I have my Grandads 32-20 police positive special (it was his target shooting piece) 6" bbl, oversize grips, and like new. I've dated it to 1914. It's a thing of beauty and fine example of American craftsmanship. Gotta love revolvers.
Nice! I always like hearing of guns that have family connections. Sounds like yours would be a real accurate piece. I purchased a 32-20 police positive special just last week, but it will probably be a month before it is delivered.
Excellent clip.. 38S&W projectile diameter is .361 but I have seen people loading .356 x 147 grains with no problem. The charge needs to be light. For .361 projectiles, Missouri bullets have them.
I have a couple of old Lyman/Ideal molds that drop bullets that are .360 and also have a .360 sizing die for the lube/size machine, so I am getting close to "big enough" bullets. I have shot standard .358" bullets and they seem to do OK.
There were quite a few S&W M&Ps like this in South Africa back in the day- gunsmiths would run a Special reamer through a .38 S&W cylinder- with varying results. The guns would still shoot minute of tsotsi at 7 paces, though you weren't going to win the Bianchi cup with one. But as they were originally intended to be .38 Specials the barrels had .357" groove diameters. At least you had access to a wider range of ammo now, as PMP's only offering was an anemic 146 gn FMJ that chronoed at 650-700 fps. One guy reloaded and had Lee make him a set of custom dies- steel, not carbide. I'd run it through a FL .38 S&W die first, and size the neck with a 38 Special die.
Using two sizing dies in that fashion is a good idea. I was thinking of just neck sizing the brass to the point where the old S&W chamber starts, but that might have resulted in somewhat difficult to chamber brass.
Nice video, I have Colt Police Positive in 38 S&W circa 1919. What interesting is it was a Cincinatti Motor Patrolman's complete with a Bauer Brothers Duty holster in brown. The holster dates to the early 30's, and I have a photo of the officer in uniform and his Indian Motorcycle.
This is my biggest fear when I pass away no one will know what my rifles are or how they are loaded and especially if I ever finish my wild card round and a rifle for it. Thanks for the vid
A while back I had a Wobly-Webley Mk-IV in 38-200. Same .361 diameter as the 38 S&W. Soft lead .357, 150 grain cowboy action pills worked quite accurately. I also powder coated some just to bring them up to .361 but it did not seem to make much difference.
Thanks for the video. My Police Positive Special dates to 1972 and is ex Royal Hong Kong Police property. It is roll stamped as Colt New Police but it won't chamber a 38 S&W round at all. I took it to a gunsmith and he speculated that it had simply been chamber swapped for a 38 Special which was apparently a common conversion back in the day when these old ladies were retired from service and sold on.
Yes quite possible that a .38 Special cylinder was put in it so it could use the more common round. The barrels are bored tight enough that I'm sure it would shoot just fine with the slightly smaller diameter bullet.
That's still a pretty cool gun even with the chambers being fooled with. I just picked up a 1877 Colt. It's my second original Colt. Thanks for the videos.
@@314299 my 1877 is chambered in 38 Colt. The barrel is .375 so it needs healed or hollow base bullets. I'll probably buy healed bullets and a crimper from Old West Bullet Molds and use cut down 38spl cases.
There was a lot of ambiguity in chambering back in the day. I've got an 1890s vintage H&R top break that *should* be chambered for .32 H&R (not the more modern .32 H&R Magnum; this is an intermediate black powder cartridge between .32 S&W and .32 S&W Long) -- but the chambers appear to be bored straight through, no step for a case mouth, and they'll happily chamber a .32 S&W Long as long as the bullet is short enough not to protrude. Since it's not smokeless proofed, I ordered some .32 Long cases and loaded them with black powder substitute and wadcutter bullets -- should be comparable to the original .32 H&R black powder loading, but using an easy to get case.
Speaking of ambiguity in chambering a buddy once had a Spanish revolver that had the caliber marked as ".38 Special", however it had a chamber much like the bored straight through one you described and so a .357 Magnum would chamber without problem. Fortunately he never tried to fire a .357 in it, as I expect that would have resulted in some "excitement".
