[D.A.P.]

Well, I wasn't able to find that big bore revolver I was looking for, however I managed to finally get myself an actual Colt. I picked up a Colt officers Model 38 that, while not a collectors piece by any stretch of the imagination, it looks like it might serve well as a range shooter. Bore is good, timing is good except on one notch where it fails to carry up if you cock the hammer very slowly. The action is very smooth which might make the trigger pull feel lighter than what it may actually be. Grips are in ok shape I guess. I didn't notice any cracks or anything in the wood when I took them off. It also seems to be a bit beefier than my Model 10(the cylinder is bigger) but doesn't seem to weigh as much as it(only one of my holsters fits. All others are too small). As for its age, I'm not sure, but it might be from around 1911 or so. Regardless, its the oldest firearm that I own.

Now for the things that I don't seem to like about it. The trigger seems to be a bit further away than it is on my Model 10. When I draw it from a holster I almost always have to adjust my grip so my trigger finger will reach the trigger. The trigger return isn't smooth at all and keeps making me think that its stuck when its not. The previous owner must have carried this revolver as I found lots of black gritty sludge and small pieces of hair on the inside when I removed the sideplate( I couldn't remove it all without a full disassemble). At least they seem to have taken OK care of it as there is no bad pitting and the lock up is tight as well as excellent barrel and cylinder bores.

As soon as I can Ill take it out and test it at the range ill post a report.

 

[Sekol]

congratulations - that sure is a nice acquisition!

 

[MOONDAWG]

:nopics:

 

[HD-Mike]

Congrats on the pick-up of the Colt, but gotta agree with MOONDAWG. We need pictures!

 

[AOCM.RET]

YEP! No pictures, it did not happen! Congrats on the new old Colt; I hope you enjoy it and have a lot of range time with it as well.

 

[D.A.P.]

Well, you asked for it so here you go. Here it is next to my Model 10(Ignore my homemade grips on it). Its not pretty nor valuable to collectors, but the local gunsmith says its in good shape, so that's good enough for me. Now I need a properly fitting holster for it.

 

[JHPRICE]

I like the home made grips thanks for the picture and enjoy your new pistol
jhp

 

[Raptorboy69]

Very nice! Thanks for sharing. I would be just as proud or more so to own it.

 

[guesser]

I am a forever Colt DA revolver lover; if I may offer advise; Take the stocks off and shoot the action full of a cleaner lubricant, I don't know which one is best, Let it drip dry and then do it again, this time working the action several times and spray it out. If you have a compressor then blow it out. Loob it as you would any other revolver. That probably will clear up that one slow lockup. If you have the confidence then pull the side plate off and do a thorough clean and loob. I own and shoot three OM 38s as well as about 30 other Colt DA wheel guns, there are none better!!

 

[bamashooter]

I like them both. I especially like the home made grips.

 

[coopercdrkey]

Colt revolvers rule! (My Tauruses are pretty cool too, though!)

 

[D.A.P.]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I'll try the cleaner lubricant thing as I couldn't completely get it apart. There's a pin that holds the rebound lever in place and I don't have the proper tools to drive out the pin, so I let it be and sprayed with Winchester gun wash and added a few drops of gun oil afterwards. Also thanks for liking the grips. I made them out of scrap wood we had lying around.

Range Report

Got down to the range and fired 50 rounds of 158grn LRN @ 10 yards in both DA and SA. Also tried a little rapid fire with a reload while moving around. While it was fun, there were a few oddball moments where I ended up key-holing as well as two FTF. Also, the recoil caused my thumb to go numb for a few Minutes. I guess the grip isn't best for my small hands. I was using Geco 38 special produced by RUAG Ammotec in Germany. I'm not sure its timing as I didn't see any lead buildup on the forcing cone and the primer strikes seem to be center. All other shots were normal.

As you can tell, my marksmanship skills aren't the best, but I don't think I missed all that much at all. The closer together shots were fired in SA. Next time ill try feeding some different ammo thru it and see what happens.

 

[MadKaw]

Very nice DAP, very nice, indeed.

 

[Scalpel]

Nice acquisition. Thanks for posting the photographic evidence, which is an absolute requirement to prove validity of your claim.

 

[Fishinkeylargo]

Congrats on the new to you Colt!

 

[darbo]

Very nice! Congratulations!

 

[vonzipper]

Very very nice!! I kinda like those grips too!

 

[Waltherfan01]

That's a nice gun. Congrats!

 

[bigC]

Congratulations on the new to you Colt.

 

[ELW00D]

Congratulations on your new firearm.