Rubber grips for Colt Police Positive Specials....

[woad_yurt]

It was high time I gave S&W's competition a try so I recently bought a Colt Police Positive Special made in 1922.

The original grips are near perfect and very, very thin. I didn't want to chip them and since I bought it as a shooter, I searched high and low for any type of aftermarket grips and could only find repros of the skinny originals. I had an old Pachmayr short presentation grip for a K-frame laying around and curiosity got the better of me; I put it on the Colt. It fit fine except that there was a gap between the top of the backstrap and the top of the grip.

Because I bought the gun as a shooter (it's been hardly used but has finish issues,) I'm not too concerned with appearances. I will say, however, with the rubber grip it sits beautifully in the hand, doesn't move around and points naturally. If you want to shoot your old Colt with a nicer grip, give this a try. It works very well and makes for a comfortable shooter.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I'd use the skinny grips and add a Tyler T-grip adapter.

 

[Jim K]

Colt stopped making those guns before many of today's after-market grips were available, so most grip makers don't even list for Colt DA revolvers. A shame, since those Colts are just as good for practical shooting as they ever were, even though ones in pristine condtion should probably be preserved as collectors items.

Jim

 

[sixgunner455]

I put a rubber Hogue Monogrip on my 1970 Detective Special. It works very well, and looks pretty good, too. Fits perfectly. You have to get the right Monogrip for your D frame, though. They make them for the long grip frame (like the PPS above) and the short grip frame, like many of the Detective Specials and Agents.

 

[woad_yurt]

Hogue doesn't make rubber grips for this particular gun. I don't think anyone else does, either.

 

[Old Fuff]

Back when... Pachmayr did make rubber stocks for Colt Police Positive Special's and occasionally you may find a pair in some dealer or gun show vendor's "junk box," and they usually go cheap. I wish you luck, but in the meantime what you are using should work just fine, and you get credit points from me for saving the originals.

 

[Starter52]

woad yurt, I have a Police Positive Special made the same year as yours (mine's #245xxx). I never enjoy shooting the old Colt due to the uncomfortable grip. I'm going to try to fit a pair of K-frame Pachmayrs onto the gun. Thanks for the tip.

 

[woad_yurt]

Addendum....

Preferatory Note:
Before someone says that so-and-so makes 'em for Colt D-frames, Detectives, Police Positives or whatever, please check with the manufacturer first and get the item number. I called 'em all and none fit this particular variation. I would severely appreciate having a current item number for a rubber grip that fits a "1922 Colt Police Positive Special." That is the actual, official, look-it-up-by-that-name-only model designation straight from Colt. It's is not simply a "Police Positive."

OK, rant over....

Anyway, I put 5 minutes' worth of belt sander time in the area just behind the trigger guard, and got this old Pachmayr Presentation grip to fit perfectly. It's snug and firm and just right in the hand. The only part that needed attention was the foremost part of the grip right behind the trigger guard. I relieved it a bit on the inside and removed some excess on the outside. Once I removed enough material, the grip slid up and forward and completely covered the hollow in the grip frame.

Range report:

Holy crap!!! I can single-handedly point shoot now. Using one hand with two eyes fully open gets me 6 hits on 6 different softball-sized targets at 7 yards, all in like 4 seconds. It's an amazing revolver! I hate to say it but I've never been able to shoot like that with my S&Ws. This gun bites it for minute accuracy because the sights aren't the nicest so it'll never replace my Model 14s but this is one great service pistol. It's very light and maneuverable, too, over 10 ounces lighter than a pencil-barreled 4" K-frame, which makes for quicker target acquisition.

Note: I did widen the rear sight notch just a bit, too.



Notice, the gap is gone:

 

[Lone Star]

The frames on these guns varied over the years. Your best bet is to find a factory grip in wood (or repro), and use a Tyler adaptor, as someone suggested above.

I used to have one and it had gutta percha or hard rubber grips. But at some time in the 1920's, walnut became standard. If you can find repros, that's your best bet. Might ask on the Colt board.

The gun probably isn't worth refinishing, unless it has great sentimental value and the crane hasn't been sprung, etc. Tining on older Colts is often "off", too. Few modern gunsmiths even work on Colts.

Lone Star

 

[Old Fuff]

When it was first introduced, the Police Positive .32 had a narrower handle then the .38 version, which was also shared with the Police Positive Special. Later the .32 frame was discontinued, and both the .32 and .38 Police Positive revolvers were made on the .38 frame. No changes were made on the Police Positive Special, which had always been made with the larger size grip.

In my view, the adaptation of the S&W stocks to work on a Police Positive Special is highly commentable.

 

[wrigh003]

So what's up with the plastic banana?

 

[Oyeboten]

And, here I thought it was a plastic Plaintain-Harmonica!

But anyway...

What a nice Police Positive!

Good going on adapting those rubber Stocks like that.


I think they actually look pretty darned good on there too, and, I am usually leaning well over into the 'Purist' Camp.


There were some pretty early ( 1930s? 1940s? ) Soft Rubber Stocks, called '10 Point' I think, which were being made long before the present day ones, looked about like the modern Packmeyrs or other, but, likely too obscure to be seen or known of or found or recognised if found, anymore.


Really, that whole family of 'Rubber' types used for the 'soft' aftermarket Revolver Stocks, most of those are easy enough to use in a Home workshop context, if anyone ever wanted to make some Molds for realizing specific designs or application.


Now that I think of it, that would make for a pretty cool little Mom & Pop sort of Business, which could be done anywhere, and could be a lot of fun to do.

 

[woad_yurt]

The banana harmonica is the worst harmonica ever. It's totally atonal. I had to find some use for it.

 

[Guillermo]

So what's up with the plastic banana?

there is a something you don't hear every day