the .38 Long Colt, but at the front the throat is way oversized for the bullet. If the cylinder was originally chambered in .38 Special with the smaller throat at the front this wouldn’t be a problem.
But the revolver, except for the barrel, is over 100 years old. If you intend to shoot it I would be very careful when it came to selecting ammunition. Just because a cartridge will go into a chamber doesn’t make it the right kind to use.
Wow, that was information I would never had guessed. Thank you. I did see the barrel is tapered a bit, fat on one end and gets smaller toward the tip. I'm not saying I am going to go out and just shoot it, but as a heads up scenerio; what do you feel would be the safest choice as far as ammunition goes? I have other peices to play with, so It's not really "imperative" that I fire it; it's just too pretty to pass up if it's safe to use. Thanks!
Open the cylinder and look through the chamber(s) while the barrel is pointed toward some strong light. Do you see a dark ring about 3/4's down from the back to the front, or does it look like a straight tube? The shadow indicates that it is chambered in .38 Special. If there is no dark ring it is chambered in .38 Long Colt. If this is the case it might be safe using the lightest standard .38 Special loads, but I would expect barrel leading and poor accuracy. This is because the bullet would expand to case diameter and then be squeezed down as it entered the barrel, which is made to bullet diameter. You might try a few 248-grain mid-range .38 Special wadcutters and see how they worked, but with a "Long Colt" chamber I think you would be disapointed.
Smith & Wesson introduced the .38 Special in 1899, and made a big point about being able to shoot the "Army cartridge" in their revolver, and well as the new "Special". Colt tried to ignore this, but it wasn't long before they couldn't. So I believe the very last 1892 models were chambered in .38 Special, although on the gun I examined there were no markings to indicate this. They also made some guns chambered in .38 Long Colt with stepped chambers and reduced bore dimensions, but if you had one of these a .38 Special would be too long to chamber, and you couldn't close the cylinder.
In any case, with a 100-year-old gun with possibly a mis-matched barrel/chamber combination you would be on thin ice no matter what you used in it. If the chamber matches the barrel - as it would if it was originally chambered in .38 Special, you'd be better off.
Smith & Wesson introduced the .38 Special in 1899, and made a big point about being able to shoot the "Army cartridge" in their revolver, and well as the new "Special". Colt tried to ignore this, but it wasn't long before they couldn't. So I believe the very last 1892 models were chambered in .38 Special, although on the gun I examined there were no markings to indicate this. They also made some guns chambered in .38 Long Colt with stepped chambers and reduced bore dimensions, but if you had one of these a .38 Special would be too long to chamber, and you couldn't close the cylinder.
In any case, with a 100-year-old gun with possibly a mis-matched barrel/chamber combination you would be on thin ice no matter what you used in it. If the chamber matches the barrel - as it would if it was originally chambered in .38 Special, you'd be better off.
Ok, I checked the cylinder, and it does have the rings you spoke of clear as day. Am I to assume that this is in fact a .38 special? It is absolutely mint, so it really caught my fancy. I traded this for my Ni. plated Iver Johnson TP22, (which was cute but useless). I tip my hat to you for all of your assistance.
Thank you!
Thank you!
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Hi all. I just got a Colt Army 38 Special from my grandfather. It doesnt seem to have a serial number on it. On the top of the barrel it says Pat'd Aug 5 1884 June 5 1900 july 4 1905 and Colt's pt. f. a. mfg co. hartford ct usa. The only other markings is Colt Army 38 Special on the side of the barrel. I am trying to find any info about the history that I can. Any helpful hints. I found some dates and serial numbers on proofhouse.com. But without a serial number Im not sure what to do. It does have the black rings previously talked about. Thank you for that info.
Hi all. I just got a Colt Army 38 Special from my grandfather. It doesnt seem to have a serial number on it. On the top of the barrel it says Pat'd Aug 5 1884 June 5 1900 july 4 1905 and Colt's pt. f. a. mfg co. hartford ct usa. The only other markings is Colt Army 38 Special on the side of the barrel. I am trying to find any info about the history that I can. Any helpful hints. I found some dates and serial numbers on proofhouse.com. But without a serial number Im not sure what to do. It does have the black rings previously talked about. Thank you for that info.
Vern Humphrey
Member
Personally, while I have a Colt DS that I sometimes carry and use defensive ammunition if, all my other .38 Special shooting is with very light loads -- 148 grain wadcutter over 2.7 grains of bullseye. This is a good target and small game load.
Vern Humphrey
Member
Amen.
GeezerwithGuns
Member
I believe your gun was manufactured in 1907 - last year of production as Old Fuff indicated. It looks cosmetically to be in fine condition.
What a neat find!
What a neat find!
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