I fired some factory Tenex loads that had .357 lead bullets in the cartridges and accuracy was marginal at 7 yards. I recently purchased a mould from Accurate Molds at .361 and a lube sizer die from Lyman to .360. Accuracy is now about 3" at 7 yards with me shooting it. Webley and Scott MkIV -38
I'm not surprised that .357" lead bullets shot poorly in a Webley. What weight of bullet is your .361" Accurate mold? Webley and Scott MkIV on it's way to me so it's interesting to hear your results. Cheers!
If you do some searching online, you will find reference in Colt forums to the fact that Colt, when they manufactured the Police Positive in 38 S&W, used barrel reamers for 38 Special in the barrel and forcing cone. The original Colt blueprints bear this out. They probably did this as a cost saving measure. Since the 38 S&W bullet is several thousands larger than the 38 Special, I assume they figured the forcing cone would resize the softer lead bullets of the day. I would slug your barrel and forcing cone to see what you have as they may have changed that in subsequent production runs. Most owners aren't aware of this. If you reload coated bullets, you can order 38 S&W or 38 Special unsized but it creates a dilemma for the reloader. If you use case hardened lead bullets, will they resize in the forcing cone. If you confirm what I'm telling you, I would appreciate a video to see how you solved this. I have a Police Positive made in 1905 and wonder about using 38 S&W dies and what bullets to use. Buffalo Bore also makes a 38 S&W round that approaches 38 Special performance. They claim it is safe to use in the Police Positive but I wonder. It is a neat little gun but I wonder if it is worth the investment in reloading for it given its unique characteristics. You can buff out those numbers and rust blemishes using a Harbor Freight dremel tool and then use a bluing pen to touch it up. Go easy and slowly. Might need some polishing or sharpening compound on the buffing wheel for tough areas. Police Positives in better shape than yours go for $800 or more. You got a deal if you can clean it up.
Yes judging how well this revolver shot with .358" bullets I am not surprised that Colt went to making one "standard" bore 38 barrel and it was primarily designed to work with .38 Spl. As you say the forcing cone would have no problems sizing a soft lead .38 S&W size bullet down. As for cleaning up the appearance of the revolver that might be a project for the future.
@@314299 Found a set of Pachmayrs for my Police Positive Special, and it made a world of difference. No more beating the crap out the middle finger by the trigger guard.
@@slowhand1198 I managed to get a set of Pachmayr "Presentation" grips from an auction, they do make a world of difference in the shootability of the revolver.
No standard .358" 38 Special bullets shoot pretty well. I think by the time this revolver was made that Colt used the same bore dimensions for all their "38" revolvers, however I have not checked the bore on mine yet by slugging it.
According to the Lyman Pistol & Revolver Handbook, Third Edition, the 38 Colt New Police (38 S&W) case OD is 0.386, while the 38 Special is 0.379. These numbers are the maximum one should ever see. At least you can shoot your gun. My Police Positive Special is in 32-20. I can't find ammunition for it.
I know how you feel with your 32-20, I also have a Police Positive Special in 32-20 and only recently was able to get brass so I can load a few rounds for it.
The Police Positive Special has a cylinder long enough that they could be chambered for either 38 S&W or .38 Special. The original Colt Police Positive has a shorter cylinder and it is not long enough for the 38 Special round.
Ideally one would use .361" bullets for a 38 S&W. I dont have a mold that makes them quite that large but I do have an old Ideal 358495 that makes .360" bullets and also a Lyman 358430 that casts .360". However it does seem to shoot decent with regular .358" bullets in 38 Spl cases.
@@314299 Good to know. If ain't broke, don't fix it. Although some 38 spl bullet designs have an expandable hollow base which may help with obturation and accuracy.
The barrel in those guns is .354 same as the .38 special so that is something most people do not know. Only the British Guns were .360... Both my Colt and SW 38-200 guns are .354 bore!
I've read that in different places, thanks for confirming it. It certainly explains why my revolver seems to have no problems shooting regular .358" lead bullets.
Yeah, that one has a crack, not surprising on a case that is probably 60 years old and has been reloaded most likely a lot of times. I got a bunch of the old "Dominion" brand brass from the estate of a shooter/reloader and some of it is getting worn out.
@@314299 60 yrs is doing pretty good. I have just recently taken a trip down the rabbit hole of early S&W and Colt military and/or police revolvers , especially S&W 1899 and 1905 military and police 38 specials.
