1919 Colt police positive 38 special

[Gunner4640]

I got my hands on this colt 38 from 1919, all serials match on the gun. I went through it and cleaned it all up it was rusted beyond belief.
I would really like to shoot it just one time. the bore is good nice and bright rifling looks good.The main spring was broke, i hav a great welder at work who was able to weld it. The problem is the space between the barrel and cylinder is too much I ddont see any bushings or other parts to replace to fix that. any ideas?

1919 colt

barrel pic

just opened it up

[ELB]

Wow, where did you find that? In someone's barn loft?

I don't know the answer to your question, but good luck, that's a great find.

[Gunner4640]

No it belonged to my great grandfather it was his service pistol he worked as a guard at a steel plant in pa.

[WildBill]

No it belonged to my great grandfather it was his service pistol he worked as a guard at a steel plant in pa.

I am a huge fan of Colt double action revolvers. I own two that belonged to my father, and four that I purchased myself.

After seeing the pictures of the corrosion on the 1919 Colt Police Positive, I wouldn't chance trying to shoot it, even once.
If it were me, I would make a nice display case with a nice brass label with your great grandfather's name on it.

[JSThane]

I probably would shoot it, but with lower-pressure ammo only. No +P in that gun, due to the condition, but mostly due to the age. Most of the corrosion, from the pics, seems to be surface-only; I've got a couple in my safe with worse pitting (judging from your pics) that someone reblued, and they're quite shootable, so long as I take care not to throw +P ammo in them.

I'd be more concerned about the welded-up mainspring breaking again. If possible, I'd get a replacement. The Police Positive / Police Positive Special series was fairly common; I can't imagine it'd be all that difficult to find a new one.

[WildBill]

I probably would shoot it, but with lower-pressure ammo only. No +P in that gun, due to the condition, but mostly due to the age. Most of the corrosion, from the pics, seems to be surface-only; I've got a couple in my safe with worse pitting (judging from your pics) that someone reblued, and they're quite shootable, so long as I take care not to throw +P ammo in them.

I'd be more concerned about the welded-up mainspring breaking again. If possible, I'd get a replacement. The Police Positive / Police Positive Special series was fairly common; I can't imagine it'd be all that difficult to find a new one.

On the +P, but I still wouldn't shoot it. Other than sentimental reasons there is no valid reason to risk firing this handgun.

Sometimes what appears to be surface corrosion can run deeper. Only a proper NDT can verify the integrity of the materials.
Also I would think that welding a mainspring would destroy the temper and material properties.
Obtaining a replacement spring is a good idea.
All-in-all the cost to do this is probably more that the value of the gun.
The excessive gap between the barrel and cylinder still needs to be addressed. YMMV.

[JSThane]

I probably would shoot it, but with lower-pressure ammo only. No +P in that gun, due to the condition, but mostly due to the age. Most of the corrosion, from the pics, seems to be surface-only; I've got a couple in my safe with worse pitting (judging from your pics) that someone reblued, and they're quite shootable, so long as I take care not to throw +P ammo in them.

I'd be more concerned about the welded-up mainspring breaking again. If possible, I'd get a replacement. The Police Positive / Police Positive Special series was fairly common; I can't imagine it'd be all that difficult to find a new one.

On the +P, but I still wouldn't shoot it. Other than sentimental reasons there is no valid reason to risk firing this handgun.

Sometimes what appears to be surface corrosion can run deeper. Only a proper NDT can verify the integrity of the materials.
Also I would think that welding a mainspring would destroy the temper and material properties.
Obtaining a replacement spring is a good idea.
All-in-all the cost to do this is probably more that the value of the gun.
The excessive gap between the barrel and cylinder still needs to be addressed. YMMV.

This is true, just saying what -I- would do. I definitely would be concerned about breaking the mainspring at or near the weld. But I wouldn't worry as much about excessive cylinder gap, as long as the cylinder wasn't out of time. If the cylinder's out of time, don't shoot it; you'll damage the forcing cone and potentially the whole gun worse than excessive cylinder gap, and with an old Colt, that would be my first safety concern.

I'm not quite sure what NDT stands for, but if it's that magneto-fluxing thing, I've never done that with an old gun. I check them over, and then shoot them with appropriate ammo. So far, I've not had that backfire on me once - no blow ups, catastrophic failures, or cracked frames yet. Your Mileage May Vary (especially if you have a Glock .40 with lead bullets! Not a Glock hater, just throwing it in there 'cause modern guns can BOOM too if improperly treated).

[Iunnrais]

Given the family history, I'd be inclined to contact Brent over at the Colt custom shop and see what they can do to bring her back.

[sparkyfender]

Wonderful!

I would make that lovely old Colt a wall hanger, and show it with pride........

[oohrah]

Are you sure it is .38 Special? I have a 1921 Colt Bankers Special, and it is .38 S&W, which is the same as Police Positive .38.

[JSThane]

Are you sure it is .38 Special? I have a 1921 Colt Bankers Special, and it is .38 S&W, which is the same as Police Positive .38.

They marked some .38 Specials as regular Police Positives, just with the cartridge changed. (I found this out recently) It is (as far as I know) a regular Police Positive Special in every other way.

[WildBill]

Only a proper NDT can verify the integrity of the materials.

I'm not quite sure what NDT stands for, but if it's that magneto-fluxing thing, I've never done that with an old gun. [/quote]NDT is non-destructive testing. It is not one particular test, but can include, x-ray, magneto-fluxing thing, dye penetrant, hydrostatic testing, proof test, etc.

I'm no expert so I wouldn't be able to recommend any particular technique for each particular part of the gun.

[Gunner4640]

No it belonged to my great grandfather it was his service pistol he worked as a guard at a steel plant in pa.

I am a huge fan of Colt double action revolvers. I own two that belonged to my father, and four that I purchased myself.

After seeing the pictures of the corrosion on the 1919 Colt Police Positive, I wouldn't chance trying to shoot it, even once.
If it were me, I would make a nice display case with a nice brass label with your great grandfather's name on it.

I took it to a few gun shops yesterday and made the decision of the shadow box display.. good idea about the label. I found the history of the model I am going to have printed on fancy paper to go with it.. thanks for the suggestion.

[Gunner4640]

Are you sure it is .38 Special? I have a 1921 Colt Bankers Special, and it is .38 S&W, which is the same as Police Positive .38.

It says 38 special on it. no matter I am not going to shoot it. I just dont want to take the chance of blowing it up and hurting myself, in that order

[Gunner4640]

Wonderful!

I would make that lovely old Colt a wall hanger, and show it with pride........

exactly what I am goinig to do with it. I found a nice shadow box for it.I wished I had a picture of my great grandfather to go with it. thanks