Colt Army Special 38

[GeoDudeFlorida]

GeoDudeFlorida,

you sound more like Calvin....

wonder what it would take tp replace that front sight with something that looks right.

I am liking this project.

-kBob

---
The machinist in me says lock the stub of the barrel into a v-jaw vise and use a 2-flute endmill in a vertical mill (Bridgeport) to clean up the broken off previous sight and solder/flux, then press a new sight in and shape with a flat-smooth file. Finish it with 300 grit and hit it with cold blue. I'm not sure if that's really necessary, though. It's fine for what it is, as-is. And, it's not my gun so it depends on what the owner wants. Why ruin history unnecessarily?

Calvin, huh? LOL!! I'll take that as a compliment.

Harry James was blowing, "You Made Me Love You," on the Victrola as I opened the door... and got pounced by a 600 pound Tiger carrying a water gun filled with cheap rye. I was right: it was a blonde... and trouble.

 

[Middletown]

Who knows what stories this gun could tell in it's long history. Condition of the lands in the barrel, forcing cone and face around the firing pin I actually think this gun was fired very little.

When I first saw it I was reminded of the gun Jack Ruby uses to kill Lee Harvey Oswald. Wikipedia says it was a Colt Cobra, picture borrowed from Wikipedia.

If the barrel was shortened it may have been with one of these in mind.

 

[Sarge7402]

The Colt Army Special started off where the 1895 New Army/Navy left off. It incorporated the Positive action improvements that prevented firing of the revolver without the trigger pulled all the way to the rear. The continued to chamber them in .38 (Chambered for the new fangled .38 Special Round) and the .41 Long Colt. Some time later the 32-20 was added to the line up. While a lot of folks scoff at the .41 Long Colt it was loaded to approximate the Colt 1860 Army Black Powder load with a 200 Grain Hollow Base slug and about 18 - 21 Grains of FFG Black Powder.

In about 1927 Colt figured the Police were buying a whole lot more than the Army and renamed it the Official Police.

Also when S&W brought out their .38/44 High Speed Load in the early '30's, Colt certified their .38's as capable of handling this rip snorting load. The Army Special weighed a good bit less than the S&W Heavy Duty or the Colt New Service.

I've had mine since the early '70's and it's in .41. The finish is a bit worn but that only serves to give it character.

 

[dfariswheel]

The barrel is a cut down job.

The barrel stamp should have COLT in large letters, then Army Special, then .38.
The Colt address would be centered on the top of the barrel.

See the correct barrel stamp here.......

http://www.coltfever.com/Army_Special.html

Colt installed front sights by machining a slot in the barrel, press fitting the sight blade, then silver brazing it in place.
This cut down job failed because someone just brazed the sight to the barrel without the slot.

 

[Middletown]

The barrel is a cut down job.

Are you saying this couldn't possibly be a factory special? 60% of me says you are probably right but the other 40% says to know what happened in one of these factories 95 years ago is impossible to know.

Happy Shooting!