Colt detective serial number search

Yetthere is no way to tell if un-numbered slide matches either. Commercialnote: in part of year , some Commercial Government Model pistols hada Serial Number on slid underside in front of thedisconnector well as well as on receiver.

This practice only lasted a few months and the slide Serial Number was moved to underneath the firingpin stop plate. Some militarypistols brought back by returning WWI vets were apparently sent to the Coltsfor refinishing in that small time slot, and while refinishing, Coltsapplied their military Serial Number underneath slide as was theirstandard practice for those months.

Determining the year Colt firearm was manufactured is not possible by knowing only the serial number. Colt has manufactured literally millions of firearms. Generally, Colt assigns separate Serial Number sequence to each of its models.

Sometimes the sequence for a specific model starts at number 1 and sometimes at higher number. Check Out This Guide! Leave A Reply Cancel Reply. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Email: Outdoorfact gmail. By Patrick Evans 0. Patrick Evans. You might also like More from author. Prev Next. Leave A Reply.

Gear Reviews Camping. 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.

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 , but were changed back to wood starting in 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.

Because of this, assigning a given revolver to a particular issue is best done by serial number. During the s, the grip frame of the Second Series Detective 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 gripstocks that extended below the frame.

The Third Series ran from to A new shroud extended down from the barrel, enclosing and protecting the ejector rod, and the front sight was changed to a full ramp. New, oversize wood gripstocks were introduced that covered the front frame strap. The Third Series featured improvements to the revolver's internal lockwork as well. As with the previous two Series models, a few nickel-plated guns were produced, and a 3-inch-barrel variant was again offered.

In , facing stagnant sales numbers as well as rising production and labor costs, Colt discontinued production of the Detective Special. Colt filed for bankruptcy protection in After reorganization, the company restarted production of the Detective Special in