Detective special serial numbers

It is a classic-style, swing out cylinder, double action compact revolver with fixed blade front sight and notch-style rear sights and full lenght ejector rod. The Detective Special models were also available in other calibers. The gun first became popular [in ] after J. FitzGerald, a Colt shooter, began to cut the Police Positive guns down to two inches for use as belly guns. In fact, FitzGerald went even further and bobbed the hammerspurs and cut out the front of the trigger guards in an attempt to make a real speed gun.

They called them FitzGerald Specials, and many savvy gunmen preferred them for fighting guns. It had an unshrouded ejector rod housing which gave it a distinct and unmistakable silouette with its square butt.

The round butt was first produced in and the extractor was shortened and shrouded about Later issues of this handgun had a less distinct appearance. In all, there were four generations of the Detective Special by the time production ended. There are many of these fine revolvers still in service today, though, sadly, Colt no longer caters to the concealable snubby or the revolver market.

The first issue generation of this handgun above was produced from to about The third generation of this firearm shows the shrouded ejector rod but by now the handgun had a less distinctive profile.

A: The revolver was never rated for this higher power ammunition by Colt, not even the late production models. No problem. And this type of failure could be caused by a combination of other problems such as cartridge case failure or a bullet lodged in the barrel occuring at the same time high power ammo is used.

The use of ammo for which this model firearm or any firearm has not been rated is not recommended. This will give you a manufacture date that can be applied to the following Issues. For a deeper dive into the history of the Colt Detective Special check out our blog post covering it. The start date of the First Issue of Colt Detective Specials is easy enough to pin down as it was , when the revolver was first released.

The end date of this Issue is a bit contentious among Detective Special collectors, but for our purposes we will use the date of , which is in line with the latest issues of the Blue Book of Gun Values.

This is the date where many changes were made to the design, which we will discuss in the next section. Some collectors point to as the end of the First Issue when the little snub nose with a square butt switched over to a rounded butt. First issue revolvers are quite desirable and would do very well in any of our auctions if you would like to consign one with Rock Island Auction Company.

Proper end label for a 1st Issue Colt. Second Issue Detective Special. Available in our February auction. The Second Issue for Colt Detective Specials began in and would eventually end up the largest of the four issues.

Other changes were made during this issue, including grooves on the hammer and trigger instead of checkering, a smooth cylinder latch instead of checkered, and an extended ejector rod. The Second Issue of Colt Detective Specials ended in , but they are still widely available at almost any price point and condition level, browse our catalog and see for yourself.

Available in February auction. The Third Issue of Colt Detective Special Revolvers began in , and is often quite easy to pick out when compared to the first two Issues. The biggest change with this issue would be the addition of the ejector rod housing to the bottom of the barrel. Colt also changed the front sight yet again during this Issue, ditching the old short ramp of the last Issue. The Detective Specials of the Third Issue, and those after, were fitted with a long ramp front sight that slopes up for nearly the entire length of the barrel.

The Third Issue revolvers are often quite desirable among collectors because they were the first Issue rated for.

The Third Issue and Detective Special as a model was discontinued in