Colt Police positive special

[smkinguntracy]

I've got a Colt that is marked Police Positive Special, 38 colt N P--38 s&w ctg.
The chamber will not load 38 specials, is this normal or do I have one that the cylinder has been changed? Thanks SMGT The serial # is 746xxx

 

[SaxonPig]

The Police Positive was built to chamber the short 38 S&W (not Special) cartridge. They lengthened the frame and cylinder to accommodate the longer 38 Special and called the new model the Police Positive Special. However, I believe the new Police Positive Special could be ordered in the old caliber and I think that's what you have.

I believe that the 38 Colt New Police is the same as the 38 S&W and the dual caliber markings on the barrel would seem to support this idea.

The 38 S&W ammo is available but is limited and is costly. These make for a poor choice as a shooter unless you load your own.

If the number you gave is correct and if I am reading the book right your gun was made in 1959.

 

[Old Fuff]

Colt continued to make limited numbers of the Police Positive model during World War Two, but discontinued it in or about 1946. Thereafter they made limited numbers of Police Positive Special revolvers chambered in .38 Colt New Police - which is the same as .38 S&W. Obviously if the revolver was made during 1959 it is a Police Positive Special, but chambered in .38 S&W.

As SaxonPig pointed out, the revolver is not a particularly good choice as a shooter, but it may attract some interest as a collectable. Most of this variant were exported, and they are not common.

 

[Cosmoline]

Wow, I had no idea you could get a PPS in .38 S&W!

The PPS is an excellent and highly underrated wheelgun, unfairly overshadowed by the Official Police and Model 10. The ones I've owned have been among the most accurate handguns I've ever seen. Yours should have the added strength of the PPS even with the S&W chambering, and if so I would not hesitate to load it with the old .38-200's. Could be a real hoot to shoot, though as noted you'd have to handload.

 

[Old Fuff]

The Police Positive and Police Positive Special revolvers were of equal strength within the particular time they were produced. The only difference was cylinder and frame length. Those made from the 1920's forward can use the British .38-200 load, or the old Winchester 200 grain Super Police cartridge. This is why Colt continued to make, and export, limited numbers of Police Positive Special/.38 S&W revolvers after World War Two. At the time there was almost no demand for this gun/cartridge combination in the United States however.

Smith & Wesson did the same with their Military & Police/pre-model 10. Few people realize it, but the .38 S&W is the second most common chambering in the K-frame M&P revolver, next to the .38 Special, although it was not introduced until 1940, and never cataloged for sale in this country.

 

[Cosmoline]

I've heard rumors of a line of modern Rugers being chambered for .38 S&W for use by the Indian police or somesuch.

 

[SaxonPig]

I vaguely recall a batch of Ruger revolvers in .38 S&W for India. Don't know if any ever turned up on the used market.

An acquaintance bought a Colt Gold Cup and the slide would not close on the round. I recalled that some countries ban military calibers and there were guns made in calibers 1mm shorter to comply. That's what he had. A Colt made for export to Italy, according to the factory when he called them. He swapped in a standard barrel and saved the original in the shorter caliber.

Colt said these were never sold in the U.S. and they had no idea how he wound up with it. It was his late father in law's and nobody knows where he got it or when.

 

[smkinguntracy]

colt 38

I found some new markings under the barrel of the colt police positive special,
CAISTAIRVT, there doesn't seem to be any group spaceing that my eyes can see. There is also RHKP 7579 on the grip frame.Thanks SMKGTracy

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Originally posted by smkingguntracy:
There is also RHKP 7579 on the grip frame.

Royal Hong Kong Police? I'll bet this was one of their old service revolvers. Being a British-controlled area at the time, this would explain the .38 S&W chambering - this cartridge was very popular in their sphere of influence.

 

[smkinguntracy]

Thanks

Thank everyone for all the great info.Someday I hope to be able to help with a question.This is the reason I joined THR. I was looking for comments on the Tauraus 410 revolver,before I bought mine. Everyone was honest and informative. Two values that just doesn't happen very much in todays world.
SMKGTracy

 

[Cosmoline]

CAISTAIRVT

That sounds like a CAI import stamp. It probably stands for "Century Arms International St. Albans, VT" You've got another one of the Yun-Fat specials. LOL There's another thread right now on a beautiful Hong Kong police surplus Model 10. It would be excellent to have a collection of the different makes and models of .38 S&W revolvers used by the Britishers and their colonies.