Colt Gov't 38 Super with upgrades, fair price?

[bikemutt]

I ran across this 70 series Colt today at a LGS, the pictures absolutely don't do it justice.

Has a rear Bomar sight and a Bar Sto barrel. The gun is tight and has no visible signs of rust or wear. It could use a good cleaning of course.

Anyway, I don't know much about these and have been unable to sift through the online marketplace since they are still apparently being manufactured. Seems as if a new one could be had for about the same price. Ammo for it seem relatively plentiful, about the same per round as say 357 magnum.

Sorry about the picture quality, lighting conditions were not very good.

 

[docnyt]

They're hard to find in my neck of the woods. That one is a tad overpriced in my opinion. Maybe closer to $1000.

 

[huntershooter]

If the barrel has been properly fit, that 70 Series is far preferable to a "new one" in my book, in spite of cost.
Having a gunsmith mill slide for-and provide sights, provide and fit barrel is in the $400.00 to $500.00 range.
With the Bomars and BarSto barrel it should be capable of really good accuracy.

 

[Coyote3855]

I'd rather have the 70 than a new one. I'd be very tempted at $1200, all over it at $1000.

 

[RainDodger]

Hopefully you are a hand loader as well, to take full advantage of the .38 Super. Factory loads aren't much better than hot 9mm loads, other than the premium brands that you already know are hotter - CorBon, etc.

Personally I love my .38 Super and shoot it often. A Series 70 would be very, very nice. As others have said, that price may be a bit steep, but sometimes you just need to pay to get what you want. Only you know if it's worth it to you.

One thing to note - early (circa 1970) .38 Supers headspaced on the case rim, which caused serious accuracy problems. Later, manufacturers went to chambers that headspaced on the case mouth, as the .45ACP and 9mm do. I suspect you have nothing to worry about if it is a BarSto barrel. Just be aware.

 

[Rock185]

Not inexpensive, but if I had come across that gun and found no deal-breaker upon examination, I'd buy it...ymmv

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

I think you are really going to enjoy that gun. My "ringer" is a 1952 Colt Super with Bar Sto barrel, and sweet factory trigger. The original sights are dead on, and the barrel has been fitted front with a match bushing, and tightened up at the rear properly. The gun above has the further advantage of nice, big target sights. Enjoy! Here's mine:

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[bikemutt]

Nice pistol SharpDressedMan, I would want an arched mainspring as well.

I don't reload presently and I'm still digesting a very nice Hi Power I just picked up, don't want to end up with pretty much two similar handguns. That said, I was really impressed with the build quality of this Colt.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

That series 70 Colt came with an arched housing. Some one swapped it out along with the other mods.

 

[tipoc]

See if they will come down on the price a bit. If not get it if mechanically sound.

You can always get an arched msh. Other than than it looks good to go as everything else is to your tastes. For me that looks about perfect.

tipoc

 

[JTQ]

It also looks like that trigger guard has been "squared". You may want to see if there is a gunsmith mark somewhere on the pistol. Maybe inside the slide. It may be an indicator of value if the gunsmith is well known.

 

[WC145]

It also looks like that trigger guard has been "squared". You may want to see if there is a gunsmith mark somewhere on the pistol. Maybe inside the slide. It may be an indicator of value if the gunsmith is well known.

I was going to say the same thing. To me that squared off trigger guard is an indication that there has been a lot more work done to that gun than meets the eye. Also, it looks like the trigger guard was very well done, and that kind of work was never cheap.

 

[bannockburn]

Seems a bit overpriced but a lot depends on how well the modifications were done. As others noted the slightly squared off trigger guard would appear to be an indication that someone knew what they were doing when they worked on this gun.

 

[RainDodger]

That mainspring housing looks like a Pachmayr from the little I can see of it. If I'm not mistaken, they don't offer them anymore. I have one and I like it a lot, though I like flat mainspring housings more than arched anyway. The surface of it is rubber and matches the Pachmayr grips.

 

[tarosean]

It's been flat topped too... I would have bought it...

 

[bannockburn]

bikemutt

tarosean is right; the slide looks to have been flat topped along with all the other mods (the hammer looks like it's been bobbed slightly too), to make this gun rather intrigueing. If you're interested enough in it maybe offer them $1000 for it and see what they say.

 

[Walkalong]

If properly done, and not abused, it is probably a great shooter. I have a Series 80 Enhanced Colt in .38 Super and like it a lot. I would start at $900 and see what gives.