1901 U S Army Colt D A 38

Bat 2919 · April 28, 2019, 02:07:18 PM

The counter clockwise turning revolver crowd will be happy (well almost, it is still a Colt) to hear I now own another backwards turning revolver

Happened upon a U S Army 1901 Colt D A 38 (Long Colt) at a good price and it followed me home. This revolver is complete to include grip panels with cartouche and a lanyard ring but it has very little collector value, none of the numbers match. On the bright side, it appears to time up very well and should be a good shooter.

This isn't the first example of the 1892 Colt family I've owned but it is my first Material Marked gun of this style. I made the mistake of bringing an 1895 to my first Grand Muster and while I did my part (I was hitting the targets) it regularly disappointed me (the targets didn't fall over). Yes, I know I'm not the first to experience this sort of failure with this revolver/round combination, luckily none of the targets was charging me with a drug fueled rage on it's face or a machete in hand. The next year I showed up with a Colt D A 45 in my holster and that problem went away

Silver Creek Slim · April 28, 2019, 04:15:22 PM

Congrats.

Slim

Baltimore Ed · April 28, 2019, 08:03:19 PM

Here are 2 of the three civilian Colts that I have that turn counter clockwise. I have one more that?s nicer. Picked up the heel base bullet mould last year. They go with my Span Am outfit but I usually use a pair of .38 New Services. The trigger pull is rather severe though on these 1892 D.A. Colts.

Cowtown Scout · April 29, 2019, 07:38:05 PM

Quote from: Bat 2919 on April 28, 2019, 02:07:18 PM
The counter clockwise turning revolver crowd will be happy (well almost, it is still a Colt) to hear I now own another backwards turning revolver

Happened upon a U S Army 1901 Colt D A 38 (Long Colt) at a good price and it followed me home. This revolver is complete to include grip panels with cartouche and a lanyard ring but it has very little collector value, none of the numbers match. On the bright side, it appears to time up very well and should be a good shooter.

This isn't the first example of the 1892 Colt family I've owned but it is my first Material Marked gun of this style. I made the mistake of bringing an 1895 to my first Grand Muster and while I did my part (I was hitting the targets) it regularly disappointed me (the targets didn't fall over). Yes, I know I'm not the first to experience this sort of failure with this revolver/round combination, luckily none of the targets was charging me with a drug fueled rage on it's face or a machete in hand. The next year I showed up with a Colt D A 45 in my holster and that problem went away

Congratulations Bat! - I experienced the same thing with not taking down the targets with mine.
Scout

Pitspitr · April 30, 2019, 02:49:42 PM

Quote from: Cowtown Scout on April 29, 2019, 07:38:05 PM
I experienced the same thing with not taking down the targets with mine.

I can't say that I have with my 1899 Army in .38 LC, but then my cylinder turns the other direction

Drydock · April 30, 2019, 04:53:17 PM

Jerry, about NA&N Cylinder rotation and the running gag you just stepped in . . .

pony express · April 30, 2019, 07:10:07 PM

Maybe the backwards rotating cylinder guns will knock down targets better south of the equator?

Bat 2919 · April 30, 2019, 08:52:07 PM

Quote from: Pitspitr on April 30, 2019, 02:49:42 PM
I can't say that I have with my 1899 Army in .38 LC, but then my cylinder turns the other direction

Well, the catch is that the entire 1892 family of Colts (92, 94, 95, 96, 1901, 03 and 05) all turn counter clockwise like the S&W's

Baltimore Ed · April 30, 2019, 09:31:01 PM

But a handful supposedly were bbled and chambered correctly in .38 special before they did the total revolver 1908 redesign and created the Army Special in .38 special which became the Official Police.

Montana Slim · May 01, 2019, 10:10:54 PM

My 1903 Model Colt Army (RAC inspector marked) has an excellent bore, suited for .358 lead... Accurate, too when able to control that horrible trigger pull. I may find need & time to remedy that someday.