Kindof a Bummer that it was messed with. What do the cylinder throats and barrel mic. out at? Many of the 38 colt NP and s&w revolvers have reportedly required .360 or larger cast bullets... meanwhile the remington ammo I have is loaded with .356 cast bullets with a cupped base...
I must admit that I have not yet done any serious measuring on the gun, however based on the way it shoots and the fact that it does not lead I'm inclined to think that it has a standard 38 special size bore and throats.
I had a S&W Victory Model that had had the barrel cut down to 2” and nickel plated. It would also chamber both.38 S&W and .38 Special. I actually never shot it, but later sold online auction. I always thought it was a .38 S&W that had been re-chambered. .
You would think so but it appears that colt used the same barrel dimensions on the .38 S&W and the .38 Special, at least it seems that that is what they did on these later vintage ones.
Interesting and cheap revolver! Speaking of cheap and interesting, Marstar currently have Norinco Olympias on sale. An excellent copy of the Walther olympia target pistol. Seem right up your alley. Cheers
I used to have a model 52 in with an oversized chamber from the factory. Fired cases came out looking like pregnant guppies-much worse than yours-and on the first or second reloading, they would start to split.
I cannot put any blame on YT in this case. I had a comment that made me reconsider the format of the video and after some consideration I decided I would re-do it.
The original Police Positive had the shorter cylinder and was chambered in 32 Colt N.P./32 S&W Long, and 38 Colt N.P./38 S&W. The later Police Positive Special, like the one in the video, had a longer cylinder so it could be chambered for the longer .38 Special and 32/20 rounds, but was also made for the 38 S&W/38 Colt NP. When this gun was made (1947) colt no longer made the shorter cylinder Police Positive. So long story short, you can have a gun with exterior cylinder dimensions like a .38 Spl but chambered for the 38 S&W/38 N.P.
@@WalnutandSteel Quite frankly Colt's naming system is rather confusing on many of their old revolvers, they certainly like to use the "Police" word on revolvers of different models.
Sir, I noticed your ejector rod knob is missing, a common issue if an owner is not pro-active with their Colt. Clean it regularly after shooting, and checked that cylinder knob for tightness. I owned, and carried one, as a law enforcement officer for several years up unto today, years after my retirement from the agency. A 4-inch barrel Police Positive Special, compact Colt D-Frame, with black rubber Pachmayr Presentation Grips. With these grips, it was a perfect fit for my gun-hand. It is a post war production Colt, that was engineered with excellent fixed sights, that allow for a "quick" target acquisition. A steep, ramped front sight, with glare reduction grooves cut in, and a wide sight channel in the top strap. The post war Colt .38 PPS will shoot a limited amount of +P ammo without any trouble, but limited amounts. For myself, I do not concern myself with that because I shoot the old .38 Special Police Load through my PPS. A 158-gr. Lead Round Nose Bullet, traveling at a moderate velocity at the muzzle with the speed of about 800 feet per second with about 200 foot pounds of energy on impact with the target. Good enough for most household varmints intending deadly harm against you and yours. That old .38 Police Round has been saving people for over 100-years now, and in my lightweight PPS (23-oz), the recoil is mild. That means tight grouping on your target for the "practiced" shooter/owner. I use my PPS when assigned court security, a job handed out to the Old Timers, not far from retirement. A lightweight, ultra-reliable Colt PPS was a welcome relief over the heavier duty revolver (Official Police) (35oz.) I packed as a young patrolman. I did use other six-guns in my lengthy career, but these two mentioned Colts were the "pick of the litter", so to speak. Thanks for this video of a Police Positive Special .38 that was a "bread winner" for the employees at Colt Manufacturing for many decades (1907-1976, 1995). Letter your Colt to enhance it's value and get you a new cylinder rod knob.
Unfortunately this particular revolver was missing the ejector rod knob when I got it. Based on the condition of the revolver it looks like it had a hard life in times past, perhaps during service with a police department or security guard service. While some police do look after their firearms there are those who unfortunately do not. The plus side of this gun is that while it looks a bit tired mechanically it is in perfect working order and is smooth operating and tight, I doubt it was fired much. I recently added a Colt Official Police to my collection, it certainly is a lot more beefy than the Police Positive. Thanks for comment.
i do think it was a 38 special made from a 38 s&w gun marked new police that was common post ww2 take it youtube didnt like you telling us what you paid for it and made you re upload
I think for most users of these the rechambering was not a terrible idea as they got access to a lot bigger variety of ammo and probably better priced as well.
