Mystery Colt 32

[Danyell619]

I have a Pocket Positive 32 Colt CTG with the serial # 15024. Can someone give me any information on this gun?? Date? Estimated Value? History? I know nothing about this gun and can't find much other than it is related to the Police positive, but there is no "police" stamped anywhere on my gun. Photos I have seen online make it look like a new pocket double action revolver with the grip colt symbol and general style, but the barrel says Pocket positive. HELP!!

 

[Danyell619]

Could this gun be several guns put together?? That is the only way it could make since to me.

 

[Coyote3855]

Pictures would help. I have a Colt .38 Special "Official Police" with similar issues. The serial number is outside the OP range. Friendly folks on this forum helped me determine that someone put a 2" OP barrel on an Officer's Target Model frame. And then silver plated the whole thing.

 

[MMCSRET]

The Pocket Positive was a continuation of the New Pocket model. Pocket Positive is same as NP with the Positive safety feature.(Internal) Some guns will be found with conflicting nomenclature and numbers. Your SN would date 1900/1901, someone familiar with Colts can tell you if indeed it is a "positive", maybe it has been rebarreled with a later barrel, hence the mixed nomenclature.
Note: 32 Colt is not 32 New Police Or 32 S&W or 32 S&W Long, it is loaded today by Winchester as 32 Short Colt.
I have a very early Police Positive In 32 Colt.

 

[Danyell619]

Here is a *bad* pic... gone to get a better on on the digital camera. BRB

 

[Danyell619]

Here are some pics... I will post more if anyone wants

 

[dfariswheel]

You appear to have either a New Pocket Model, or a New Police, not a Pocket Positive.

The Pocket Positive serials started at 30,000 and the gun would have the Positive Safety in the action, visible as a small lever that moves downward as the hammer is cocked.
This can be seen in front of the hammer as its cocked.

The New Pocket Model with serial 15024 would have been made in 1900.

A New Police with 15024 would have been made in 1902.

I suspect you have a New Police, since it had a larger grip than the New Pocket.
The New Police was announced three years after the New Pocket, and was intended to be a modern police revolver more or less at the demand of Theodore Roosevelt who in 1896 was the new Commissioner of Police of the New York City Police Department.

Roosevelt was appalled at the wild mix of guns, many substandard that were being used, and at the terrible level of marksmanship.
He, along with an expert NYPD shot named Petty were largely responsible for the adoption of the Colt New Police .32 of which the NYPD bought 4500 with serial number "1" going to Roosevelt.
About 49,500 New Police models were produced between 1896 and 1907.

New Police models usually had a circle on the left side of the frame below and behind the cylinder latch with the Colt Pony and the words Colt New Police in a circle around the Pony.
The words Colt New Police were often stamped on the barrel on the Left side.

On your specific gun, I suspect the markings were polished off over the years, and the barrel was likely replaced with a Pocket Positive barrel.

 

[Old Fuff]

I'm willing to bet that this revolver has both the "positive" hammer block, and that the barrel is original to the gun.

After the turn of the 20th century, Colt made a number of Police Positive and Pocket Positive revolvers that incorporated the new safety, but were made using earlier frames for New Police (square butt) and New Pocket (round butt) models. Since they had the safety they had "Positive" stamped barrels.

You seldom see these today because they only made enough to use up the old parts on hand. The "New Police"/Police Positive seems to be more common, but the one in question has the round butt Pocket model frame.

 

[CajunBass]

This one is marked "Pocket positive 32 Police Ctg." The S/N (58xxx), I've been told, puts it as having been made in 1912. It looks better than the picture. The MOP grips I don't imagine are original.

 

[Old Fuff]

Yes, that is a Pocket Positive. Notice the difference between the frames around the trigger guard in your picture, and the one in post #6, which is that of the New Pocket Model, and very early Pocket Positives.

 

[Danyell619]

Thank you so much for all your posts. I never knew it could be so complicated! I want to have the gun appraised but I also wanted to know what I was dealing with first. Strangely enough my father-in-law gave it to me for protection so I assume it fires... but I am doing nothing to it till I know more... not even polishing it! I am calling Colt on Monday when their factory opens to inquire about the SN, but curiosity is my biggest weakness and I just HAD to know. Also I have heard rumblings that because you can only offer a description and number that Colt *may* get it wrong. BTW the colt markings are on the other side than pictured, if there were words they have been polished off in the last hundred years.

Thank you ALL!!

 

[Danyell619]

I had also noticed that the trigger guard appeared to be one piece in the pocket models and mine is a two piece deal... It seemed like almost nothing is normal with this gun... Again thank you !! Oh an can anyone give me an *idea* of the value?

 

[alistaire]

Have a gunsmith check it before shooting it.

 

[CajunBass]

I've fired a half a box of ammo through mine. I'd say it's a little better than a "belly gun" but not much. AFAIK about the only ammo for it is plain round nosed lead (at least in 32 S&W long). I've carried it a time or three, more for grins and giggles than anything else. I made a couple of homemade speed strips for it out of an old rubber mouse pad.

My wife wanted it because she thought it was "cute" so I got it for her. IIRC we paid around $300.00 for it.

 

[Old Fuff]

The serial number (15,024) would indicate that it was made in 1900 as a New Pocket Model. Pocket Positive serial numbers are supposed to start at 30,000 in 1905, but one must keep in mind that Colt was using up older parts-on-hand, and maybe modifing revolvers still in inventory as well.

What you need to do is cock the hammer and look down at the inside of the frame in front of the hammer to see if the hammer block is there. If it is you have a "positive" model. If it isn't you have a New Pocket Model.

Colt will give you more specific information after researching their old records, but charge around $100 for doing it.