Colt Police Positive 38 (Review & Accuracy)

[@yperman2025]

I carried one of these for 10 odd years while in the Royal Hong Kong Police. I agree with everything you say - it is a lovely weapon to shoot and surprisingly accurate. I never used one in action but it still my favourite pistol on a range.

[@mikehenrybell2398]

rhkp was issued with model 10 S&W, not Colt

[@yperman2025]

@@mikehenrybell2398 Not in my day! (1970s and 1980s) All of Uniform branch carried the Colt police positive -38 and CID carried the Colt Detective Special -38.The latter did not have a lanyard swivel contrary to PGOs. Shocking! Of course these days they carry all sorts of new fangled rubbish why they will be carrying nasty Glocks in a few decade's time! But the Colt Positive 38 is a lovely gun for non-military use.Don't think (certainly up to 1990) any S&W weapons were issued. Both before and after WW2 the Hong Kong Police were issued with Webleys Mk6 before and definitely Mark 4 -38 after. I have HKP Webley as a wall hanger. Don't know why they were replaced with Colts probably a cheap job lot when the force expanded after 1967 and Arsenal Street wanted to standardise.

[@Shot_Gunner]

@@yperman2025 wow that’s amazing! I’m not familiar with the law enforcement organization back then in Hong Kong. My guess is that you are British? Or Chinese? What an interesting piece of information. Thanks for sharing. 🤠

[@Isaihernandez777]

Hey there’s on for sale on armslist. I wonder if it could coincidentally be the one you carried.

[@knuckles6044]

Nice review. I have a 1922 Colt army special chambered in 38 special. It was my grandfathers service revolver. He was a Chicago police sergeant in the 30's, 40's, and 50's. I have the same nostalgic attachment. They are very fun and pleasant to shoot and well made.

[@ronburling983]

The Colt Police Positive was introduced in 1907 and continued in production until 1947.

[@WonderDean]

Mine is in a 38 special with a 5 inch barrel manufactured in 1930 and is a total joy to shoot! I can see why they would be so popular back in it’s day but now this one will only see the range. Love it!

[@Shot_Gunner]

Beautiful Colt revolver. Funny thing is I just inherited a working example of a Colt 1895 DA .38LC revolver from my Grandfather just as he passed away. I was able to find some really mild .38 Short Colt Black Powder loads online and they always have them even in these troubled times. You have an amazing revolver there. Happy shooting! 🤠

[@johnwesley1660]

Your reviews are always very detailed and I always enjoy them. 👍

[@gotsloco1810]

One of the comments you have made could be very dependent upon the department one might be employed by. In the case of the Oakland CA police department one could not carry an automatic for decades after the 1911 was introduced. My grandfather carried a police positive (38 police positive/ 38 S&W) for most of his career. He retired as chief of inspectors in 1941. My dad helped maintain the OPD gun collection by making missing pieces for guns in the collection. The collection allowed victims to identify a firearm used in a crime they were reporting. The collection was scrapped during the WWII scrap metal drive to the best of my dads recollection. The only exception to the prohibition on carrying an automatic was the chief of detectives, he picked up a Colt 1903 out of the property department, nickel plated with mother of pearl grips. They both shoot nicely although I have not fired either in pushing thirty years. I think they may be in need of some range time

[@jonahvasquez6210]

As soon as you said: "Carried by my grandfather". I gave a like!

[@Dan-sq5cv]

Nice Colt very nice. I have the Colt .38 Police Positive Spl. looks the same , but I wish mine was as pristine as yours. The one I have is mechanically sound and in good condition but the bluing has gone to seed. I have shot it a couple of times and it is a sweetheart. They are small and light as you say. Thanks for sharing.

[@AgentJeff24]

I have the colt police positive 38 manufactured in 1919

[@davidabney7700]

I take exception to the .38 Smith & Wesson cartridge being called out as too weak to be effective for modern day law enforcement, most especially the British .38/200 LRN. I own a series of Enfield, Webley, Colt Police Positive Special, and Colt Police Positive Revolvers. I use some good hand loaded 200gr. LRN in.38 S&W shell casings. Even the current factory made 145gr. LRN ammo will work nicely in the post-war made Colt Police Positive Special, that was chambered in .38 S&W. This was a large contract order from the Royal Hong Kong PD going to Colt Manufacturing for a large number of these compact Colt PPS six-guns in the late 1950's, into the 1960's. The pre-war produce Colt Police Positive (not Special) Revolvers sold widely and sold well, chambered in .38 S&W. In pre-WW 2 times, the .38 Police Positive was standard issue with uniform policemen. In those years (1910-1940), the Smith & Wesson small frame revolvers and the Colt PP, was carried by thousands of uniform cops, primarily in the north-east and west coast PD's. For over 4-decades this cartridge was used by US law enforcement, South American PD's, with the same cartridge in a 200gr. bullet being used by our British Allies during and after WW 2. The break-top Enfield No.2Mk I* and Webley Mk IV Revolvers of the British, would last way into the 1970's, with some of these revolvers lasting way into the 1980's in former British Colonies with their respective Home Defense Forces. Some may even be around and being used today.