Slim

Pitspitr · May 03, 2019, 11:05:42 AM

Quote from: Drydock on April 30, 2019, 04:53:17 PM
Jerry, about NA&N Cylinder rotation and the running gag you just stepped in . . .

Ah, yes, Well once again I show my ignorance. Unfortunately it probably won't be the last time. I never have mastered that whole, " Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt," thing.

I did learn something though. I had thought all Colts turned the same way.
Thank you

The Pathfinder · May 03, 2019, 01:59:22 PM

I bought a 1901 38LC at the LGS for $75, they told me someone had bored out the chambers so 38 special would fit. Saved enough to buy a 95 percent condition New Army & Navy 38LC for $175 because someone had done the same to it. Some days it's nice to have a little knowledge.

Drydock · May 03, 2019, 05:36:28 PM

Colt just waited long enough for S&W to copy them, then changed the design to rotate the right way. S&Ws have been turning the wrong way ever since . . .

Bat 2919 · May 03, 2019, 08:22:56 PM

Quote from: The Pathfinder on May 03, 2019, 01:59:22 PM
I bought a 1901 38LC at the LGS for $75, they told me someone had bored out the chambers so 38 special would fit. Saved enough to buy a 95 percent condition New Army & Navy 38LC for $175 because someone had done the same to it. Some days it's nice to have a little knowledge.

I bought a 95 from a pawn shop and they had a tag on it indicating it was a .38 special. I think your point was that the 92 Colts were all made with a cylinder and chambers long enough to accept a .38 Special. There would have been no reason in 1892 to design chambers that wouldn't allow it to chamber a longer 38 caliber cartridge, there wasn't one.

Baltimore Ed · May 03, 2019, 08:46:23 PM

The dangerous thing about these drilled through cylinder .38 Colt revolvers is that .357s with a short enough bullets will chamber and the cylinder will turn. But if fired the 100 plus yr old is going to become 100 yr old shrapnel. I would dare say that a .38 spcl plus p would damage it. Hollow base bullets loaded light so as not the strip the rifling do fair but the army found out the hard way that reduced loads are not effective against a determined enemy.

pony express · May 03, 2019, 11:09:20 PM

They would all chamber the longer rounds, at least the earlier models with the .375 diameter barrels. The cylinders were .375, straight through. The one I have would chamber .38s, and even a .357, if it was loaded with a wadcutter bullet. What I don't know is, if the later models with the .357 barrel, also had a "step" in the chambers, or if they also were bored straight through.

Drydock · May 04, 2019, 03:36:32 AM

The 1903s have modern throated chambers (mine does)

The Pathfinder · May 04, 2019, 06:52:15 AM

That was my point, the 38LC cylinders were bored straight thru new. The 38 special would fit anyway, no modification required. And I scored a nice 1901 U.S. issue and a gorgeous NA&N for great prices. At least a lot cheaper than I paid for my 41LC I've got.

Grapeshot · June 10, 2019, 08:33:20 PM

I had a M1903 and .357 bullets would slide thru the bore slick as all get out. Forced me to use 165 grain hollow based bullets that shot fairly well. I noticed that .357 Magnum brass would chamber as well. Never tried to load any live rounds of that in it. Later found a Colt .38 Army Special that I later found was made in 1927. Looks a lot like the M1903 except in .38 Special.
I can hit the target if I can see the sights. Hard to do nowadays with damage to my optic nerves caused by micro strokes.

Bat 2919 · June 11, 2019, 10:36:16 AM

Quote from: The Pathfinder on May 04, 2019, 06:52:15 AM
That was my point, the 38LC cylinders were bored straight thru new. The 38 special would fit anyway, no modification required. And I scored a nice 1901 U.S. issue and a gorgeous NA&N for great prices. At least a lot cheaper than I paid for my 41LC I've got.

In the immortal words of W. C. Fields: "Never give a sucker an even break"