My first real Colt revolver.

ontarget

ontarget

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Joined
Nov 30, 2009
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Location
Michigan (Gods country)
You guys had me thinking I needed a Colt revolver for some time now.
Well, stopped by a small shop that sells a lot of vintage guns, and some very high end shotguns, just to look at all of the eye candy that I knew I couldn't afford.
They had several shooter grade Colts in their case so I started to look them over.
Found a 4 inch PPS in my price range and brought it home. Timing and lock up are perfect. Trigger is pretty good too. Stacks a little but is smooth. S/N puts it at 1928.
Now to find some pretty wood grips for it.
The obligatory pic.
20230306_213733.jpg
 
Nice...what are those grips...stag or Jay Scots? Either way, I find them right handsome...let us get a range report on your PPS. Good lookin' revolver with some honest wear...

I've got a pair as well...but not the 'Special' version...mine're Police Positives in .32 Long with another in .38 S&W. Slightly shorter frame on these if memory serves. What say you, Knightlord...you seem to have some add'l knowledge to share....Rod
 
Rodfac said:
Nice...what are those grips...stag or Jay Scots? Either way, I find them right handsome...let us get a range report on your PPS. I've got a pair as well...but not the 'Special' version...mine're Police Positives in .32 Long with another in .38 S&W. Slightly shorter frame on these if memory serves. What say you, Knightlord...you seem to have some add'l knowledge to share....Rod
Click to expand...
The cylinder and frame window are shorter on the early (non-Special) Police Positives. Later on, they all went to the larger frame size, though .32 New Police (.32 SWL) and .38 New Police (.38 S&W) cartridges were still offered even with the longer cylinder into the 60s.
 
Nice pickup. I'm trying to stay out of the shops down here, but I'm having a hard time with it. Thumb Gun last Saturday, thank God they didn't have much......but they did have one I'm interested in....
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
Shhhhhh!!! If the world finds out, prices will rise!

The scarcity of ammo for many of the D-frames keeps prices low on all but the high-condition collector-grade examples.
Click to expand...
I’m going to look for honest wear one’s. Been carried alot and shoot a little. I like when then bluing is a bit aged
 
Mark_Mark said:
POLICE POSITIVE is the hot new collectors gun!!! get them as you still can!
Click to expand...

Really? Some of us have known about them for many years.

The Police Positive Special with the hard rubber grips shipped in 1922. The one next to that shipped in 1932. Next to that is a Police Positive Special chambered for 32-20 which shipped in 1926. The one with the 4" barrel shipped in 1952. Notice the lack of a bug screw under the cylinder. I bought that one back around 1975 or so. Last, is a little Police Positive 22 Target that shipped in 1936.

pmxvd7JJj.jpg




This little Police Positive 32 shipped in 1917. Chambered for 32 Colt New Police, as Colt liked to call it,or 32 S&W Long.

pmk4QBifj.jpg
 
Driftwood Johnson said:
Really? Some of us have known about them for many years.

The Police Positive Special with the hard rubber grips shipped in 1922. The one next to that shipped in 1932. Next to that is a Police Positive Special chambered for 32-20 which shipped in 1926. The one with the 4" barrel shipped in 1952. Notice the lack of a bug screw under the cylinder. I bought that one back around 1975 or so. Last, is a little Police Positive 22 Target that shipped in 1936.






This little Police Positive 32 shipped in 1917. Chambered for 32 Colt New Police, as Colt liked to call it,or 32 S&W Long.

Click to expand...
that box is so cool!!!
 
Rodfac said:
Nice...what are those grips...stag or Jay Scots? Either way, I find them right handsome...let us get a range report on your PPS. Good lookin' revolver with some honest wear...

I've got a pair as well...but not the 'Special' version...mine're Police Positives in .32 Long with another in .38 S&W. Slightly shorter frame on these if memory serves. What say you, Knightlord...you seem to have some add'l knowledge to share....Rod
Click to expand...

Pretty sure the grips are plastic. They are very deeply textured though. I haven't pulled them off yet and I know nothing about non wood grips.
 
I think you may be inclined to use those stag looking grips, as they are usually a bit 'fatter' than the likely black or wood grips that came on the revolver...YOUR hand is the only thing that matters.

Anywho, here's an example nobody wants...a PP in a .32 Colt cartridge. Obsolete round, not made in many decades, hard to find brass as well as bullets for reloads. Don't ask me how I know! This example was a job to finally get to shootin'...but it was cheap (relatively).

Colt PP resize (2).jpg
 
Driftwood Johnson said:
Really? Some of us have known about them for many years.

