The leading source for examples of Old Colt Pistols, Revolvers, 1911, M1911, 1911A1, M1911A1, Government Model, National Match, 38 Super, Pocket Auto, Vest Pocket, Model 1905, Detective Special, Bankers Special, New Service, Police Positive and other Colt Firearms. Colt serial number ship dates for Pre 70-Series Guns. The photos here are of a Colt Banker's Special in my personal collection. It is serial # 355856 and is in almost mint condition with only a bit of surface rust on the right side. It has the two inch barrel and overall is 6 1/2 inches. Colt Bankers Special Serial Numbers full version. Right side of barrel contains patent dates. Colt Revolvers - Detective Special For Sale. Colt Detective Special revolver, serial number. Colt Detective Special.38 Custom Shop Electroless Nickel Folks. The Colt Detective Special is a carbon. Colt bankers, colt bankers special, colt bankers. THE COLT BANKER'S SPECIAL. Bankers Special Police Positive Frame. Introduced in 1926 and made until 1940, the Colt Banker's Special was simply the Police Positive fitted with a 2 inch barrel. From 1926 to 1933 it was made with a square butt, and from 1933 to 1940 with a round butt. Colt's Manufacturing Company - firearms, handguns, pistols, rifles, revolvers.
Sold For: $3,886
Make: Colt
Model: Bankers’ Special .22
Serial Number: 368140
Year of Manufacture: 1933 – First Year of .22 Production
Caliber: .22 Short, Long and Long Rifle
Action Type: Single and Double Action Revolver with Swing-Out Cylinder
Markings: The left side of the barrel is marked “’22” followed by “BANKERS / SPECIAL” while the right side of the barrel is marked “COLT S PT F A. MFG. CO. HARTFORD, CT. U.S.A / PAT’D AUG 5. 1884. JULY 4. 1905. OCT. 5. 1926”. The crane is clearly marked “368140” while the crane cut is marked “T” / 368140 / A1M”, but the “A1M” is open to interpretation. The left front side of the trigger bow has the Verified Proof and the left rear side of the trigger bow is marked “3”. The left sideplate has the Rampant Colt while the left side of the grip frame is marked “2” and “F”.
Barrel Length: 2”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a fixed half round blade that appears to have had gold mounted to the top. This can be perhaps best appreciated in the photos showing the front sight in profile. The rear sight is a square notch milled into the top strap. The top strap has been serrated to reduce glare.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are smooth Mother of Pearl. There are light scratches on both grip panels as well as tiny irregularities where the panels meet the back strap. Please see our photos, these are really well preserved mother of pearl grips and they look great. The grips rate in about Fine overall condition.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: All Original
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 96% of its metal finish. This revolver retains finish even on some of the hard and leading edges. There is a dragline on the cylinder that does not even break the finish. There are a number of small dings or compression marks. The three most notable are located on the sharp edge of one of the cylinder flutes, the left side of the frame about ¾” ahead of the forward sideplate screw and on the right side of the frame even with the rear of the hammer. There is a spot of rust on the inside of the trigger guard about where the trigger rests when the hammer is cocked. The screw heads are sharp with the exception of the forward sideplate screw which is distressed. The hammer, trigger, ejector rod and cylinder release latch checkering are sharp and unblemished. The markings are clear except as discussed. Overall, this handgun rates in about Fine condition.
Mechanics: The single and double actions function correctly. We did not fire this handgun.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None
Our Assessment: From James E. Serven’s “Colt Cartridge Pistols” (1952): “In 1933, Colt advertised that they would furnish in addition to the .38 “Bankers’ Special” with flat butt, a .22 L.R. model with a rounded grip. This new .22 was produced with the embedded cylinder; it weighed 23 ounces.” This .22 “Bankers’ Special” comes with a Colt Factory Letter dated July 9, 2014 which states that this revolver was shipped from the Colt Factory on May 24, 1933, making this a first year of production revolver for this model and caliber. It also states it was one of two shipped to the Honeyman Hardware Company of Portland, Oregon. This building still stands, is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places (although now converted to lofts.) This highly collectable revolver remains in Fine condition cosmetically and even better condition mechanically.
| Detective Special | |
|---|---|
A Colt Detective Special, Fourth Series, with rubber grips and a shrouded ejector rod | |
| Type | Revolver |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Colt |
| Produced | 1927–1986 1993–1995 |
| Variants | Banker's Special Commando Special |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 21 oz. |
| Length | 63⁄4 in |
| Barrel length | 2 in 3 in |
| Cartridge | .32 New Police .38 New Police .38 Special |
| Action | Double-action |
| Feed system | Six-roundcylinder |
| Sights | Fixed open sights |
The Colt Detective Special is a six-shot, carbon steel framed, 2' barreled, double-actionrevolver, and the first example of a class of firearms known as 'snubnose revolvers'. Made by Colt's Manufacturing Company, this model revolver, as the name 'Detective Special' suggests, was intended to be a concealed weapon used by plainclothes police detectives.