I have my Grandads 32-20 police positive special (it was his target shooting piece) 6" bbl, oversize grips, and like new. I've dated it to 1914. It's a thing of beauty and fine example of American craftsmanship. Gotta love revolvers.
Nice! I always like hearing of guns that have family connections. Sounds like yours would be a real accurate piece. I purchased a 32-20 police positive special just last week, but it will probably be a month before it is delivered.
Most underrated Colt revolver.
The plus side of them being under rated is the good deals that can be had on them.
What a unique find! I always appreciate finding obscure things that actually work, especially at the bargain price you got.
It is indeed an oddity, and is one of those guns that made me scratch my head a bit when I got it.
Great video as always.
Thanks.
Excellent clip.. 38S&W projectile diameter is .361 but I have seen people loading .356 x 147 grains with no problem. The charge needs to be light. For .361 projectiles, Missouri bullets have them.
I have a couple of old Lyman/Ideal molds that drop bullets that are .360 and also have a .360 sizing die for the lube/size machine, so I am getting close to "big enough" bullets. I have shot standard .358" bullets and they seem to do OK.
.358 will work fine. So will be the .360. Regards for now and have a great day.
There were quite a few S&W M&Ps like this in South Africa back in the day- gunsmiths would run a Special reamer through a .38 S&W cylinder- with varying results. The guns would still shoot minute of tsotsi at 7 paces, though you weren't going to win the Bianchi cup with one. But as they were originally intended to be .38 Specials the barrels had .357" groove diameters. At least you had access to a wider range of ammo now, as PMP's only offering was an anemic 146 gn FMJ that chronoed at 650-700 fps. One guy reloaded and had Lee make him a set of custom dies- steel, not carbide. I'd run it through a FL .38 S&W die first, and size the neck with a 38 Special die.
Using two sizing dies in that fashion is a good idea. I was thinking of just neck sizing the brass to the point where the old S&W chamber starts, but that might have resulted in somewhat difficult to chamber brass.
Very interesting, thank you
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
Excellent ol War Horse!
It's action is tight as a new one, but it certainly got carried around a lot.
Nice video, I have Colt Police Positive in 38 S&W circa 1919.
What interesting is it was a Cincinatti Motor Patrolman's complete with a Bauer Brothers Duty holster in brown. The holster dates to the early 30's, and I have a photo of the officer in uniform and his Indian Motorcycle.
That's a pretty cool combination of revolver and artifacts.
This is my biggest fear when I pass away no one will know what my rifles are or how they are loaded and especially if I ever finish my wild card round and a rifle for it. Thanks for the vid
Yeah a lot of knowledge can be lost quite easily.
I got a Colt Army Special about the same time last year. Nice revolver
Nice. They certainly are a larger, more hand filling gun than the Police Positive.
A while back I had a Wobly-Webley Mk-IV in 38-200. Same .361 diameter as the 38 S&W. Soft lead .357, 150 grain cowboy action pills worked quite accurately. I also powder coated some just to bring them up to .361 but it did not seem to make much difference.
That's interesting, I wonder if the soft lead bullets you were using expanded a bit on firing to make them fit?
Thanks for the video. My Police Positive Special dates to 1972 and is ex Royal Hong Kong Police property. It is roll stamped as Colt New Police but it won't chamber a 38 S&W round at all. I took it to a gunsmith and he speculated that it had simply been chamber swapped for a 38 Special which was apparently a common conversion back in the day when these old ladies were retired from service and sold on.
Yes quite possible that a .38 Special cylinder was put in it so it could use the more common round. The barrels are bored tight enough that I'm sure it would shoot just fine with the slightly smaller diameter bullet.
Is there a way I can find the original usage of mine based on serial # - all I know is that I have an older model as well.
That's still a pretty cool gun even with the chambers being fooled with. I just picked up a 1877 Colt. It's my second original Colt. Thanks for the videos.
