Colt Firearms Collector

This excellent condition Detective Special has original checkered & numbered Walnut wood, not plastic, grips (which is distinctive for the 2nd version), silver medallions, grooved hammer and trigger, with the rounded butt, and (more rare) it is nickel plated.   The 2 in. barrel is marked 'Detective Spec./ 38 Special, CTG', it has a serial number of 88863, and shows up online as having left the factory in late 1964, but the factory letter shows 1965, which is not unusual for the online and factory dates to differ.

Colt's Detective Special went through several issues or series. The First Series was produced from 1927 until 1946. Compared to later production models, the First Series used a narrower frame, with reduced clearance between the front-strap of the grip-frame and the rear of the trigger guard. Other distinctive features included a shorter ejector rod with an ungrooved, knurled tip; a checkered hammer spur and cylinder latch, a "half-moon"?shaped front sight, and an overlapping screw and locking pin set-up on the right side of the frame. Grip panels were wooden. A rounded butt on the metal frame became standard in 1933, but pieces with the original square butt (like that of the Police Positive Special) continued to be produced into the 1940s.

The Second Series ran from 1947 to 1972. The ejector-rod was longer and had a groove in its knurled tip; a three-inch-barrel variant was offered, with a yet longer ejector rod. The cylinder latch was smooth, and the trigger spur serrated. The right side frame screw has no locking pin, and the rear half of the front sight is a serrated ramp.

The grip panels were plastic in 1947, but were changed back to wood starting in 1955 (first with a silver-tone Colt medallion, and later a gold-tone). An optional hammer shroud was available from the factory to prevent the hammer from catching on clothing.

Transition from the First to Second Series was gradual, with some post-WWII Second Series guns retaining short ejector rods and checkered hammers. Because of this, assigning a given revolver to a particular issue is best done by serial number.

The Special was shortened, matching that of Colt's other snub-nosed pistols: the Cobra and Agent. Despite this alteration, the Detective Special's overall grip size remained unchanged, as Colt fitted the Second Series with new, lengthened grip stocks that extended below the frame.