I have one of these and am trying to find out when it was made. Ser No is 815XX. The original grips have been replaced and I wonder how hard it would be to find replacement grips that were like the ones that came on it. It was my father-in-laws. Not really interested in shooting it but rather saving it for his grandson.
Police Positive 32 Police CTG
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Be sure you have the right number, which is stamped on the frame behind the crane. You have to swing out the cylinder to see it under the back end of the barrel.
If it is serial number 81,5xx it is an early one, because the Police Positive .32 serial numbers were continued from an earlier series, and started at 49,000 in 1907. Serial number 81,5xx would have been made during 1910.
Unless it was special ordered with something else - which is unlikely - it came with black, hard-rubber stocks. Reproductions are available from:
www.brownells.com
www.e-gunparts.com
Your revolver has what is known to collectors as a "narrow butt," (front to back). Later production had a wider one. Be aware that these reproduction stocks do not come with screws. If you don't have an old pair of grips you can cannibalize, be sure to order a screw and escutcheons with the stocks.
If it is serial number 81,5xx it is an early one, because the Police Positive .32 serial numbers were continued from an earlier series, and started at 49,000 in 1907. Serial number 81,5xx would have been made during 1910.
Unless it was special ordered with something else - which is unlikely - it came with black, hard-rubber stocks. Reproductions are available from:
www.brownells.com
www.e-gunparts.com
Your revolver has what is known to collectors as a "narrow butt," (front to back). Later production had a wider one. Be aware that these reproduction stocks do not come with screws. If you don't have an old pair of grips you can cannibalize, be sure to order a screw and escutcheons with the stocks.
No, you don't need to post the whole number, but I wanted to be sure you had the "right" one. Many of these revolvers were used by police departments and express companies that stamped them with their own numbers. Because the serial number on your revolver is so low, I double-checked. 
Sort of... 
For a fee, that can be anywhere from $85.00 up...
Colt's will go back into their old shipping records (which are the only ones they have), and find your particular gun. They will then send you an official letter listing such details as the original caliber, number of shots, barrel length, finish, stocks (if listed) and any special features (if listed). Then they will include the day it was shipped, and to what dealer or distributor. Very rarely do they have the name of an individual.
This process is called "lettering a gun," and is worth it to some collectors, or others who are passing a gun down through the family to later generations.
For a fee, that can be anywhere from $85.00 up...
Colt's will go back into their old shipping records (which are the only ones they have), and find your particular gun. They will then send you an official letter listing such details as the original caliber, number of shots, barrel length, finish, stocks (if listed) and any special features (if listed). Then they will include the day it was shipped, and to what dealer or distributor. Very rarely do they have the name of an individual.
This process is called "lettering a gun," and is worth it to some collectors, or others who are passing a gun down through the family to later generations.
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