Since getting this one I picked up another that has the chambers in original condition. What caliber is your 1877?
@@314299 my 1877 is chambered in 38 Colt. The barrel is .375 so it needs healed or hollow base bullets. I'll probably buy healed bullets and a crimper from Old West Bullet Molds and use cut down 38spl cases.
@@ww321 Sounds like that one will be a fun one to get shooting.
There was a lot of ambiguity in chambering back in the day. I've got an 1890s vintage H&R top break that *should* be chambered for .32 H&R (not the more modern .32 H&R Magnum; this is an intermediate black powder cartridge between .32 S&W and .32 S&W Long) -- but the chambers appear to be bored straight through, no step for a case mouth, and they'll happily chamber a .32 S&W Long as long as the bullet is short enough not to protrude. Since it's not smokeless proofed, I ordered some .32 Long cases and loaded them with black powder substitute and wadcutter bullets -- should be comparable to the original .32 H&R black powder loading, but using an easy to get case.
Speaking of ambiguity in chambering a buddy once had a Spanish revolver that had the caliber marked as ".38 Special", however it had a chamber much like the bored straight through one you described and so a .357 Magnum would chamber without problem. Fortunately he never tried to fire a .357 in it, as I expect that would have resulted in some "excitement".
I fired some factory Tenex loads that had .357 lead bullets in the cartridges and accuracy was marginal at 7 yards. I recently purchased a mould from Accurate Molds at .361 and a lube sizer die from Lyman to .360. Accuracy is now about 3" at 7 yards with me shooting it. Webley and Scott MkIV -38
I'm not surprised that .357" lead bullets shot poorly in a Webley. What weight of bullet is your .361" Accurate mold? Webley and Scott MkIV on it's way to me so it's interesting to hear your results. Cheers!
I've seen that done before. .38 LC works well in them too I'm told. Nice find, thanks for sharing with us. God bless. Rev. D.
Yes, .38 long colt or 38 short colt ought to chamber as well as they are just short versions of the later produced 38 special.
If you do some searching online, you will find reference in Colt forums to the fact that Colt, when they manufactured the Police Positive in 38 S&W, used barrel reamers for 38 Special in the barrel and forcing cone. The original Colt blueprints bear this out. They probably did this as a cost saving measure. Since the 38 S&W bullet is several thousands larger than the 38 Special, I assume they figured the forcing cone would resize the softer lead bullets of the day. I would slug your barrel and forcing cone to see what you have as they may have changed that in subsequent production runs. Most owners aren't aware of this. If you reload coated bullets, you can order 38 S&W or 38 Special unsized but it creates a dilemma for the reloader. If you use case hardened lead bullets, will they resize in the forcing cone. If you confirm what I'm telling you, I would appreciate a video to see how you solved this. I have a Police Positive made in 1905 and wonder about using 38 S&W dies and what bullets to use. Buffalo Bore also makes a 38 S&W round that approaches 38 Special performance. They claim it is safe to use in the Police Positive but I wonder. It is a neat little gun but I wonder if it is worth the investment in reloading for it given its unique characteristics. You can buff out those numbers and rust blemishes using a Harbor Freight dremel tool and then use a bluing pen to touch it up. Go easy and slowly. Might need some polishing or sharpening compound on the buffing wheel for tough areas. Police Positives in better shape than yours go for $800 or more. You got a deal if you can clean it up.
Yes judging how well this revolver shot with .358" bullets I am not surprised that Colt went to making one "standard" bore 38 barrel and it was primarily designed to work with .38 Spl. As you say the forcing cone would have no problems sizing a soft lead .38 S&W size bullet down.
As for cleaning up the appearance of the revolver that might be a project for the future.
Sounds like you got a good deal. Having that conversion wouldn't bother me a bit. Actually the history behind it is quite interesting.
While I would have preferred one in unaltered 38 N.P. /38 S&W chambering I'm ok with this as it's still a functional revolver.
makes a hellofa night stand piece!,i know i sleep better😉
It would be simple to use in an emergency.
The price was right. You did cause me to pull out the Model 11 and check the chambers.
Yep it was a good price. Now I just need to source some better grips to make the gun easier and more pleasant to shoot.
@@314299 Found a set of Pachmayrs for my Police Positive Special, and it made a world of difference. No more beating the crap out the middle finger by the trigger guard.
