Blogiversary Gun: A Colt Official Police

I love a good .22 revolver. A good .22 revolver has a unique combination of a finely fitted gun with old world craftsmanship, and an affordable caliber that will allow one to shoot all day long. For a long time, I did not understand why a .22 revolver cost so much, but after I purchased a K-22, I understood.

The double action revolver in .22 long rifle is a handgun that allows a shooter to develop excellent trigger mangagement skills, which are integral to superior marksmanship. I own several .22 revolvers, but when I saw this .22 caliber Colt Official Police in Neil's shop, I was not going home without it.

The Colt Official Police revolver is what the Colt Army Special became in 1927. Colt simply changed the name of it's .41 caliber framed revolver, to market it aggressively towards police departments. As I examined the old wheelie, the revolver exuded craftsmanship. The double hand lock-up had not a hint of movement. The cylinder release is finely checkered, as is the trigger and hammer. The cylinder had it's chambers recessed and numbered. That, I thought, was a nice touch.

I did not have the opportunity to shoot the gun this afternoon, but I will over the weekend.

The deciding factor on this revolver though was the grips it wears. Roper grips are unmistakable. There are few craftsmen today who can checker a set of grips like the father and son team who carved Roper grips to fit a shooter's hand.

Neil was wanting $350 for the revolver. What Neil did not realize is that the grips themselves would likely sell for more. Roper grips were hand carved from finely grained carciasian walnut. The ribbon through the checkering is a telling feature, as are the notches in the reverse side of the grips. Nothing like them has been produced since.

I pulled out my billfold and counted out Neil's money. He slid a 4473 across the counter towards me, and I began to fill it out. In retrospect, $350 may have been a bit much for a Colt Official Police revolver, according to the books. I don't think so, however. This is an old school Colt revolver, and they aren't making any more. I'm glad to have found it. Considering this auction for Roper grips, I may have bought the grips for cheap and had the revolver thrown in for free!

I will take it to the range this afternoon.
Range results

Update: I see that Impact Guns has this revolver listed for $800....... Without the Ropers!

Colt Diamondback Range Report

I realized I was a very lucky gun shopper when I found this Colt Diamondback in Amber's pawn shop case for $249. The revolver locked up tighter than Ellen DeGeneres at a Tailhook party, and had no wear on the action at all. I bought without hesitation and did not let the door smack my butt on the way out. It looked like it had never been fired, the recoil plate had no scaring whatsoever. The gun did have a couple of rust specks that some copper Scotchbrite and an oiled penny cleared right up. The cylinder swung in and out on it's crane with no perceptible play. This revolver was solid as granite.

Today, I took the Diamondback to the range with a value pack of Winchester White Box ammo. I am not a fan of the Colt revolver grip. It forces me to place my strong side pinky finger underneath the grip. Then, there is the Colt trigger.....On this revolver the stacking was very slight. If an even double action pull was used, the stacking was imperceptible.

After having handled this finely fitted Colt, I was not surprised to find it limited by my shooting skill. I ran targets out to 10 yards, and this revolver outshot me with aplomb. If it had been in the hands of a more capable shooter, I have little doubt it would shoot one hole groups.

The Colt revolver having no failures goes without saying. I am not sure how the lockwork of the Diamondback compares to the esteemed Colt Python, but I can say that the fit and finish matches the .357 magnum snake. I believe the accuracy would match the Python as well. Colt has recently ceased revolver production, and it is rumored that they will likely not produce another revolver for years. If they ever do produce revolvers again, the product will not be able to match the guns of yesteryear. Now is the time to purchase if you want a Colt revolver. The prices will never be lower, or the selection as good. Buy now, or wish you had later. No, this one is not up for grabs!

Pawn Shop Circuit: A Diamondback on BAG Day

I swung into Amber's shop this morning to pick up my Colt Diamondback. She was wanting $249 for it when I put it on lay away a few days ago. I was rather shocked to see it going for that price, but I did not argue. The Diamondback usually runs in the neighborhood of $500-600. Amber's was a .38 Special revolver with very little use. Amber's Blue Book, by contrast, has many miles on it.

I am really a S&W kind of guy when it comes to revolvers, but with Colt ceasing revolver production, and this revolver being priced at less than half the going rate, I simply could not resist it.

Here's the BAG Day Roundup at Cowboy Blob's Saloon and Shootin Gallery.