Introduced in 1927, the Detective Special was the first short-barreled revolver produced with a modern swing-out frame. It was designed from the outset to be chambered for higher-powered cartridges such as the .38 Special, considered to be a powerful caliber for a concealable pocket revolver of the day. The Detective Special uses a slightly smaller frame than the Colt Official Police or Smith & Wesson Model 10 (K-Frame) revolvers, but is larger than the five-shot Smith & Wesson Model 36/Model 38/Model 42 (J-frame) revolvers.[1]
Although the Detective Special proved to be an instant success when first introduced,[2] lackluster sales saw the elimination of the Detective Special from the product line in 1995.
Design development[edit]
The Fitz Special[edit]
John Henry Fitzgerald, an employee of Colt Firearms from 1918 to 1944, first came up the Fitz Special snubnosed revolver concept around the mid 1920s, when he modified a .38 SpecialColt Police Positive Special revolver,[3] by shortening the barrel to two inches, shortening the ejector rod, bobbing the hammer spur, rounding the butt, and removing the front half of the trigger guard. Reshaping the hammer and the butt allows the gun to be drawn quickly with little risk of the weapon snagging on clothing. The halved trigger guard facilitates quick trigger acquisition, even for shooters with large fingers or gloves.[4]
Although historians disagree, it's believed that somewhere between 40 and 200 Fitz Specials left the Colt factory, made from various Colt revolvers, by Fitzgerald himself.[5] The Fitz Special was the precursor to the modern snubnosed revolver and specifically the prototype for the Colt Detective Special, the first production two-inch snubnosed revolver. Even after the introduction of the Detective Special in 1927, Fitz continued to make custom revolvers for special clientele.
The Detective Special[edit]
Colt was so impressed with the Fitz Special that they decided to produce a sightly less radical version, the Detective Special, which is simply a shortened and somewhat streamlined Colt Police Positive Special. The Detective Special proved to be an instant success and was made until 1995.[2]
Colt's Detective Special went through several issues or series.[6] The First Series was produced from 1927 until 1946. Compared to later production models, the First Series used a narrower frame, with reduced clearance between the frontstrap of the gripframe and the rear of the trigger guard. Other distinctive features included a shorter ejector rod with an ungrooved, knurled tip; a checkered hammer spur and cylinder latch, a 'half-moon'–shaped front sight, and an overlapping screw and locking pin set-up on the right side of the frame. Grip panels were wooden. A rounded butt on the metal frame became standard in 1933, but pieces with the original square butt (like that of the Police Positive Special) continued to be produced into the 1940s.[1]
The Second Series ran from 1947 to 1972. The ejector-rod was longer and had a groove in its knurled tip; a three-inch-barrel variant was offered, with a yet longer ejector rod. The cylinder latch was smooth, and the trigger spur serrated. The right side frame screw has no locking pin, and the rear half of the front sight is a serrated ramp. The grip panels were plastic in 1947, but were changed back to wood starting in 1955 (first with a silver-tone Colt medallion, and later a gold-tone). An optional hammer shroud was available from the factory to prevent the hammer from catching on clothing.[1]
Transition from the First to Second Series was gradual, with some post-WWII Second Series guns retaining short ejector rods and checkered hammers. Because of this, assigning a given revolver to a particular issue is best done by serial number.
During the 1960s, the grip frame of the Second Series Detective Special was shortened, matching that of Colt's other snub-nosed pistols, the Cobra and Agent. Despite this alteration, the Detective Special's overall grip size remained unchanged, as Colt fitted the Second Series with new, lengthened gripstocks that extended below the frame.[1]
The Third Series ran from 1973 to 1986. A new shroud extended down from the barrel, enclosing and protecting the ejector rod, and the front sight was changed to a full ramp. New, oversize wood gripstocks were introduced that covered the front frame strap. The Third Series featured improvements to the revolver's internal lockwork as well. As with the previous two Series models, a few nickel-plated guns were produced, and a 3-inch-barrel variant was again offered. In 1986, facing stagnant sales numbers as well as rising production and labor costs, Colt discontinued production of the Detective Special.[7]
Colt filed for bankruptcy protection in 1992. After reorganization, the company restarted production of the Detective Special in 1993. The post-1992 Detective Special is sometimes called the Fourth Series, and featured 'composite' (rubber), wrap-around grips with a gold medallion. Only a two-inch barrel was offered, in blue or hard chrome finish. The new production run continued only until 1995, when Colt introduced its stainless-steel SF-VI as a replacement for the Detective Special.[1]
From its introduction, the Detective Special used Colt's ‘Positive Safety Lock’ (hammer block), first featured on the Police Positive; the mechanism interposes a bar between hammer and frame until the trigger is pulled, preventing accidental discharge if the hammer is struck (e.g., if a dropped gun falls onto its hammer) with the trigger forward.[8] First and early Second Series Detective Specials are becoming highly sought after by collectors, particularly if they are in prime condition and still have the famous Colt 'Royal Blue' finish.
