Colt New Police revolver needs a new barrel

[boom boom]

I bought at a discount a Colt New Police .32 made roughly 1907 based on the serial number during the transition to the Police Positive. My particular revolver does have the new hammer block/action but not the dual labeled barrel as some do. Unfortunately, it has a bulged barrel but otherwise has good finish, timing, even grips.

I have a smith that is familiar with and works with old Colts including the blackpowder ones but what I need to know if whether an early police positive/new police barrel will work on it. I located and bought a cheap early police positive 5" barrel (based on markings and sights) that was in great shape externally and internally. Someone did thin the front sight blade and I bought it just in case that it would work (paid about .30 bucks for it including shipping).

Anyone know whether significant lathe work is needed to fit it? My smith is always backed up and does lathe work on several rather than piece by piece so I can keep looking for a proper barrel to save him time and yes my revolver has a true .32 new police rather than a .32 Colt cylinder so that I can fire .32 S&W so that is not an issue.

 

[EMC45]

I bought a S&W Model 30 3in Nickle in .32 S&W-L years back and it has a bulged barrel. It shoots so well I don't let it get to me. Perfect little gun.

Have you shot it yet?

 

[BBBBill]

I will check Kuhnhausen tonight and get back to you.


Edit - I was unable to find anything specific to those guns.

 

[boom boom]

I will check Kuhnhausen tonight and get back to you.


Edit - I was unable to find anything specific to those guns.

THANKS for trying, you, old Fuff, and a few others are folks that I trust on knowledge regarding old firearms.

RE Kuhnhausen, I bought his Colt firearms book to help with a successful project cleaning up and checking the action on a Colt Official Police and this older model apparently slips through the cracks. Someone had buggered up the mainspring trying to kink it for a lower trigger pull and I replaced the old kinked mainspring. I had always wanted a .32 revolver just because and found this before I found a suitable S&W in that caliber.

One of the issues is that my Colt New Police revolver was made at the very end of the older New Police model during a soft transition to the newer lockwork of the Police Positive regarding hammer blocks for one thing and I have been unable to discover any other reported differences between the older action and the new one. My barrel does not have the dual inscriptions which some do of new police on one side and police positive on the other. Sigh. I would have a bit more confidence in my replacement barrel if it did. I know simply that the replacement barrel finish matches the revolver and that the sights and length correspond with the first variation of the Police Positives in .32.

My gunsmith already warned me if lathe work on the barrel is involved that he does those in batches so there will be a delay on getting my revolver back. I already have two projects nearing completion that need their barrels resleeved by him--a m1922 barrel and a .22 Enfield Trainer barrel and headspaced to their actions.

 

[boom boom]

I bought a S&W Model 30 3in Nickle in .32 S&W-L years back and it has a bulged barrel. It shoots so well I don't let it get to me. Perfect little gun.

Have you shot it yet?

Thanks for letting me know that you haven't had a problem with accuracy or safety. If you do not mind a question, do you use lead or jacketed bullets when you fire it or both?

As far as the revolver, no, I have not shot it yet. I do try to shoot problematic weapons first very carefully--this one has most of its glorious Colt finish left but has an obviously bulged barrel. I bought it from my gunsmith and he did not think it would be a problem functionwise but perhaps it might affect accuracy.

However, in the long run I prefer to fix a potential safety problem as bulged and/or rust depleted spots (after removal of said rust) barrels have been linked to mysterious kabooms. The theory is that a bulged barrel (or a widened spot in a barrel) cause the bullet to lose velocity in the gap and then slow down in reengaging the rifling with an ensuing pressure spike. A .32 revolver is a bit less of a candidate for surprise kabooms due to the short barrel and the cylinder-barrel gap when compared with a rifle but it can be regarded as a problem. I also tend to like longer barrels as I get older--the replacement barrel that I bought on happenstance is a 5 incher which I really like on range firearms.

Problem is that searching for a replacement barrel that has not been produced in over one century can take time and depend on hit or miss luck. On some of my milsurp restorations, they have taken several years to round up cost efficient parts depending on the age. I have just started the process with a Springfield Trapdoor that will take at least one year or so.

 

[BBBBill]

@dfariswheel

There's a fellow here, user name dfariswheel, whom I believe is extremely knowledgeable about old Colts. Recommend that you private message him.

My gunsmith already warned me if lathe work on the barrel is involved that he does those in batches...

Hopefully the barrel will either time perfectly or at least come up short of the torque position so that only a tiny amount will need to be lathed off the shoulder.

 

[EMC45]

My Model 30 shoots very well. It is a 3in I Frame in Nickle.

 

[boom boom]

There's a fellow here, user name dfariswheel, whom I believe is extremely knowledgeable about old Colts. Recommend that you private message him.


Hopefully the barrel will either time perfectly or at least come up short of the torque position so that only a tiny amount will need to be lathed off the shoulder.

