BobWright
Member
Nature Boy's recent inquiry concerning his New Service drew a lot of posts concerning that model of revolver. The very first handgun I purchased as a kid was a Colt New Service in .45 Colt. Actually it was a reworked .455 Eley with Royal Canadian Northwest Mounted Police history. This for $34.95 mail order. This was my very first custom gun, also, when I had it converted to .44 Special and adjustable sights installed. So the New Service has always held a special place to me.
Produced as a commercial model about 1889, it was adopted by the US Army in 1909 until the M1911 could be ironed out. Chambered for the .45 ACP round, it served in WW I as the M1917. Following WW I, in .45 Colt caliber, it was the standard sidearm of many county sheriff departments and state highway patrols or state troopers. While the gun was too heavy and bulky for metropolitan police use, it remained popular with rural law enforcement agencies. During WW II many M1917s were re-issued to the US Army due to the shortage of M1911s. Some Canadian Army units carred these guns in .45 Colt caliber, and some old .455s were re-issued to British units. In .38 Special, the New Service armed the US Border Patrol for awhile.
After the introduction of the .44 Magnum cartridge, I petitioned Colt to re-introduce the New Service in .44 Magnum, even giving it the Python treatment, this falling on deaf ears at Colt. Oh, they were polite, telling me to mind my own business in a most delicate way.
Whether one might have a US martially marked New Service or not, it is still a very historic revolver.
This is the only photo of my old New Service, made after custom work was done:
The photo was made by my older sister and is copied from that print. The photo was made with a newly acquired Kodak Signet 35mm camera, around 1960.
Bob Wright
Produced as a commercial model about 1889, it was adopted by the US Army in 1909 until the M1911 could be ironed out. Chambered for the .45 ACP round, it served in WW I as the M1917. Following WW I, in .45 Colt caliber, it was the standard sidearm of many county sheriff departments and state highway patrols or state troopers. While the gun was too heavy and bulky for metropolitan police use, it remained popular with rural law enforcement agencies. During WW II many M1917s were re-issued to the US Army due to the shortage of M1911s. Some Canadian Army units carred these guns in .45 Colt caliber, and some old .455s were re-issued to British units. In .38 Special, the New Service armed the US Border Patrol for awhile.
After the introduction of the .44 Magnum cartridge, I petitioned Colt to re-introduce the New Service in .44 Magnum, even giving it the Python treatment, this falling on deaf ears at Colt. Oh, they were polite, telling me to mind my own business in a most delicate way.
Whether one might have a US martially marked New Service or not, it is still a very historic revolver.
This is the only photo of my old New Service, made after custom work was done:
The photo was made by my older sister and is copied from that print. The photo was made with a newly acquired Kodak Signet 35mm camera, around 1960.
Bob Wright
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