Calibers and finishes[edit]
Colt Bankers Special Serial Numbers Lookup
The Detective Special was initially available in both bright blued and nickel finishes; a stainless steel finish replaced the nickeled option during the Fourth Series. For the Second Series, caliber options were .32 New Police, .38 New Police, and .38 Special; only .38 Special was offered for the other Series models. The standard barrel length was 2 inches, but also a (rare) three-inch-barrel was offered during the Second and Third Series.[1]
Colt Bankers Special Serial Numbers Manufacture
Submodels and variants[edit]
One early variant based on the DS frame was the Colt Banker's Special. First produced in 1928, it was chambered in .38 Colt New Police (.38 S&W) and .22 Long Rifle. Few were made, particularly in .22LR caliber. The Banker's Special was popular with railway clerks, who often carried them on mail and parcel freight trains prior to World War II. During World War II production was discontinued, and the type was not revived following the war's end.
The Colt Commando Special was a version of the Detective Special with a matte finish and rubber grips; produced from 1984 to 1986, it was chambered in .38 Special and weighed 21.5 oz.
During the Fourth Series production run of 1993–1995, Colt offered the Detective Special with an optional de-spurred 'bobbed' hammer and double action only lockwork, direct from the factory. The DAO or 'Bobbed Hammer' Detective Special was otherwise the same as the standard Fourth Series Detective Special.[8]
Ammunition[edit]
Interest has arisen over the use of higher-pressure (+P) .38 Special ammunition in the Detective Special. In their more recent owners manuals, Colt authorized limited use of +P ammunition in steel-framed revolvers (including earlier versions), citing 2000 to 3000 rounds before recommending the gun be returned to the factory for inspection.[9] Many believe that this was due to potential liability rather than engineering requirements, as the standard pressure ammunition of yesteryear was about the same pressure as modern +P ammunition.[citation needed]SAAMI lowered the pressures in 1972.[1]
Usage[edit]
Due to the good concealment qualities of the revolver, the Colt Detective Special was used as a weapon mostly by plainclothes police detectives, though it was also a popular off duty and backup firearm for uniformed police officers.[1] It was used by bodyguards, and for personal defense and shooting sports.
The Colt Detective Special was a popular weapon before the semi-automatic pistol replaced the revolver in many police departments as well as law enforcement units and armies. Myanmar Police Force and some other countries are still using the batches as officers' sidearms.
Replacement[edit]
Designated as the '9.65mm handgun', the Detective Special was used by the military police officers of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces along with the M1911 pistol designated as the '11.4mm handgun', only to be replaced by the Minebea P9 semi-automatic pistol, the Japanese license-made SIG Sauer P220. And a small number were used in some prefectural police headquarters of Japan including the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.[10]
The six-shot Colt Detective Special was the standard issue sidearm of Crime Wing inside Hong Kong Police Force, only to be replaced by SIG Sauer P250 after multiple years of use.
The Colt Detective Special was the first revolver issued to French customs agents, meant to replace the old Browning 10/22 and MAB D pistols. They were used from 1975 to 1988, being progressively replaced by Smith & Wesson revolvers (mostly the S&W model 13) along with French Manurhins and the Sig Sauer SP 2022 in 2005.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ abcdefghAyoob, Massad (15 March 2010). 'The Colt Detective Special'. Massad Ayoob's Greatest Handguns of the World. Iola, wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. pp. 55–63. ISBN1-4402-1458-1.
- ^ abhttps://gatdaily.com/gun-review-colt-detective-special-revolver-38-spl/ Gun Review: Colt Detective Special revolver in .38 Spl
- ^https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2012/4/20/the-fitz-special/ The Fitz Special by Gary Paul Johnston, April 20, 2012
- ^FindArticles.com | CBSi
- ^https://www.guns.com/2015/09/02/fitz-colt-snub-nosed-revolver-benchmark/ The Fitz Colt: The snub-nosed revolver benchmark 9/02/15 by Chris Eger
- ^Fjestad, SP: Blue Book of Gun Values, 29th Edition; Blue Book Publications, Inc., Minneapolis, 2008
- ^Trzoniec, Stanley W. (1986). 'Colt's Detective Special'. American Handgunner. 21 (2).
- ^ abColt Detective SpecialArchived January 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^Colt Detective Special Owners Manual. Hartford, Connecticut: Colt's Manufacturing. 1994. p. 12.
- ^Sugiura, Hisaya (September 2015). 'Pistols of the Japanese police in the postwar era'. Gun Professionals. Hobby Japan: 72–79.