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Colt Army Special

rballirballi Member Posts: 770 ✭✭✭✭
edited March 2002 in Ask the Experts
I finally got a good look at the above my freinds Father carried.

Colt Army Special
38
serian number 4529xx

I am guessing it is a 38 special adding the caliber and name togther.

Any help on year of manufacture or a web site to check?

Not sure of the value. The action is very good but I would rate it 75% blue only from carry wear. No rust, not pitting, clean bore - 90%.

Sandy thinks her Gradfather may have carried this before her Father. Both worked security.
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Comments

  • rballirballi Member Posts: 770 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have a Colt Army Special 38, Nickel Plated, 1926 (Serial starts with a 521 I believe), MINT condition. I have searched my brains out trying to determine it's worth. Any Idea?

    Thanks
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  • rballirballi Member Posts: 770 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have Colt Army Special in .38 caliber. What .38 cartridge does this gun take? In the Fjestad book, it says Various under .38 caliber. The Special in the name refers to the Army Special, not .38 Special.

    Serial is in the 500,000 range.

    Any thoughts out there?

    Thanks, [:)]

    Art
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  • rballirballi Member Posts: 770 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    What is the approximate worth of a Colt Army Special 38 with a 4" barrel, chipped checkered wood grips with Colt medallion, in about %50 condition and some pitting on the surface? Serial number is in the 500k range. The lockup is very tight and action is good. The caliber on the barrel just says 38; it doesnt' say special or s&w or ctg or anything like that. Is it more likely to be a 38 special or s&w?Roy
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  • rballirballi Member Posts: 770 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I looked at some earlier posts (3/15) regarding the Colt Army Special. I have some questions about mine. The earlier posts state different specs. The info I have is that the gun was made from 1908-1927 in 32-20, 41, 38 Colt, and 38 S&W with serial numbers up to 540,000. The barrel on mine says Colt Army Special and "38". It has the rounded cylinder release and the serial number is 543###. Could this be a transition gun for whatever the next model was? The gun is really tight, but I have not fired the gun,...yet. I loaded 38 special ammo and it fit tight in the cylinders all the way through; I tried to load 38 S&W and it did not fit, so I'm pretty sure it's not a 38 S&W. I also tried to chamber 357, it did not fit either. I did not have any 38 Colt ammo to try. I don't know the dimensins of 38 Colt ammo either.The gun is marked HPD 150 on the butt,(Houston Police Department?) and has a deliberate file mark or notch in the frame. (maybe a kill notch?)Could this gun originally be a 38 special? Is it likely to have a replacement or conversion cylinder in it? Should I close my eyes and wear a glove when I try and shoot wadcutters through it?Roy
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  • S&W ManS&W Man Member Posts: 208 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    You say it will not chamber 357. Because they will not go all the way in or because there is a counterbore stopping it from going all the way in? IF there is a counterbore in the cylinder AND it will chamber 38 special, it is probably a 38 Special. IF there is NO counterbore it is probably a 38 US service Cartridge, AKA the 38 LONG Colt. Does it say ".38 DA" on the gun? That was also a code that Colt used for the 38 Long Colt. Sometines the colts are hard to tell which they were designed for by caliber markings. My dad had a 38 Army that would chamber anything up to a 357 mag. It was labeled "38 DA" Found out what the correct caliber was after I locked it up with a 38 special one day and called Colt about it. IF it is a 38 Long Colt, you can use 38 specials in it in a LIGHT load. The 38 S&W is a larger diameter and will usually not fit into a gun chambered in 38 Long Colt or 38 Special. The difference between the 38 US Service cartridge, AKA 38 Long Colt, is just like the difference between the 38 special and the 357 Magnum. The 38 Long Colt is the same diameter as a 38 special and uses the same, .357 diameter bullet, but the brass case is 1.03" for the 38 Long Colt and 1.116" for the 38 special. Or in other words, the same case, just shorter. IF THERE IS ANY QUESTION OR DOUBT, CALL COLT. The will be glad to tell you the correct caliber of the gun. This is a saftey and liability situation to them, so they will want to be sure you use the correct ammo.
    The second admendment GUARANTEES the other nine and the Constitution![This message has been edited by S&W Man (edited 03-27-2002).]
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  • rballirballi Member Posts: 770 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    357's only go about 1/4 in and there is no DA after the "38".Roy[This message has been edited by rballi (edited 03-27-2002).]
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  • S&W ManS&W Man Member Posts: 208 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If the 357 will only go in 1/4" and the 38 special will competely chamber, you have some type of ammo problem. The specs for case and bullet a 38 special and a 357 are EXACTLY the same with the exception that a 357 is .130 inches longer than a 38 special.
    The second admendment GUARANTEES the other nine and the Constitution!
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  • rballirballi Member Posts: 770 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Maybe it's more than 1/4, I'll check again. I might be thinking about the 38 S&W ammo.
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  • S&W ManS&W Man Member Posts: 208 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Here are the dimensions of the calibers 38 LC 38Spl 357 Mag 38S&Wbullet dia: .357 .357 .357 .360Neck dia: .377 .379 .379 .386Case legenth: 1.03 1.16 1.29 0.78Cart Legenth: 1.32 1.55 1.61 1.20 The neck diameter in the .377 and .379 difference in not of concern in reality. The case diameter of the 38 LC is still .379 Looking into the back of the cylinder, can you see a counterbore toward the end of the cylinder?
    The second admendment GUARANTEES the other nine and the Constitution![This message has been edited by S&W Man (edited 03-27-2002).]
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  • JudgeColtJudgeColt Member Posts: 1,790 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If a .38 Special fits, I would guess the revolver is chambered for .38 Special. Colt did not like to put "that other brand's" name on its firearms, so it would just put ".38" and the buyer was supposed to know what it meant.
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  • S&W ManS&W Man Member Posts: 208 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Judge - Not necessarly true. Many of Colt's Army and Navy models were made for the 38 US Service cartridge aka 38 long colt and had NO counterbore in the chambers in the cylinder. Many of these will even chamber a 357 magnum. I learned this from personal experience and verified it with colt myself. It one has ANY question about the earlier guns and cannot verify the correct caliber, either thru markings or a comptent gunsmith, than a call to Colt is the best advice. I have run onto a couple of gunsmiths that did not even know this.
    The second admendment GUARANTEES the other nine and the Constitution!
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