Looking to buy a revolver from the 1930s

[wheelgunlover]

I've been having an itch to buy a pre-war revolver lately. I often hear people say the 1930s up to the war was the golden age/heyday of Colt and S&W production.

Not sure what I'm looking for though. Currently, my earliest pieces are from the 1950s, all S&W.

I think I may want a Colt. I don't have any Colt revolvers yet, and it is my understanding they ruled the police market during the 1930s. True?

So what models were available back then? I'm pretty sure I am looking for 4" barrel or *shorter*, .38 Special, fixed sights, blued. The piece will be a shooter, and probably carried concealed as a primary, either IWB or in a pancake.

I guess what I'm also asking the group is whether there are any hidden gems of that era (meaning, undervalued)? I'm assuming I would pay a premium for a first issue pre-war Detective Special. Would a Police Positive Special be less expensive to obtain? I haven't done any pricing research yet, but I'm assuming that a S&W M&P of that era would actually be more expensive than the Colt counterpart, only because of the current popularity of S&W revolvers.

Suggestions? Thanks.

 

[clang]

Interesting thread.

I bought a nice Colt Police Positive Special from 1922 for les that $200 not long ago. If you want a shooter, make sure you get a PPS and not a Police Positive in 32 New Police or 38 New Police (same as 32S&W and 38S&W), as ammo is much more affordable (unless you reload), and packs more punch. The PPS is essentially a DS with a longer barrel - if you find one that is nice and tight, go for it. Make sure it has grips on it that you like - Colt did a lot of changes in the grip contour before WWII and finding another set to fit your gun isn't the easiest thing to do (unless you go for rubber -but that wouldn't be pre-War, would it?).

Prewar S&Ws are still out there too. They made millions of M&Ps, so they cen be found at a reasonable price, if you look hard enough. Many of these old guns have been refinished (including Nickel jobs), so if that bothers you, make sure you know what you are looking at. But if you want a shooter, I think you can find something suitable for a reasonable price.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I have a Colt Officer's Model Target in .22 LR made in 1938 and a Colt New Service in .45 Colt made in 1906. The latter was reblued, and many of the markings almost polished out -- so when it shot a foot high and a foot to the left, I didn't weep, but soldered on a big, wide chunk of mild steel, filed it down for elevation and widened the rear sight notch to correct the windage.

 

[Gordon]

Colt Army specials are a sleeper. They are mostly 5or6" however. The Official Police is pretty much the same gun, with newer features and you can find them in .38spl 4" pretty trgulatly as they were THE 'police gun' in their day. A pre war S&W Military and Police .38 spec . would be a better carry gun for today as they are more rugged and easily serviced.. A 'pencil barrel' (thin) 4 inch are common round butt versions a little less so, and you can find round butt 2" ers also- for a little premium.

 

[Jim March]

In that time period, Colt DA wheelguns had a better automatic safety than S&W's system. The S&W hammer-block was redesigned during WW2. I don't consider six-up carry of a pre-war S&W a responsible practice, whereas Colt DAs of the period were true six-up guns.

 

[Old Fuff]

I agree with Jim, although both revolvers had an excellent reputation for not having accidental discharges, and no one knows for sure what happened with the U.S. Navy Victory Model .38 that caused S&W to design a new hammer block because it was never returned to Smith & Wesson for examination.

During my younger days back in the 20th century, local police officers often carried both Colt's and Smith's with the hammer down on an empty chamber. Others carried 6 rounds. I never heard of any problems with either way.

Between the World Wars, Smith & Wesson's bread & butter gun was the Military & Police model, also known as the .38 Hand Ejector, Model of 1905, 4th change. It came in barrel lengths of 2" (somewhat rare in prewar guns), 4", 5" and 6". The later is sometimes seen with adjustable sights. Blued or nickel plate were standard finishes. Some were round-butt with black hard-rubber stocks, while most were square-butt with checkered walnut stocks. They were normally chambered in .38 Special (most common) or .32-20 Winchester.

Colt's Line included the Official Police, which was slightly heavier then the Smith & Wesson revolver and came with the same finish options. Barrel lengths were 4", 5" and 6". They also made the Police Positive Special, which was slightly lighter then the S&W, and also chambered for the same cartridges. Standard barrel lengths were again, 4", 5" and 6" - with a 2" version called the Detective Special after 1927.

Between 1930 and 1940 the country suffered through the Great Depression. Sales were slow at both companies, and highly skilled and motivated labor was available for very low cost. As a consequence hand labor was lavished on the products, of both firms, and unlike today, quality compromises were unheard of.

Considering what they'd cost to reproduce in today's manufacturing economy, they are often found at prices that represent exceptional values.

 

[saltydog452]

'Once upon a time'..I had, what I think, was a second model hand ejector S&W 44 Spcl. If I was going to get a depression era revolver, I think the 44 Spcl would be waaay high on my list.

salty.