Colt Diamondback, Be Still My Heart.....

Status
Not open for further replies.

Speedo66

Member
Joined
May 31, 2008
Messages
11,040
Location
Flatlandistan
Was in a local gun store yesterday and saw a beautiful Diamondback. I had wanted one of those when I first started in LE in 1969, but it was about twice the price of a Model 10 S&W so it was a no go. With the beating LE guns take, probably just as well.

The one yesterday got me, I fell in love again. No finish wear that I could see and the high polish was magnificent. Having just bought an $800 rifle a few days before, the $1200 asked for the Colt would be pushing it, so I passed.

One of these days though....
 
Was in a local gun store yesterday and saw a beautiful Diamondback. I had wanted one of those when I first started in LE in 1969, but it was about twice the price of a Model 10 S&W so it was a no go. With the beating LE guns take, probably just as well.

The one yesterday got me, I fell in love again. No finish wear that I could see and the high polish was magnificent. Having just bought an $800 rifle a few days before, the $1200 asked for the Colt would be pushing it, so I passed.

One of these days though....
Had one and it was nice......but the "Baby Python" thing wears off after awhile.They are quite nose heavy and the grip was difficult to snug up because they only have half a frame under the wood- same frame as the Det.. Special. It did have a nice trigger and good sights, though.
IMG_20180422_043455.jpg

I like my 1st Gen Trooper better, being being built on the beefier, full-grip I frame. Same great trigger and sights, but better balanced and more robust internals.....and about 2/3 the price!:D
IMG_20181229_012235.jpg
 
Last edited:
Speedo

Somewhat pricey at $1200 but I can understand your unrequited love affair! I too have longingly desired a Colt Diamondback in both .38 Special and .22LR. and have found them at various gun shows over the years. To my heart's dismay all have been priced well out of my meager budget; so close yet so far away!
 
Don’t be too shy about LE trade guns. They’re carried a lot and only shot a little.
 
NIGHTLORD40K

Like your 1st Gen. Trooper! My Troopers were all the later versions: the Trooper Mk.III and Trooper Mk.V. The MK.III was built like the proverbial tank but the DA/SA trigger wasn't as smooth as a comparable S&W trigger. The grips were also a so-so fit for my small hand (easily fixed with a Pachmayr Presentation grip). The Mk.V was a definite improvement in both areas and also benefited from a slightly better fit and finish then the Mk.III. The MK.V with a 4" barrel was probably my favorite among the medium frame .357 revolvers Colt made.
 
I wont tell you then, that I have two from Grandpa's collection... both 22lr and blued. One is a 4" and factory grips. The other is a 2" (or 2.5) and has rosewood grips, that are much more comfortable than the stockers.

I did see a lot of things I wanted at the gun show yesterday. No money for any of them; colt troopers, m1917s, mannlicher 10/22s, old 9mm rimfire single shot, Steven's 22-410...
 
If it had the original grips, $1200 was a fair price for a 4" or 6". If it was a snub it was a fantastic price.
It was a 4" in .38Spl. Another shop had a nice looking S&W Model 10 for $369.

When my agency in NYC transitioned over to Glocks, with an almost non existent private citizen market I had a hell of a time trying to sell off my duty revolvers. A reluctant probation officer finally took my very nice Chief Spl. for $25. I literally gave away my Model 10. lol
 
Last edited:
I've had 3 Diamondbacks over the years.
A used 4" .38SPL was the 2nd pistol I every bought, but I let it go when I was offered way too much for it.
A 4" .22LR was bought a few years later and was the first Colt I ever had tuned. I bought it as a companion to my S&W 6" M-17...I think I like the Diamondback better.
A 6" .22LR model to complement the 4". That gun was nose heavy and the front sight was too short. I think I traded it for a S&W 8.375" M-27

I wanted a certain .22LR bolt action when I was 18 and couldn't "afford it" until I was in my mid-50s. By then it had easily quadrupled in price, but it was worth every bit of the $1400 I paid for it.

What I'm trying to say is you might want to reconsider stretching for it if you really want it.
 
diamondback.jpg

I wouldn't have paid $1200 for this, but when I was in the gunshop to do a transfer on a LEO trade-in S&W M10 that I had shipped in, this was in the case...for $50 more than I paid for the M10. I couldn't walk away and if its not the best deal i've ever made, its one of them.

1967 Diamondback in .38, probably the exact same gun (year, barrel length, caliber) as Steve McQueens character used in the movie "Bullit"
 
I gave my son one for Christmas many years ago. 22LR with a 4" barrel. A very nice and pretty pistol with good looking but actually crappy feeling grips in both our opinions. It's not going anywhere though.
 
I was lucky enough to buy a D-back back before the "insanity" took hold. beautiful gun, very accurate. The most muzzle heavy gun I ever had was a S&W 610 with a 6 1/2 inch barrel. That thing was just Godawful! Fortunately I doubled my money when it went away.
 
I was trying to decide what to get for a first revolver a decade ago. I was all set to buy a pretty heavily used MKIII, but the deal fell through and I got a very nice M19-3 for the same $350 from someone local here on THR.

One of these days I'll find the right deal on the right Colt and see what I've been missing out on.
 
I cherish my 6" Diamondback .22 lr. I still kick myself for letting my 4" .22 and 4" .38 Diamondbacks get away.

I really, really kick myself as had a nickel plated 4" .22LR Diamondback I traded off for something else that I don't have now, either. Hoping with the new Cobra and all Colt will come out with a revival of sorts of the Diamondback on the new frame.
 
COLT could use the new COBRA as a basis for a new DIAMONDBACK. I think I could be a customer, if they did it right. I want a 4.2 inch barrel, so it would be legal up in CANADA. A 6 inch would also be nice.

Jim
 
Happen to stop by my favorite my lgs today, he had one of the new king cobras on the counter, couldn't help myself.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top