@@slowhand1198 I managed to get a set of Pachmayr "Presentation" grips from an auction, they do make a world of difference in the shootability of the revolver.
Have you slugged the bore to see what the diameter is? Not that it matters much but just curious
I have not done that yet but I really should to clear up that particular question.
Do 38 special bullets key hole? 38 S&W has a larger diameter bullet.
No standard .358" 38 Special bullets shoot pretty well. I think by the time this revolver was made that Colt used the same bore dimensions for all their "38" revolvers, however I have not checked the bore on mine yet by slugging it.
According to the Lyman Pistol & Revolver Handbook, Third Edition, the 38 Colt New Police (38 S&W) case OD is 0.386, while the 38 Special is 0.379. These numbers are the maximum one should ever see. At least you can shoot your gun. My Police Positive Special is in 32-20. I can't find ammunition for it.
I know how you feel with your 32-20, I also have a Police Positive Special in 32-20 and only recently was able to get brass so I can load a few rounds for it.
Le quedara municion .38 special a una colt police positive de cilindro corto ? Esta usa s&w 38 corto.
The Police Positive Special has a cylinder long enough that they could be chambered for either 38 S&W or .38 Special. The original Colt Police Positive has a shorter cylinder and it is not long enough for the 38 Special round.
If memory serves me the 38 S&W bullet diameter is slightly larger as well. Which bullets are you planning on using in this thing?
Ideally one would use .361" bullets for a 38 S&W. I dont have a mold that makes them quite that large but I do have an old Ideal 358495 that makes .360" bullets and also a Lyman 358430 that casts .360". However it does seem to shoot decent with regular .358" bullets in 38 Spl cases.
@@314299 Good to know. If ain't broke, don't fix it.
Although some 38 spl bullet designs have an expandable hollow base which may help with obturation and accuracy.
Hello from Detroit Michigan USA Great video Brother thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise
Thanks for stopping by!
The barrel in those guns is .354 same as the .38 special so that is something most people do not know. Only the British Guns were .360... Both my Colt and SW 38-200 guns are .354 bore!
I've read that in different places, thanks for confirming it. It certainly explains why my revolver seems to have no problems shooting regular .358" lead bullets.
Interesting video like always . 38 special case has a split mouth… just noticed , maybe you already knew that.
Yeah, that one has a crack, not surprising on a case that is probably 60 years old and has been reloaded most likely a lot of times. I got a bunch of the old "Dominion" brand brass from the estate of a shooter/reloader and some of it is getting worn out.
@@314299 60 yrs is doing pretty good. I have just recently taken a trip down the rabbit hole of early S&W and Colt military and/or police revolvers , especially S&W 1899 and 1905 military and police 38 specials.
Kindof a Bummer that it was messed with. What do the cylinder throats and barrel mic. out at? Many of the 38 colt NP and s&w revolvers have reportedly required .360 or larger cast bullets... meanwhile the remington ammo I have is loaded with .356 cast bullets with a cupped base...
I must admit that I have not yet done any serious measuring on the gun, however based on the way it shoots and the fact that it does not lead I'm inclined to think that it has a standard 38 special size bore and throats.
I had a S&W Victory Model that had had the barrel cut down to 2” and nickel plated. It would also chamber both.38 S&W and .38 Special. I actually never shot it, but later sold online auction. I always thought it was a .38 S&W that had been re-chambered. .
Too bad you did not fire it before you got rid of it. Apparently some .38 Spl chambers will accept some 38 S&W factory loads.
Wouldn't .38 special keyhole out of that? it's a little smaller diameter. Might be ok with cast lead bulelts.
You would think so but it appears that colt used the same barrel dimensions on the .38 S&W and the .38 Special, at least it seems that that is what they did on these later vintage ones.
It’s been drilled out and you should only fire .38 S&W ammunition. The rim isn’t same either.
38 Special and 38 S&W rims are so similar that it makes little to no difference in a revolver like this.
Interesting and cheap revolver! Speaking of cheap and interesting, Marstar currently have Norinco Olympias on sale. An excellent copy of the Walther olympia target pistol. Seem right up your alley. Cheers
Thanks for the tip I'll check Marstar out.
