Cousin Mike
Member
...it's not a Taurus Tracker by any means, but this is definitely alright by me for my first revolver. It might be true that I am somewhat of an impulse spender when it comes to guns, but I think I got a good deal. I’ll let you good folks decide on that.
I went looking around today to see if I could score a cheap .357Magnum - just something to play with until I found exactly what I was looking for. Let's just say looking around here gave me the itch, and today was the day to scratch. I wanted to see if I could find an older, functional pistol for next to nothing. I called Gander Mountain and they just about laughed me off of the phone once they heard the price range I was looking at. Funny, later on, when I went by there to pick up a speedloader for my new gun, I noticed they had excellent prices on the higher-end guns, but every Taurus or Ruger revolver I saw was consistently overpriced by about $100.00
Anyways, this morning I’m on the phone, calling different retail stores, nobody has anything. I call pawn shops, they have nothing. What they do have is beyond overpriced. Some of these pistols should be made of solid gold with diamond studded grips for what these folks were asking. I make one last call – the gentleman says he might have what I’m looking for. Interesting…
I ask what he’s got. He says he’s got an “old Colt .38 special, from the 50’s or 60’s maybe,” and he would “be willing to get rid of it for what I’m asking.”
I ask to make sure I heard right, he verifies. I tell him I’ll be right there to give it a look. I get there, and sure enough, It’s old… but it’s in surprisingly good condition. I examine it, lock it up and WOW the lockup on this thing was tight. Didn’t give 1/16” either way. The cylinders line up perfectly, the trigger is crisp - and breaks like nothing I’ve ever experienced with an auto. I swear it feels like 1lb. of pressure will fire this thing on a SA pull, and DA it might be 4lbs.? This, of course, is my guess using the SWAG method, but it’s incredibly light and pleasant. The hammer and firing pin seem to be in top shape. I give the guy the amount I told him I was willing to pay on the phone, did my paperwork, and walked right out the door with my new (old) piece.
For $100.00 + tax…
So – Can anyone tell me about this thing?
It’s a Colt alright – it’s got the pony just above the grips on the left side, and once again with the word “Colt” above it in the medallions on both sides in the wood grips. The grips are in the worst shape of anything on the gun. I suspect they’re the originals. It’s got a 4” barrel and fixed sights, which are going to take a lot of getting used to for me. It seems they point extremely low – but then again I haven’t shot a revolver in 14 years. It’s a pretty blue, but the finish is worn on the end of the barrel and towards the back of the cylinder. I’m not sure if I want to do anything to it though until I find out more about it.
On the left side of the barrel, it says ‘Official Police .38 Special CTG.’
On the right side of the barrel, it says ‘Colt’s PT.FA.MFG.CO. Hartford, Conn USA’. The serial number is ‘8824XX’, and underneath the serial number there’s a ‘6‘. That’s every marking on the gun. How can I find out how old it is?
I cleaned her up, and she looks pretty! I plan on taking her to the range tomorrow to give her a try, and got a box of Winchester 125gr. +P JHP’s for tonight. I’ll get some practice ammo at the range tomorrow when I go, and fire off a couple of these defense rounds. I was thinking whatever I got today might go to the girlfriend when I pick up that .357 or .44 I’ve been pondering – but I might have to keep this one for myself. I can’t wait to shoot it. Any information anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated, and you can expect a range report from me sometime within the next couple of days.
Sorry about these pictures, I just got home and I really could not wait to set up my digital camera, tripod, lights, etc., so I took these pictures with my phone. Considering that, I think they turned out pretty well. Here it is!
I went looking around today to see if I could score a cheap .357Magnum - just something to play with until I found exactly what I was looking for. Let's just say looking around here gave me the itch, and today was the day to scratch. I wanted to see if I could find an older, functional pistol for next to nothing. I called Gander Mountain and they just about laughed me off of the phone once they heard the price range I was looking at. Funny, later on, when I went by there to pick up a speedloader for my new gun, I noticed they had excellent prices on the higher-end guns, but every Taurus or Ruger revolver I saw was consistently overpriced by about $100.00
Anyways, this morning I’m on the phone, calling different retail stores, nobody has anything. I call pawn shops, they have nothing. What they do have is beyond overpriced. Some of these pistols should be made of solid gold with diamond studded grips for what these folks were asking. I make one last call – the gentleman says he might have what I’m looking for. Interesting…
I ask what he’s got. He says he’s got an “old Colt .38 special, from the 50’s or 60’s maybe,” and he would “be willing to get rid of it for what I’m asking.”
I ask to make sure I heard right, he verifies. I tell him I’ll be right there to give it a look. I get there, and sure enough, It’s old… but it’s in surprisingly good condition. I examine it, lock it up and WOW the lockup on this thing was tight. Didn’t give 1/16” either way. The cylinders line up perfectly, the trigger is crisp - and breaks like nothing I’ve ever experienced with an auto. I swear it feels like 1lb. of pressure will fire this thing on a SA pull, and DA it might be 4lbs.? This, of course, is my guess using the SWAG method, but it’s incredibly light and pleasant. The hammer and firing pin seem to be in top shape. I give the guy the amount I told him I was willing to pay on the phone, did my paperwork, and walked right out the door with my new (old) piece.
For $100.00 + tax…
So – Can anyone tell me about this thing?
It’s a Colt alright – it’s got the pony just above the grips on the left side, and once again with the word “Colt” above it in the medallions on both sides in the wood grips. The grips are in the worst shape of anything on the gun. I suspect they’re the originals. It’s got a 4” barrel and fixed sights, which are going to take a lot of getting used to for me. It seems they point extremely low – but then again I haven’t shot a revolver in 14 years. It’s a pretty blue, but the finish is worn on the end of the barrel and towards the back of the cylinder. I’m not sure if I want to do anything to it though until I find out more about it.
On the left side of the barrel, it says ‘Official Police .38 Special CTG.’
On the right side of the barrel, it says ‘Colt’s PT.FA.MFG.CO. Hartford, Conn USA’. The serial number is ‘8824XX’, and underneath the serial number there’s a ‘6‘. That’s every marking on the gun. How can I find out how old it is?
I cleaned her up, and she looks pretty! I plan on taking her to the range tomorrow to give her a try, and got a box of Winchester 125gr. +P JHP’s for tonight. I’ll get some practice ammo at the range tomorrow when I go, and fire off a couple of these defense rounds. I was thinking whatever I got today might go to the girlfriend when I pick up that .357 or .44 I’ve been pondering – but I might have to keep this one for myself. I can’t wait to shoot it. Any information anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated, and you can expect a range report from me sometime within the next couple of days.
Sorry about these pictures, I just got home and I really could not wait to set up my digital camera, tripod, lights, etc., so I took these pictures with my phone. Considering that, I think they turned out pretty well. Here it is!
I would have paid more than half that but some people don't care to negotiate.
