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Christmas Colt: Police Positive Special

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The Instigator
Look for the HKS DS series speed loaders. They are based on the Police Positive and Detective Special.

Thanks. I will be shooting this little gem more!

What I need, isto better match the touch up bluing ... I had used Brownells Oxpho blue on a in-the-white Persian Mauser.

Somehow, I must match Colt Royal Blue ...


AA
 
Yea Ad Astra!

A real bit of good fortune for you. Your new acquisition looks really nice as is with grip dimensions that provide a good handle for shooting, especially with the checkered walnut.

The Police Positive Special is a good compact way to shoot .38 Special with service revolver performance. I'm not too keen on the ever-popular Smith & Wesson J-Frame revolvers, preferring the Colt Detective Special for snub totin'. As you point out, the Police Positive Special is same as a Detective Special with a couple more inches of barrel. I'm a Smith & Wesson nut, first and foremost, but the J-Frame has never shot as well for me as larger revolvers.

Two Police Positive Specials live here. I've played with the "best" of the two for many years. It dates to 1914. A 1921 vintage Police Positive Special showed up to roost 9-10 years ago. It was acquired at the Dallas Market Hall gun show for cheap. Sold as a parts junker, I thought to use it to learn to work on Colt lock work and successfully rehab'ed it. Colt innards are like reading chicken entrails to a person familiar with Smith & Wesson's design.

Neither look pristine but both shoot great. Top: 1921, bottom: 1914



The 1914 with a vintage Brill holster.




A holster of this type sure can hide the revolver beneath a covering garment and the cant positions it for quick access. Not bad at all. Would like a modern rendition of this type for carry use.

Your Colt will be better for shooting purposes than these two examples. The grip frames are more narrow until the early 1920s, about the time the walnut stocks became commonly supplied. The narrow grip frame isn't quite so controllable as the later grip frame. I have test fired +P 158 grain .38 Special in the Police Positive Special and the gun is more prone to "worm and squirm" in my hands. I have large hands with long fingers though so the smaller grip frame might suit a smaller hand. A Tyler T-Grip might help.
 

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The Instigator
Yea Ad Astra!

A real bit of good fortune for you. Your new acquisition looks really nice as is with grip dimensions that provide a good handle for shooting, especially with the checkered walnut.

The Police Positive Special is a good compact way to shoot .38 Special with service revolver performance. I'm not too keen on the ever-popular Smith & Wesson J-Frame revolvers, preferring the Colt Detective Special for snub totin'. As you point out, the Police Positive Special is same as a Detective Special with a couple more inches of barrel. I'm a Smith & Wesson nut, first and foremost, but the J-Frame has never shot as well for me as larger revolvers.

Two Police Positive Specials live here. I've played with the "best" of the two for many years. It dates to 1914. A 1921 vintage Police Positive Special showed up to roost 9-10 years ago. It was acquired at the Dallas Market Hall gun show for cheap. Sold as a parts junker, I thought to use it to learn to work on Colt lock work and successfully rehab'ed it. Colt innards are like reading chicken entrails to a person familiar with Smith & Wesson's design.

Neither look pristine but both shoot great. Top: 1921, bottom: 1914



The 1914 with a vintage Brill holster.




A holster of this type sure can hide the revolver beneath a covering garment and the cant positions it for quick access. Not bad at all. Would like a modern rendition of this type for carry use.

Your Colt will be better for shooting purposes than these two examples. The grip frames are more narrow until the early 1920s, about the time the walnut stocks became commonly supplied. The narrow grip frame isn't quite so controllable as the later grip frame. I have test fired +P 158 grain .38 Special in the Police Positive Special and the gun is more prone to "worm and squirm" in my hands. I have large hands with long fingers though so the smaller grip frame might suit a smaller hand. A Tyler T-Grip might help.

Great stuff and thanks! Those look great! The policeman's "gat" in all it's glory!

The grips are shockingly small for a full sized gun, but that's the ephipany I had with the PPS - it's not a full sized gun. With large hands you'd have to find some kind of odd grip - I have had to choke up and really adjust holding it.


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jar_

Too Fugly For Free.
Great stuff and thanks! Those look great! The policeman's "gat" in all it's glory!

The grips are shockingly small for a full sized gun, but that's the ephipany I had with the PPS - it's not a full sized gun. With large hands you'd have to find some kind of odd grip - I have had to choke up and really adjust holding it.


AA
It's a full size gun for the period. Some examples...

Smith DA Model 4 and the Police Positive:
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Smith DA Model 4, Hopkins & Allen Safety Police and a Webley Mark IV:
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Hopkins & Allen Safety Police and Beretta Pico:
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The Instigator
It's a full size gun for the period. Some examples...

Smith DA Model 4 and the Police Positive:
proxy.php


Smith DA Model 4, Hopkins & Allen Safety Police and a Webley Mark IV:
proxy.php


Hopkins & Allen Safety Police and Beretta Pico:
proxy.php


It's so. Things change with time ... Though I'd take the muscle cars of the 60s over the micro boxes of today!


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jar_

Too Fugly For Free.
It's so. Things change with time ... Though I'd take the muscle cars of the 60s over the micro boxes of today!


AA
Well, I owned a Goat as well as a '67 Camaro but would take my '67 Alfa or '62 Mini Cooper S 1275 or even my MGBs or Healeys over the '60s muscle cars and actually did so.
 

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The Instigator
Re: Colt bluing, had time this Saturday morning … using light steel wool and a few coats, finally got the barrel spot not perfect, but much better. It's the Birchwood Casey; was out of Oxpho.


AA
 
I love this design of revolver, and it looks like you got a nice one too. I personally have a Spanish copy of a 4th change S&W in 32-20, but would not object to a .38 Special or .357 Magnum version. :001_302:
alfa.jpg
 

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The Instigator
I love this design of revolver, and it looks like you got a nice one too. I personally have a Spanish copy of a 4th change S&W in 32-20, but would not object to a .38 Special or .357 Magnum version. :001_302:
View attachment 941710

Colts are special... Perhaps someday I'll send off for the Colt letter from the historian!


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The Instigator
Just ran another box of WWB 130 grain (USAF load) through the Colt and cleaned it.

Clockwise cylinder rotation is so much more natural, somehow, than S&W's counterclockwise!

Love this little gem. My family member is still hanging in there, a year later. I'll have to let his wife know the Colt is in reasonably good hands.


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The Instigator
The finish on your Colt looks top be very nice. Congrats!

Thanks! It was a holster queen, I guess.

The one little barrel spot, I eventually matched. Lots of oxpho layers and rubbing.

Shoots and carries very well. Tight lockup.


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FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
It made last Christmas memorable!

And to think, my sister in law assumed I'd sell it!

It is on the "never sell" list! Just have to figure out the line of family succession ...


AA
Excellent news! Choose carefully my friend.
 
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