I used to have a model 52 in with an oversized chamber from the factory. Fired cases came out looking like pregnant guppies-much worse than yours-and on the first or second reloading, they would start to split.
A Smith & Wesson model 52? Did you ever contact the manufacturer about it?
I see you tube had an issue with the ammo. Makes no sense on there rules. Keep up the great videos
I cannot put any blame on YT in this case. I had a comment that made me reconsider the format of the video and after some consideration I decided I would re-do it.
Sure looks like a 38sp cylinder. I have one of each and the 38sw version is much shorter
The original Police Positive had the shorter cylinder and was chambered in 32 Colt N.P./32 S&W Long, and 38 Colt N.P./38 S&W. The later Police Positive Special, like the one in the video, had a longer cylinder so it could be chambered for the longer .38 Special and 32/20 rounds, but was also made for the 38 S&W/38 Colt NP. When this gun was made (1947) colt no longer made the shorter cylinder Police Positive. So long story short, you can have a gun with exterior cylinder dimensions like a .38 Spl but chambered for the 38 S&W/38 N.P.
I commented before I watched the whole video
@@WalnutandSteel Quite frankly Colt's naming system is rather confusing on many of their old revolvers, they certainly like to use the "Police" word on revolvers of different models.
Sir, I noticed your ejector rod knob is missing, a common issue if an owner is not pro-active with their Colt. Clean it regularly after shooting, and checked that cylinder knob for tightness. I owned, and carried one, as a law enforcement officer for several years up unto today, years after my retirement from the agency. A 4-inch barrel Police Positive Special, compact Colt D-Frame, with black rubber Pachmayr Presentation Grips. With these grips, it was a perfect fit for my gun-hand. It is a post war production Colt, that was engineered with excellent fixed sights, that allow for a "quick" target acquisition. A steep, ramped front sight, with glare reduction grooves cut in, and a wide sight channel in the top strap. The post war Colt .38 PPS will shoot a limited amount of +P ammo without any trouble, but limited amounts. For myself, I do not concern myself with that because I shoot the old .38 Special Police Load through my PPS. A 158-gr. Lead Round Nose Bullet, traveling at a moderate velocity at the muzzle with the speed of about 800 feet per second with about 200 foot pounds of energy on impact with the target. Good enough for most household varmints intending deadly harm against you and yours. That old .38 Police Round has been saving people for over 100-years now, and in my lightweight PPS (23-oz), the recoil is mild. That means tight grouping on your target for the "practiced" shooter/owner. I use my PPS when assigned court security, a job handed out to the Old Timers, not far from retirement. A lightweight, ultra-reliable Colt PPS was a welcome relief over the heavier duty revolver (Official Police) (35oz.) I packed as a young patrolman. I did use other six-guns in my lengthy career, but these two mentioned Colts were the "pick of the litter", so to speak. Thanks for this video of a Police Positive Special .38 that was a "bread winner" for the employees at Colt Manufacturing for many decades (1907-1976, 1995). Letter your Colt to enhance it's value and get you a new cylinder rod knob.
Unfortunately this particular revolver was missing the ejector rod knob when I got it. Based on the condition of the revolver it looks like it had a hard life in times past, perhaps during service with a police department or security guard service. While some police do look after their firearms there are those who unfortunately do not. The plus side of this gun is that while it looks a bit tired mechanically it is in perfect working order and is smooth operating and tight, I doubt it was fired much. I recently added a Colt Official Police to my collection, it certainly is a lot more beefy than the Police Positive. Thanks for comment.
Very Nice Score ! 👍
While it is a bit "cosmetically challenged" the action is just as tight and smooth as a new gun, so I'm pretty happy with it.
i do think it was a 38 special made from a 38 s&w gun marked new police that was common post ww2 take it youtube didnt like you telling us what you paid for it and made you re upload
I think for most users of these the rechambering was not a terrible idea as they got access to a lot bigger variety of ammo and probably better priced as well.
@@314299 id absolutely buy one
I use to own two of them.
Was there any particular reason you got rid of them?
Traded one off not long ago for 1500 rounds of m855
Based on the current value of things you did well on that trade.
That sucks. 38 S&W is pretty weak.
It puts holes in the paper targets and that is all the power I require.