The Police Positive Special with the hard rubber grips shipped in 1922. The one next to that shipped in 1932. Next to that is a Police Positive Special chambered for 32-20 which shipped in 1926. The one with the 4" barrel shipped in 1952. Notice the lack of a bug screw under the cylinder. I bought that one back around 1975 or so. Last, is a little Police Positive 22 Target that shipped in 1936.

View attachment 1138427




This little Police Positive 32 shipped in 1917. Chambered for 32 Colt New Police, as Colt liked to call it,or 32 S&W Long.

View attachment 1138428
Click to expand...

Driftwood, the cylinder on the 1936 Police Positive 22 Target looks shorter to me than the cylinder on the others in that picture, and the ejector rod looks a bit shorter too. Is it made on the Police Positive 38 frame? Or were the 22 Target model just made that way, because 1936 sounds too late for a gun on the PP 38 frame? Or am I just seeing differences that aren't there?

Anyway, thanks for sharing such fine pictures of your excellent collection.
 
airfoil said:
I think you may be inclined to use those stag looking grips, as they are usually a bit 'fatter' than the likely black or wood grips that came on the revolver...YOUR hand is the only thing that matters.

Anywho, here's an example nobody wants...a PP in a .32 Colt cartridge. Obsolete round, not made in many decades, hard to find brass as well as bullets for reloads. Don't ask me how I know! This example was a job to finally get to shootin'...but it was cheap (relatively).

View attachment 1138575
Click to expand...

I may try to use those stagish grips. They have a couple of high spots that might need some attention with a file though. They really don't look bad I guess. They fit well on the gun.
 
Monac said:
Driftwood, the cylinder on the 1936 Police Positive 22 Target looks shorter to me than the cylinder on the others in that picture, and the ejector rod looks a bit shorter too. Is it made on the Police Positive 38 frame? Or were the 22 Target model just made that way, because 1936 sounds too late for a gun on the PP 38 frame? Or am I just seeing differences that aren't there?
Click to expand...

Howdy

Yes, you are correct. The Police Positive Target 22 is smaller than a Police Positive Special.

Top to bottom in this photo are a Police Positive Special, this one happens to be chambered for 32-20 (I chose it for this photo because the 6" barrel is the same length as the barrel on the 22), the Police Positive 22 Target, and Police Positive 32. The little 32 says 32 POLICE CTG on the barrel, which is the 32 Colt New Police, as Colt liked to call it, or 32 S&W Long. The frame of the little 32 is a little bit smaller than the frame of the 22, but the cylinders of both are about the same length, but the 22 cylinder is smaller in diameter than the 32 cylinder. Notice the rear sight of the 22 is drift adjustable for windage, and the front sight is adjustable for elevation.

poNcDUZXj.jpg




Here is another photo for size comparison. At the top is the 32-20 Police Positive Special, at the bottom is a K frame S&W 32-20 Hand Ejector. Every K frame S&W was a little bit bigger than a Colt Police Positive Special.

pn6YshvFj.jpg
 
Last edited:
Driftwood Johnson said:
Howdy

Yes, you are correct. The Police Positive Target 22 is smaller than a Police Positive Special.

Top to bottom in this photo are a Police Positive Special, this one happens to be chambered for 32-20, the Police Positive 22 Target, and Police Positive 32. The little 32 says 32 POLICE CTG on the barrel, which is the 32 Colt New Police, as Colt liked to call it, or 32 S&W Long. The frame of the little 32 is a little bit smaller than the frame of the 22, but the cylinders of both are about the same length, but the 22 cylinder is smaller in diameter than the 32 cylinder. Notice the rear sight of the 22 is drift adjustable for windage, and the front sight is adjustable for elevation.

View attachment 1138638
Click to expand...
my goodness! you have everything. How long you been collecting?
 
ontarget said:
I may try to use those stagish grips. They have a couple of high spots that might need some attention with a file though. They really don't look bad I guess. They fit well on the gun.
Click to expand...

Here is an old S&W K-38 with plastic fake stag grips. I kind of like them, that is why I have not replaced them with real S&W grips. There was a popular brand of plastic aftermarket pistol grips called Franzite. They were made by a company in Chicago from the 1930s until the 1960s. The marking of the inside of these grips says they were made in Montebello California, so they may not be real Franzites, but may be an imitation. See if there are any markings on the inside of your grips.


pnZg3Kejj.jpg




If they are real Franzites, I would not mess with them. Franzite grips are worth some money.

http://www.franzitegrips.com/
 
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