The Colt New Service.........

[BobWright]

Nature Boy's recent inquiry concerning his New Service drew a lot of posts concerning that model of revolver. The very first handgun I purchased as a kid was a Colt New Service in .45 Colt. Actually it was a reworked .455 Eley with Royal Canadian Northwest Mounted Police history. This for $34.95 mail order. This was my very first custom gun, also, when I had it converted to .44 Special and adjustable sights installed. So the New Service has always held a special place to me.

Produced as a commercial model about 1889, it was adopted by the US Army in 1909 until the M1911 could be ironed out. Chambered for the .45 ACP round, it served in WW I as the M1917. Following WW I, in .45 Colt caliber, it was the standard sidearm of many county sheriff departments and state highway patrols or state troopers. While the gun was too heavy and bulky for metropolitan police use, it remained popular with rural law enforcement agencies. During WW II many M1917s were re-issued to the US Army due to the shortage of M1911s. Some Canadian Army units carred these guns in .45 Colt caliber, and some old .455s were re-issued to British units. In .38 Special, the New Service armed the US Border Patrol for awhile.

After the introduction of the .44 Magnum cartridge, I petitioned Colt to re-introduce the New Service in .44 Magnum, even giving it the Python treatment, this falling on deaf ears at Colt. Oh, they were polite, telling me to mind my own business in a most delicate way.

Whether one might have a US martially marked New Service or not, it is still a very historic revolver.

This is the only photo of my old New Service, made after custom work was done:




The photo was made by my older sister and is copied from that print. The photo was made with a newly acquired Kodak Signet 35mm camera, around 1960.


Bob Wright

 

[Old Fuff]

After the introduction of the .44 Magnum cartridge, I petitioned Colt to re-introduce the New Service in .44 Magnum, even giving it the Python treatment, this falling on deaf ears at Colt.

Years ago I was told by one of Colt's top executive's that "They didn't have a .44 Magnum, and wouldn't make one, because it was just a passing fad."

He also thought much the same when it came to making stainless steel handguns.

By the time they discovered their mistake it was too late.

Bill Ruger Sr. once commented that part of the reason for his company's success was the incompetence of some of his competitors. "The have no vision," said he.

 

[Gordon]

Well have to put up the ultimate New Service pictures. this gun started life as an old US postal Service gun, was tight but after Cylinder &Slide blueprinted the action, indexed the cylinders set the gold Patridge sight to put ball ammo dead on at 25 yards with 1.5" ransom groups from the Douglas air guaged bull barrel that is locked up in front with a ball detent. Then it went to Colt for minimal coverage bank note style engraving and a Royal Blue. Then off to Roy Fishpaw for top grade French walnut gunfighter grips. This is a good belt gun but obviously after I got over it it is a safe queen,

 

[Vern Humphrey]

My New Service was made in 1906. Colt started heat-treating cylinders in 1903 so mine is as strong as any.

Mine had been reblued and hence was not collectable. I trimmed the barrel back to 5 1/2" and added adjustable sights and Herrett Shooting Master stocks.

My favorite load is a 255 grain Lee Wide Flat Nose loaded ahead of 12.5 grains of HS-6 -- which generates about 19,000 PSI and around 1100 FPS.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

Posted here before but here it is again....

My custom New Service is a 1917 US Property marked .45 ACP. It was pictured and talked about in at least two of Dean Grennell's books from the late 1970's-early 1980's. I've got two of those books.

The gun is the US Property number match (on the butt of the frame) as the one pictured in the books.

The Colt belonged to Dean Grennell's brother named Ralph. I kinda like that because that's my name as well. There are some pictures of "Ralph" shooting it in the books.

The custom work was done in the late 1960's to early 70's by a company that is no longer in business.

That was:
John B. Williams Gunsmithing
704 East Commonwealth
Fullerton, California

I remember reading about that company in the gun magazines back in that time and seeing pictures of some of their custom Colts and S&W revolvers. I can't find any reference to the company on the internet now.

The barrel was cut to 2.5 inches. A S&W adjustable rear sight was custom shaped and fitted to a matching milled cut in the top strap. A S&W "type" front sight with red insert was fabricated & installed.

The hammer, cylinder latch, and trigger were bright chromed. The barrel & frame were matte hard chromed. Action work done internally, etc., etc.

It shoots good too! Sometimes I carry it concealed cross draw.

I had the holster made for it by Tom Dyer in Kingman AZ.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

It usually wears some head "bones" of some sort.

this...



or this...

 

[Iggy]

C&L,

That thing is purtier than a black Appy colt with a white blanket and dollar spots.




Just for the record.......



This is the best I can do.

 

[Monac]

You take wonderful care of your guns, Cocked & Locked. Your New Service looks like it came out of the custom shop yesterday, not 35+ years ago.

 

[pbearperry]

Beautiful revolver Gordon.

 

[Gordon]

The snub job is just as good in it's own way.

 

[Lone Star]

The New Service was introduced in 1897, not in 1889, as one member posted. He must have been thinking of the New Army and New Navy model.

After several minor revisions, the last in 1903, it was dropped, being replaced by the Army Special, renamed as Official Police in 1926.

