Colt Detective Special

Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 July 2009 13:49 Written by Administrator Thursday, 02 July 2009 12:53

The Colt Detective Special is a double-action revolver that was designed to be used by plainclothes detectives. Introduced in the year 1927, it was the first concealable revolver capable of firing the high power .38 Special cartridges. It was very popular with law enforcement agencies during the 1930s and 40s.

The design of the Detective Special was based on the earlier Colt Police Positive Special. Several versions of the Detective Special were designed. The first series of the revolver was manufactured from 1927 to 1946. The second series was introduced in 1847 and ran till 1972. The third series was introduced in 1973 and ran till 1986. Apart from minor variations, all these versions are nearly identical.

Colt’s Manufacturing Company filed for bankruptcy in 1992 and thus production was stopped for sometime. However, production was restarted in 1993 and this series is considered by many to be the fourth series. The new version had some differences such as a composite grip.

The Colt Detective Special was discontinued in 1995 and a replacement—the stainless-steel SF-VI (also designated as DS-II) was introduced. Today, the first and second series Colt Detective Special revolvers are highly sought by gun-collectors and enthusiasts.

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