Early Colt Police Positive fact check please

[becket]

i know of a Police Positive for sale, and need my research checked please. Caliber
is .38 Colt, and serial number is 32716.
Q-1) I have that as late 1909 on Colts site; but saw it as a 1910 on another independent page?
Q-2) Was it only the .32 cal Police Positive
That started, I read, with serial #49,000, when the model officially came out for sale in1907?
Q-3) Is that .38 S&W round a long, short,
Or stand alone size? I have a .32 S&W revolver that uses that :32 stand alone round.
Anything historical or physical characteristics you have that I may also need to check by all means I welcome it! I am a codger in training and have shot revolvers since the 60’s, some of the classics, but stuff from my grandfathers day I am still wading in the shallow end, .
Thanks for the help!

 

[Sarge7402]

The police positive came out in about 1907 and was available in .38 Colt New Police (the same as the S&W .38 - not Special) and the .32 S&W Long.

The 38 Colt New Police and the .38 S&W (not special) are not long or short. Those monikers fit the two colt rounds that also fit in the .38 Special Cylinders.

Around 1909 or so Colt Lengthened the frame and cylinder on the Police Positive by about a 1/4" and named the new revolver the Police Positive Special - chambered for the .38 Special and the .32-20 Winchester.

 

[Jim Watson]

The .38 New Police (also .32 NP and Colt .38 Special) shares the same chamber with S&W but has the deadly Colt flatnosed bullet, worth a full five percent bonus in Hatcher Stopping Power.

 

[becket]

Thanks very helpful!
One other Colt revolver Q:
There was also a 1935 Official Police model
in the same place. It was listed as chambered in .38 Special. Is that the modern .38 special cartridge at that early date?

 

[AZAndy]

Thanks very helpful!
One other Colt revolver Q:
There was also a 1935 Official Police model
in the same place. It was listed as chambered in .38 Special. Is that the modern .38 special cartridge at that early date?

Yes. .38 Special has been around since 1898, though it started as a black powder cartridge. I wouldn't worry about shooting modern .38 Special in a 1935 gun, though maybe not +P. S&W's Model of 1905 was in smokeless .38 Special.

 

[Jim Watson]

Colt had a high opinion of their revolvers. When S&W brought out the .38-44 High Velocity, they limited it to the N frame guns, Heavy Duty, Outdoorsman, and as a sub-load for the .357 Magnum. But Colt proudly listed it as suitable for all their .38 Specials, even the Detective Special. Of course back then you could get a Colt worked on if you beat it up with heavy loads. These days I would stick to standard velocity to preserve the gun and to keep the Internet Experts' computers from blowing up.

 

[becket]

Thx again; and tho I knew .38 special had been around forever, I was unclear as to any adverse pressure changes in today’s rounds using modern powders, as opposed to the ones early in the last century. Thank you all for the great advice and info; and a nod to AZAndy for coincidentally mentioning the model 1905! I recently acquired and just finished fixing a late family member’s 1919, S&W model 1905 Hand Ejector in .38 I had never shot; and was also wondering about that model. The poor trigger return spring just crumbled into black rust upon removal. Replacing that, and adding a used trigger block and cylinder stop , and it functions great now. I Can’t wait to raid my .38 special stash and get back out!

 

[jar]

Thanks very helpful!
One other Colt revolver Q:
There was also a 1935 Official Police model
in the same place. It was listed as chambered in .38 Special. Is that the modern .38 special cartridge at that early date?

Just a little more history. The Colt Official Police was earlier called the Colt Army Special but IIRC the name was changed to aid marketing.

​

 

[Coyote3855]

I really like the grips on that Army Special. I bid on a similar AS on an auction site, but it went past my reasonable price limit. Has that one been reblued? The hammer and trigger make it seem so.

 

[jar]

I really like the grips on that Army Special. I bid on a similar AS on an auction site, but it went past my reasonable price limit. Has that one been reblued? The hammer and trigger make it seem so.

Almost certainly reblued at some time but many decades ago. The current grips are replicas but I also have the original grips. They show on being cracked but a very nice and seemingly working glue job.

If you look you can see the crack running all the way across and under the threaded stud:
​

 

[Coyote3855]

Still a very nice example of an Army Special. I've considered getting a set of the replica grips and putting them on my Official Police, but seems wrong.