Colt Diamondback 38 thoughts

[bikemutt]

I ran across a pretty minty one of these last week, was wondering if anyone here at THR has one, or maybe just an opinion of one? I no longer collect Colt snake guns by choice but this one has a strange allure to me. Thanks.

 

[Rollie]

I have had several, with 2 1/2" and 4" barrels. All 38 spec. , all very nice. They carry nice, and are accurate. I can afford to only have so many guns, so when I fall in love with the next one, I have to sell/trade something. Wish, I had kept them.

 

[jeepnik]

If the price is reasonable, buy it. Next year it may well be twice what you paid for it.

 

[witchhunter]

Mutt, you seem to find quite a few guns that I like too. You must have good taste in revolvers. I had one in 22 lr that was a good shooter.

 

[VA27]

I always thought that a Diamondback, hard-chromed with the small Agent grips and a T-grip would be a dandy concealed gun. At todays prices I don't think I'll get to do it.

 

[Starter52]

I bought a few for investment purposes back when they were cheap. Fine quality guns, but for a shooting handgun I prefer a S&W model 14 or 19.

 

[Pilot]

I have a four inch barrel Colt Diamondback in .38 Spl. I bought it many years ago. I was looking for one in .22, but even back then I thought the price was a bit high. The .38's were more reasonable. It is an excellent shooter, but the action is not as smooth as the Python I once had. However, it is a good, solid .38, and a real looker.

 

[bannockburn]

I always liked the looks of the Diamondback and I had just about every other Colt D frame at one time or another (Detective Special, Agent, and Viper); still I always preferred S&W K frames to the Colts. Nowadays they're just too expensive for my gun buying budget.

 

[stoky]

I think they're sweet, but ditto the contemporary $$$pendy factor.

 

[Dframe]

If you can get the gun at a reasonable price, go for it. The Diamondback is a D frame Colt and was never as finely tuned as a Python. None the less it's a very fine revolver. I wouldn't trrade mine for anything.

 

[bikemutt]

Well, after talking with a few locals, I think the shop has this one priced on the high side, $2300. I don't want it bad enough to overpay for it.

 

[Shaq]

Colt Diamondbacks are nice. I've never seen a 2.5" one in person; only the one Steve McQueen used in "Bullitt."

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...dback&qpvt=bullitt+colt+diamondback&FORM=IGRE

 

[Starter52]

Bikemutt, $2300 is too much for any but the rarest Diamondback. That kind of money is Python territory.

 

[rswartsell]

Meh,

Police Positive with Python gingerbread. Collector speculation or shooter? For shooter there is better for the money. Give me a nice vintage Mod 15 Smith.

 

[witchhunter]

$2300 is off the scale! I would rather have a FEW S&Ws!

 

[Poper]

I like(d) my Colts...

and I think that is crazy money for a Diamondback!

 

[22-rimfire]

I think $2300 is on the high side for the 4" blue. Box? They are very good revolvers. I wanted one as my "truck gun" but they got so expensive that I got a Detective Special a couple years ago. The prices or values on Diamondbacks has sort of flattened out in the last year of so unlike Pythons that keep going up in price. The uncommon Diamondback versions still command pretty high prices and they are likely to continue to go up.

 

[Dframe]

Unless it's NIB, $2300 is outrageous. Even then it's off the charts. Shooter grade guns go for easy 12 to 15 hundred if in good condition. 2300 is the kind of rarified zone where the extremely wealthy collectors roam.

 

[ultramag44]

What you do is search the ADVANCE tab of gun broker.

See what Diamondback's in similar condition to the one @ the LGS are selling for. Reject the lucky one who got a gun on the cheap, and the one who paid through the keister. Find the Average price and print out a few.

Take it to your LGS and politely make him an offer in the average-selling price range. All he can do is say, "Yes" or "No." Unless he really overpaid for it, is stubborn, or is just plain greedy, a fair, market-value offer is usually accepted.

 

[HankB]

My first "real" gun was a Colt Diamondback in .22lr with a 2.5" barrel. It was accurate and smooth, but every once in a while I'd have a dud - I think the hammer fall was a bit light.

Although I learned how to shoot with that gun (the short barrel really makes sight alignment critical) I found an S&W K-22 was more fun to shoot.

 

[UncleEd]

As Rswartsell put it, give me a nice vintage Model 15 Smith.

 

[silicosys4]

I like mine, same year, caliber, and barrel length as Bullit's gun.
I never would have bought it at current prices though, $1500+ is just too much for what it is, especially since, as others have said, for that price you can buy 3 nice s&w .38's that are better shooters.
Parts are easier to find for s&w's as well.

 

[PapaG]

I have had a 2 2/2" 38 for about fifteen years now and don't shoot it but rather oil it, look at it and enjoy the fact that it is pretty classy (I thought they were ugly when they came out) but most of all enjoy looking up the value each year.
Nothing other than the farm I bought ten years ago has appreciated nearly as much in value as the Diamondback. Last check in the Blue Book has it at about $1500 but some online sites are much higher with actual bids. I'll hang on.
If you can get a snake gun below book grab it.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I have a mint looking 4" nickel. Never shot it, though.

 

[4v50 Gary]

I would not spend $2.3k on a Diamondback. Mine cost me about $300 for the 22 LR and $400 for the 38 (both bought used in different time periods).