Colt "Police Special" question

[Malamute]

Someone asked me a question about a Colt revolver. The only info was "Police Special" with reportedly a 5" barrel (they could have made a mistake measuring). Looking in older books, there were Police Positive Special, and Official Police shown, but no specific Police Special. The Police Positive looks like the smaller frame, the Official Police looks like the medium frame, judging from the pictures and the listed weights.

The guy that asked me has to make a holster for it, and only had that info and an outline drawing. He wanted a bit more info if he could get it so he could have the holster fit it well, as he doesn't know how tightly they traced the drawing. My best guess is its a Police Positive Special, which is the smaller frame. Anyone have further info or ideas?

 

[rcmodel]

No such animal.
And the barrel length is suspect.

I sure wouldn't try to make a holster with no more info then that to go on.


The "D" frame, Small frame:
Police Positive Special
Police Positive target models
Diamondback
Cobra
Agent
Viper
Detective Special.


The "E & I" frame, Medium frame:
Army Special
Official Police
Officer's Model target
The 357
Trooper
Python
first model Border Patrol
Marshal
Commando, a WWII Official Police with a parkerized finish

rc

 

[Jim Watson]

Sorry, there is no Colt (or S&W) "Police Special."
As you already know, there are revolvers with "Police" in the model name but of different sizes. Actually, there is another, the original Colt Police Positive with shorter frame and cylinder for Colt .32 and .38 New Police = .32 & .38 S&W. Or the even older New Police.

There were some with 5" barrels.
Try for a photograph, it would probably identify the model.

 

[Malamute]

Thanks guys, thats about what I suspected.

He's a bit reluctant to try it without more info. I asked if they took a picture of the gun on the tracing so he'd know how tightly they traced it, but he had no further info to go on.


BTW, the price of the Official Police was $79.25 in 1964, the price of the Police Positive Special was $76.50. The price on the Pythons was pretty high, they wanted $125 for them.

 

[rcmodel]

He would be slightly better off if they made a grey cardboard holster pattern and stapled it together with the gun inside it. Then mark such things as the cylinder outline, etc.

No way can you make a properly fitting holster with nothing but a side view tracing of an unknown gun.

Holster makers use the actual gun, or a 'blue gun' dummy gun to fit the holster to the gun properly while the leather is wet and can be molded to the cylinder, flutes, strap snap fitted, etc.

rc