[Fozzy_Bear]

Hi all.

I have my great-grand-father's colt .38 revolver and I was wondering what it is worth.

No. I don't want to sell it... ever.

But if it actually is worth anything (to others/possible thieves), I want to included it in my insurance, and I would like to find a source that my insurance company would recognise as authoritative.

Is there a site that is well respected in the industry of some ""blue book" that I can buy? If so, which one?

thanks.

 

[Righteous]

what model??? condition? Pictures?

 

[Fozzy_Bear]

Actually I have one pic... it's is along side the knife I got from my grand-father.

I tried a few times but I can't get a pic to show up of the writing on the barrel (it's old and faded)... I'll try tomorrow and see if my camera likes natural sunlight better.

As far as condition goes; I know that there are accepted standards for various terms like good, excellent, poor, etc... and I have no idea what the standards are. But despite the lighting being bad in the pic, you actually do get the feel of it pretty well in that shot. What would YOU call it??


And on that topic; is there a guide for making that classification online somewhere?

 

[fluffo63]

my friend..

...myself i would rate the pistol at around %50 percent,is the knife a casexx?
the pistol looks to be a Police Positive but just from viewing a picture its hard to say,,was any of your ansesters in the police force in mid 40,s to mid 50,s
or it may have been puchased???my guess it dont hold a big vulue in money
but i could be wrong????do you want to sell the knife????thanks

 

[Fozzy_Bear]

...myself i would rate the pistol at around %50 percent,is the knife a casexx?
the pistol looks to be a Police Positive
...
,was any of your ansesters in the police force
...

No, it's not a casexx. It's actually a pretty cheap knife, that pic is quite flattering for that knife... But they made'em sturdier back then and even the cheapies from then hold up OK.

And yes, actually; My great-grand-father bought the gun from a Pa State Policeman. That's actually the only piece of history that I DO know about that gun.

Glad to hear that it's not valuable (to anybody else). Eliminates a bunch of potential ""issues"" for me.

I never got a good chance to snap a pic of the barrel while the sun was up. Maybe tomorrow.

 

[fluffo63]

Fozzy..

..please dont take my words the wrong way,im realy not sure value of
the pistol..but if its a Police isue it will say it located on the pistol
.........POLICE POSSITIVE....it could be worth treasures to you..
thanks for sharing.its like my ole-Savage model 23-D 22 hornet
rifle one of the first ever made its date is around 1927 but its a
treasure to me.

 

[robocop10mm]

Some agencies stamped their guns. Many did not. Colt Police Positive 6" .38 spl. Very common variant. In that condition not worth a lot in Dollars but likely worth much to you as a family heirloom. Keep it, shoot it and pass it on to the next generation. Worth countless thousands of Dollars in tying hthe next generation to the previous ones.

 

[Fozzy_Bear]

...
Keep it, shoot it and pass it on to the next generation. Worth countless thousands of Dollars in tying hthe next generation to the previous ones.

Yeah, that's the plan.

The only problem is that the only ammo I have found in the old .38 is total crap. Now, I know the gun obviously doesn't have all the ""modern features""... But this puppy can bearly hit the broad side of a barn. Either I need to finally ""bite the bullet"" and start reloading my own shells... Or I found the reason that the cop sold his gun. -- 6 shot patterns of 18 inches from 5 meters.

What is that... About three Hours of Angle(HOA) ??



But that's a different story...

 

[beeman]

That's not a Police Positive, it's probably a Model 1892 "New Army & Navy" (2nd Issue).. Does it say "Colt D.A. 38" on the left side of the barrel near the frame and patent info on the top of the barrel that includes on the 2nd line "Patented Aug. 5 1884 Nov.6 88 Mar.5 95"? If so, it's one of the older Colt left-turning in 38 Long Colt, a semi-obselete caliber. Yours looks to be a military version due to the wood grips, but I can't tell from the pic. Does it have any markings on the butt such as inspector's initials or US Army?

Colt .38 revolvers from that era had numerous modifications that distinguish each model. For example, the "New Army and Navy" Models 1889 and 1896 did not have dual cylinder notches, but the Models 1892 and 1894 did; the Model 1894 and the Model 1901 were identical except for a lanyard swivel, the Models 1894 and 1896 were identical except for the fact the 1896 had an improved cylinder locking mechanism.

Model 1894 Colts have the distinction of being the first US military handgun designed for smokeless powder cartridges. These guns were replaced by the larger "New Service" revolvers in 1898 for the larger cartridges, and the Model "J" revolvers which were modernized versions of the 1894-1896 models designed for more powerful cartridges

Do not use modern 38 ammo in this in any variation...while the round might fit it's loaded too powerfully for this handgun. You can get the 38 LC round in 158 gr RNL from Black Hills Ammuntion...it's what I have for my civilian model (has composite grips w/ the rampant Colt design on them).

It's an older pistol and the action is somewhat fragile by modern standards. I'd have it checked out before firing it. I seldom shoot mine but I like the way it looks!

Nice piece of history in that pistol, by the way! Definitely a keeper!

 

[WILDCATT]

38l colt

I had one yrs ago the barrel is probable .360 or .365.you could shoot 38 spec hollow base wadcutters.the originals used RN hollow base.the cylinder should be bored straight thru if not it would be a 38 spec.

 

[Fozzy_Bear]

...the cylinder should be bored straight thru if not it would be a 38 spec.

WildCatt, I don't understand the last part of your message. Could you explain that a bit more, please?



.

 

[vanguard]

could it be a old ruger,? kind of looks like there style.