Question about Colt Detective Special

[Ruodo]

Found one today and noticed on the barrel it says ".38 Colt" under the detective special name while every other one I have seen say ".38 special" under that.

Is it made for something other than .38 special? Is .38 colt even a round? Would it be save to use .38 special in it?

Sorry for all the simple questions.

 

[batmann]

I believe the .38 Colt pre-dates the .38 Special. I don't think you can shoot the Spl out of a gun marked .38 Colt.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I can't tell you much, but ".38 Colt" or ".38 Colt New Police" was a name Colt gave to the .38 S&W (not Special) cartridge. But a .38 S&W-chambered Detective Special would be unusual. Any pictures?

 

[Ruodo]

Might post some pictures later tonight.

Any of you know if that cartridge is still produced and how expensive it is to buy compared to other ammo?

Also can I shoot both .38 colt NP and .38 S&W though it? Or just the colt version.

 

[hoptob]

Ruodo,

I believe thaat second generation DS was offered in 3 calibers - .32 Colt NP, .38 Colt NP and .38 Colt Special. Apparently you have a gun chambered in .38 Colt NP. It is the same cartridge as .38 S&W; it is also known as 38-200. However, it is NOT same as .38 special. Here is a page from Phil Sharpe's Complete Guide to Handloading (1937):



Interesting gun; would appreciate a picture too.

Mike

 

[Ruodo]

Sorry for the horrible pictures (no idea how to work a camera).

The DS has some holster wear and a little rust on the hammer. Not the prettiest one out there, but its cool to have one in something other than .38 special.

Can anyone tell me about how rare or expensive .38 S&W will be?

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

OK, the barrel says ".38 COLT N.P." (for New Police), aka .38 S&W. Colt put a flat nose bullet and a new moniker to avoid having to put a competitor's name on their revolvers. Factory ammo is still available and not terribly expensive. It will be loaded fairly feeble to avoid blowing up a 19th century S&W topbreak or other old comparatively weak revolver.

Although out of stock at the moment, Midway shows several different .38 S&W loads.