Identify a Colt "Police Positive"

[Fat Boy]

Well, went to the Military Relic & Weapons Show today, and a Colt Police Positive followed me home. I am hoping that someone can tell me a bit about this gun, or direct me to a source for this information. Here is the information:

1. Revolver is nickel finished
2. Barrel measures 3.25" from crown to front of frame
3. Side of barrel marked Police Positive ("Police" above "Positive" with "38 Special" beside the two words
4 Top of barrel marked (and I can't read it all) Colt's PT...Harford, CT, USA....
There appear to be 3 patent dates, but I can't make out the middle one. The first is "Aug 5, 1884" and the last is "July 4, 1905".
5. The side plate behind the cylinder has the rearing colt emblem.
6. Serial # on frame and cylinder is 304xxx with a "C" below it on the frame.

The seller insists the nickel finish is factory-

The gun has been given a good cleaning, and the bore looks surprisingly good. Lockup is, again, surprisingly tight for a gun that is as old as the seller said this one is. I am planning to shoot 38 Special ONLY in it, and assuming it is safe for commercially loaded rounds, no "+P" stuff...

The grips are franzite and don't fit at all, so I am now on a mission to find replacements. Any ideas on a source would be welcome. This will be a shooter, so I am not trying to find specific grips, just well fitting, servicable ones.

Thanks for you help!

 

[PotatoJudge]

According to proofhouse.com your Police Positive Special was made in 1924. The barrel length is 4 inches from the crown to the front of the cylinder. The gun is made on Colt's D frame, as is the Detective Special. They're good guns but parts and skilled labor for repairs are tough to find.

 

[dfariswheel]

Finding grips will be somewhat difficult.
In the mid-1960's Colt changed the old long grip frame to a new "stubby" frame, and all the small framed Colt's made after that have the short frame.
Since the frame change was 40 years ago, most grip makers no longer offer grips for the older, long frame guns.
Grips made for the short frame models will NOT fit your gun.

Here's the difference:

Note also, that your early Police Positive Special will also have the bottom of the butt squared off and this requires grips made specifically for that frame.
Colt stopped production of the early long square grip frame during WWII.

The original Colt's from the 1920's era used black hard "Gutta Percha" rubber with molded in checkering and Colt logos.
You can buy modern replica grips of these.
http://www.vintagegungrips.com/
You'd "probably" need this pair to match the age of your gun:
http://vintagegungrips.net/ao-c5.html

As for a more modern grip, about all you could do is find a custom maker that can build you a pair to fit the early frame.