I've read dfariswheel's posts but wasn't sure that he still posted here. I always use his quick troubleshooting checklist for any revolver purchases especially Colts. Worth a shot to PM him. Thanks for the reminder BBBBill.

That is what I am hoping that any work will be minimal but sometimes changes in threading, shank length etc. thwart the best laid plans o' mice and men.

Rechecked the spare barrel today after earlier posts that I got from gunbroker to clean it for the gunsmith and it is one of the transition barrels with Colt New Police marked on one side and Police Positive on the other. The fonts match the factory examples so I have high hopes that it will work with minimal issues if I need it. Someone did thin down the sights and there are a few removal marks but one cannot have everything in an old barrel with an original Colt blued finish and pristine bore.

 

[boom boom]

My Model 30 shoots very well. It is a 3in I Frame in Nickle.

Do you shoot lead or fmj in yours?

 

[boom boom]

There's a fellow here, user name dfariswheel, whom I believe is extremely knowledgeable about old Colts. Recommend that you private message him.


Hopefully the barrel will either time perfectly or at least come up short of the torque position so that only a tiny amount will need to be lathed off the shoulder.

Unfortunately dfariswheel is not taking any PM's if what the messaging app told me is true. Le Sigh FWIW.

 

[BBBBill]

He is still around. He was last on the High Road on Thursday at 6:41 PM. Maybe he will see this.

 

[Mizar]

Just add "@" and then type his username and he will be tagged in your post. Like @boom boom

 

[EMC45]

Sorry about that......I shoot lead cast bullets exclusively. Lee 90gr. SWC, RCBS 32-098 98gr. SWC, and a brass mold I don't the make of that is a 115 SWCRN style. I size them all to .314 and load them over Bullseye. All bullets cast from clip on wheel weights.

 

[boom boom]

Sorry about that......I shoot lead cast bullets exclusively. Lee 90gr. SWC, RCBS 32-098 98gr. SWC, and a brass mold I don't the make of that is a 115 SWCRN style. I size them all to .314 and load them over Bullseye. All bullets cast from clip on wheel weights.

Thanks.

Just add "@" and then type his username and he will be tagged in your post. Like @boom boom

Thanks.

 

[boom boom]

Folks-thanks for all the assistance,

The new old barrel went to the gunsmith today and he is going to fit it to the old warhorse--the barrel shank length and shoulder appear approximately the same on both. The patina, finish, etc on the new barrel matches the rest of the revolver. Will try to get some pix of it and the SMLE .22 LR conversion that I left with him to check headspace, deburr around the chamber, and determine if I need to sleeve the barrel.

 

[boom boom]

Update--New barrel fitted and it was the same transition era barrel only in 6 inch instead of the original 4 inch bulged barrel. Patina matched and here is the old girl after gunsmith care and a new barrel which clocked just fine. Someone had thinned the front sight before I got the old barrel but it glistens inside and matches outside. What you are looking at is the right side with the police positive markings on the barrel while the left has the new police markings. Colt did this for a few years during the transition from New Police to the newer Police Positive to use up old parts I suspect. Here is it's sister 1903 in .32 acp from about the same era.

Thanks to all for their help.

 

[dfariswheel]

Sorry, I just didn't see this soon enough.
Fairly early on Colt settled on a standard thread and barrel size for most of their DA revolvers.
In order not to spend money on senseless thread and barrel changes from model to model, they seemed to stick with the same dimensions on just about all barrels within a frame size.

So, while I didn't see many of the really old early 1900's Colt's, what I did see was that nearly any Colt barrel would fit nearly any frame, at least within a frame size.
So, a .32 or .38 Colt barrel would interchange right up until Colt finally discontinued the entire small frame series in the 1990's.
I have seen an early 1900's Colt Police Positive .32 barrel installed on a 1950's Colt Detective Special in .32.

Another example is that a barrel from an 1889 Colt New Navy "could" be installed on a Colt Python frame until Colt changed the barrel threads in the late 1980's or early 90's.

 

[boom boom]

Sorry, I just didn't see this soon enough.
Fairly early on Colt settled on a standard thread and barrel size for most of their DA revolvers.
In order not to spend money on senseless thread and barrel changes from model to model, they seemed to stick with the same dimensions on just about all barrels within a frame size.

So, while I didn't see many of the really old early 1900's Colt's, what I did see was that nearly any Colt barrel would fit nearly any frame, at least within a frame size.
So, a .32 or .38 Colt barrel would interchange right up until Colt finally discontinued the entire small frame series in the 1990's.
I have seen an early 1900's Colt Police Positive .32 barrel installed on a 1950's Colt Detective Special in .32.

Another example is that a barrel from an 1889 Colt New Navy "could" be installed on a Colt Python frame until Colt changed the barrel threads in the late 1980's or early 90's.

Thanks for the info, I will keep it in mind if I see a future deal. If someone needs one, there are some new old stock 4 inch .32 colt cobra barrels out there which I found during my search for not that much. The six inch barrel I bought was a gamble that ended up paying off.