The Colt Army Special was the perfected result of the Colt New Army & Navy revolvers made from 1889 to 1908.
These were the very first swing-out cylinder, double action revolvers, and are the direct ancestor of all the Colt's that followed.
The Army Special was introduced in 1908 and manufactured up until 1927.
It was used as the basis for every Colt mid-frame revolver to follow up until 1969, and variations of it were made as the Colt Official Police, Officer's Models, Trooper, 357 Model, Python, and others.
The Army Special name was advertising wishful naming, since the Army didn't buy it.
So, in 1927 Colt changed the name from "Army Special" to "Official Police" and manufactured the gun from 1927 to 1969.
The Army Special/Official Police was THE police revolver from 1908 to at least the mid-1960's, with a very great many police departments and private guard companies buying it.
The Army Special was made in a variety of obsolete and more modern calibers including the .32-20, .38 Colt Short and Long, the .41 Colt, and the .38 Special.
Standard finishes were bright blue and bright nickel, with hard black "Gutta Percha" rubber grips with molded-in checkering and Colt logos and checkered walnut with Silver Colt medallions after 1924.
If in good condition the Army Special is a fine shooter, and like all the Colt's using the Army Special action, are noted for excellent accuracy.
The Army Special frame and action design was made by Colt almost unchanged right up the final Colt Pythons made in 2003.
Many parts from a 2003 Python will interchange with a 1908 Army Special.