[@mkshffr4936]

I love old school. As I get older I am also less enamored with the mega blasters. Put the lead where it belongs and you don't need something loud enough to wake the dead. Besides personal protection the .38S&W is also a fine small game number making it a good trail gun short of kodiak country. Not sure how it would do on a cougar but should be fine for 'yotes and feral dogs as well as bobcats. Honestly for cougars I think that a spear might be as good as anything.

[@mayberrygary25]

Nice family heirloom ! Other than the cylinder latch being a pull style, when rotating, they turn clockwise (right). S&W turn counter-clockwise (left). I carried (and still have) a Smith Model 19 until issued one of the first Glocks. S&W pretty much ruled as PD guns in the 70s; and a friend of mine carried a Colt Lawman...when asked why he didn't carry a Smith he always said "the cylinder turns the wrong way !"

[@jeffreyelliott622]

I have a late 40's or early 50's s&w regulation police model in 38s&w caliber and I painted the top of the front sight with some white fingernail polish and I can see it quite well during target practice !!!

[@torrey88]

I just picked one up, impossible to find ammo though.

[@Colby-rd3pe]

Mine looks the exact same except it’s a 38 special and in great condition

[@SWAMPHUNTER644]

Have you ever slugged the barrel on the Police Positive. In the first generation of the Police Positive in 38S&W, Colt used 38 Special reamers on the bore figuring that the forcing cone would take care of the .004 difference in size of the bullet. The dimensions taken from the Colt blueprint for this pistol confirms this fact. Soft lead and possibly hollow base bullets allowed this at the time. Current hard cast bullets could cause a problem. I don't know if such tooling carried over to the second-generation issue of the Police Positive. I have a 1926 Police Positive 38S&W and can confirm the dimensions. You could do a service to have the bore of your pistol slugged and report the dimensions. If you reload, current bullets and reloading dies don't consider the anomalies of this 38S&W revolver. I know a 38 Special bullet will fall right thru the cylinder chamber of my pistol. I don't know if I could ever crimp this bullet into a 38S&W case using the dies currently available.

[@alejandrocanojaramillo3761]

Necesitamos este video en español. Gracias.

[@paradiseroad6405]

...Indiana Jone's revolver was a 1917 S&W...

[@jellybryce7742]

Mind if I ask how much ammo you keep around for these type of calibers? Availability of 38 s&w in your area or do you get it all online? I'm thinking of jumping into a "new" old calibers like .25, .32 and 45 colt.

[@jeffreyelliott622]

I buy my .38 s&w caliber ammo online and I do stock up on it since I do love to shoot this caliber at the combat close range of 7 yards or 21 feet and it is really accurate !! You just have to bury that front half moon sight in the rear fixed sight trench is how you get that accuracy and it was plenty powerful for the police force back in the day !!! I have the early 50's model Regulation Police with the 4 in. barrel as well and light weight and easy to carry !!! It's probably my favorite pistol to shoot !!!

[@Shot_Gunner]

@@jeffreyelliott622 that is awesome! Do you still carry that gun? I find a good amount of .38 SW online these days.

[@jeffreyelliott622]

@@Shot_Gunner I currently keep that old S&W revolver on my love seat in the living room in a pistol rug empty of course for I just love to keep it handy along with a Walther P99 Gen 1 9 mm loaded and my S&W Compact .22LR pistol as well loaded and yes I have collected about 800 rds of that .38 s&w caliber for it's really accurate and I'll get a box or two whenever I see it online under $30 a box !!!! It's just something about these old pistols that drawls me to them and I guess they have a form of artwork that just can't be duplicated these days by gun manufacturers !!!

[@humdinger7275]

Great vid

[@martinwall7297]

check out the different berween police pos and police pos special

[@Helm-w1q]

Im both please and sad to see the new intrest in these firearms. Somewhere in the 50ties colt double action revolvers started to get a reputation for being hard to work on, they are not. Now a high tuned target model like the Python , like a high priced sportscar, takes maintenance. But to the common shooter whos going to fire six times as fast as he can and throw the gun at the target.... Didnt work in the oldwest movies either, but it was cool to see when I was ten. Getting back to colt revolvers while they were suffering from that bad reputation I was buying them up dirt cheap and Im kinda sad to see the prices going up. As for the guns?, They will out shoot a Smith and Wesson if you can.

[@jorgereinante8493]

Colt Police PoItive Special, 38 Special CTG. Bottom part of the barrel is marked CAIST vt, left upper side of grip is made to protrude, serial njmber 59-****. Please give me info on what year it was manufactured. Thanks

[@ortosvioladosambientevomitable]

El precio de la Colt ?

[@josephmazzotta8813]

The untouchables had one

[@TylerHulan]

I mean the cartridge was developed in 1877, cut it some slack.

[@martinwall7297]

yass um i have a 32-20 police positive special. shoots as good as any revolver available today

[@mkshffr4936]

Another fine round.

[@stevelewis7263]

Would it be safe to shoot wadcutters from this revolver

[@antoninolatorre8355]

hi, to you az review !!! this is not a colt positive police, it is a colt bankers ... so long 😉

[@joeguzman3558]

Not bad for gix sights

[@adilsonaparecidodossantos2937]

Si precisar d registro p comprar a pessa ele tem tudo certinho

[@adilsonaparecidodossantos2937]

Um amigo meu tem um colti cavalinho 32 e eli estragou o impulsor d tambor alguem ai podi ajudar