Those guns were adopted by the US Army and the NAVY. iN .38 lONG cOLT CALIBER, THEY WERE THE GUNS THAT FAILED SO MISERABLY IN THE PHILPIPINES WAR.

Sorry, the Caps Lock came on. I hate that thing.

 

[Gordon]

Not quite pardner; the New Service did not survive WW2 but up till then they were very much alive and kicking. I been looking for a Shooting Master New Service for many years. I found one 20 years ago in .38 special, as most of them were, but had been modified with an aftermarket .357 cylinder. I actually kept it 19 years and shot it some but somebody made me an offer making me a good profit and I sold it as it really had no collecter value being modified with a Numrich cylinder. The Shooting Masters are incredibly sweet dolled up New Services and were made in all the available calibers on special order.
http://picturearchive.gunauction.com/4768190517/6017927/5fb29fe29e90519540a0ef8c0b144100.jpg

 

[Rio Laxas]

Here's my Colt M1909. It is one of my favorites.

 

[MagnumDweeb]

I've shot a few and they are great guns. It could be one of the models reintroduced to today's market and potentially do well among revolver shooters if priced below $700, especially in .45 Long Colt and .45 ACP. They are simple no thrill guns that are tanks.

The three I've shot were, one in .38-40 and the owner bought it that way, one in .45 Long Colt, and one in .38 Special that could handle the owner's custom loads that were supposedly on par with .38/44 loads (they felt stout but not quite .357 magnum).

Trigger pull felt a bit long and stacked at the end, but the single action trigger was great.

 

[CraigC]

Good stuff! C&L's custom is one of the coolest sixguns I've ever seen. The New Service/1917 is one that still eludes me. I had a really sweet one in my paws at a gun show, probably at least 10yrs ago that I still kick myself for not getting. It was a 1917 that had been cut to 4", adjustable sights added, stag grips and a pretty good job at a bright polished reblue. All for the princely sum of $250. Well, some day I'll find one.

 

[Old Fuff]

I've shot a few and they are great guns. It could be one of the models reintroduced to today's market and potentially do well among revolver shooters if priced below $700, especially in .45 Long Colt and .45 ACP. They are simple no thrill guns that are tanks.

Recently a company made a deal with Colt to reproduce the old Browning-designed .32 Pocket Model pistol. It was to be made using the latest manufacturing technologies, and duplicate the version made during World War Two with a sandblasted and Parkerized finish (which would be the least costly option.) The proposed retail price was $1,300.

Now anyone who has any knowledge of gun manufacturing knows that it costs more to make a revolver (such as the New Service) then a pocket model pistol, and a polished/blue finish would be much more then a simple sandblast & Parkerized one.

Yet you are expecting Colt to make a .45 revolver, similar to the New Service, for $700 or less.: rolleyes:

Not likely.

 

[CraigC]

Not likely. You can hardly buy a new Ruger for under $700.

 

[scramasax]

Iggy, where did you get the DNA to clone Ace?

That was the name of my partner when I was a teen and we raised horses. The blanket even has the wheat showing the old blood line.

 

[Iggy]

scramasax

That's just a pic I snagged off the net to emphasize my point.
Resemblance to any pony living or dead is strictly co-incidental.

Ain't that how they use to say it?

 

[eldon519]

How is the trigger on those old Colts? Is it more similar to something like a Python or Anaconda or more like an S&W or Ruger? I've never felt the pull on one.

 

[Lord Teapot]

It usually wears some head "bones" of some sort.

this...



or this...

that's pretty

 

[Cocked & Locked]

You take wonderful care of your guns, Cocked & Locked. Your New Service looks like it came out of the custom shop yesterday, not 35+ years ago.

Some off them yes, others not-so-much.

Thanks folks for the comments. Some nice revolvers in this thread. I've never owned an engraved handgun...I keep drooling over Gordon's in post #3.

Iggy's work horse New Service with those pewter (I think) grips could probably tell some interesting stories.

Bob Wright's New Service has some known history riding with the Mounties...can't beat that for provenance!

 

[Monac]

How is the trigger on those old Colts? Is it more similar to something like a Python or Anaconda or more like an S&W or Ruger? I've never felt the pull on one.

I had a re-blued New Service Model 1917 for quite a few years. The double action trigger pull was quite long and heavy, although not gritty. The single action trigger pull was just excellent - short and crisp, and the gun shot to point of aim with 230 grain FMJ. I sometimes wondered, though, if whoever had had the gun reblued had also had the action tuned.

The big drawback of the gun for me was the very small sights. I just can't see iron sights that small anymore, so I sold the gun. Ironically, an older friend of mine just had cataract surgery and can see better than I can now; I just sold him a S&W 32 Long Hand Ejector whose sights got too small for me.

 

[Dr.Rob]

First revolver I ever bought. Paid a whopping $275 for a re-blued US property marked gun. Still shoots sweet with ball ammo or semi wadcutters.

 

[Gordon]

The da pull on my blueprinted and narrowed mainspring NS is a long but smooth 9 pounds with the anacondaesque stacking common to Colts. The single action is 3.5 pounds and has no creep you are moving a large cylinder and big heavy hammer so it will ignite anything. S&W DA and SA are better and only a very tuned Official police /python Colt can almost be made as good.