Colt detective special, your thoughts? [Archive]

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TXBSAFH

10-03-10, 18:23

.45fmjoe

10-03-10, 18:50

It's a damn good gun. I pocket carry a revolver sometimes, a very old S&W Model 36 no dash. The Detective Special holds 6 rounds vs. the S&W Chief Special's 5. I also have a Detective Special but it's LNIB so I don't carry it. If I can find an old full frame Colt Cobra with some holster wear for a good price that would more than likely become my primary carry.

For a 2" barrel .38 Special I would recommend the Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel .38 Special +P round which is 135 grains.

brushy bill

10-03-10, 19:02

I have a shrouded Cobra. It is a fine gun, but because of potential parts/repairs issues, I've relegated it to the safe in favor of a no-lock 442. Should serve you well.

JHC

10-03-10, 19:11

I've owned two. One the old non-shrouded I got used and one new model (shrouded). Both had great - smooth DA pulls and shot very well. I shot and dry fired them quite a bit. Too much maybe. They both went out of time fairly quickly - within a thousands live fire rounds and maybe that much dry fire. This has tended to make me suspect of the robustness of this old school lockwork however a very experienced D frame shooter told me I was very mistaken about that. So that's just my two specimen experience.

Great guns, I wouldn't go hog wild shooting/dry firing however.

PlatoCATM

10-03-10, 19:19

I would buy it if I saw one at my shop. My dad has a Cobra and still shoots his--not extensively, but regularly. We had it out the other day to compare it my brand new S&W 442 no-lock. His had a smoother DA trigger, mine was definitely more accurate. Despite the newness of mine, his is still cooler. :cool:

The price isn't bad, and you might even talk them down some. Depends on why you want it. For $375 you could have a new 442 no-lock shipped to you (including the currect rebate).

rainman

10-03-10, 19:24

I have one, acquired many years ago...very good gun.

I find that while not much bigger than a Smith J-frame, the Dick-Special shoots more like the Smith K-frame...that is, very well for a 2-inch snubby, even when shooting double-action.

I second the person who was concerned about the durability of the lockwork...would think that you would want to have it gone over by a knowledgeable 'smith. I believe Cylinder & Slide does some excellent work on these. Also, I've heard that you should NOT fire +P ammo, which to me is what makes .38 Special special (if you know what I mean).

-Rainman

kmrtnsn

10-03-10, 19:32

How does the trigger feel? Costs about $100 bucks to get the trigger smoothed out. I say buy it, have it NP3'd or reblued, put a set of grips on it and hang into it. There is always a place for a good wheelgun.

kjdoski

10-03-10, 19:33

I have one that I managed to get for about that price, but it's pristine. It's one of the nicer small revolvers I've ever seen or shot.

It is heavy, though, and the BEAUTIFUL blue finish isn't the best for the climate I live in (hot and humid), so it really spends most of its time loaded in the "gun vault" for my blushing bride's use when I'm out of the house with the "real" guns...

At that price, I'd pick it up, and load it with Corbon DPX.

Regards,

Kevin

sixgun-symphony

03-07-11, 00:14

I have a shrouded Cobra. It is a fine gun, but because of potential parts/repairs issues, I've relegated it to the safe in favor of a no-lock 442. Should serve you well.

I wonder if this rumor about parts/repairs issues with Colt revolvers got started by the marketing people at Smith & Wesson.

I never had a problem finding parts, nor with finding a gunsmith that could work on Colts.

sixgun-symphony

03-07-11, 00:16

Carters in Pasadena has a colt detective special for sale $319. It is missing 25% of it finish, holster wear, but is like new inside. It is a newer one with the full shrouded rod. Any thoughts?

Also can you recommend a good 38 defense round?

I would buy it up ASAP and then send it to local gunsmith for reblueing. Then I would go to a local saddlery shop and have a holster made for CCW.

As far as defense loads, I would work up a handload using 158gr SWC.