Looking for some old Colt DA edumaction please

[awp101]

I'll state this up front, I'm Colt stupid. I can work my way through the various S&W Hand Ejectors and the model number series up to the end of the P&R era reasonably well but I only know 2 things for sure about Colts: I don't like the cylinder release and they work backwards from a S&W.

Now having said that, I find myself at a bit of a crossroads. After picking up a .44 HE and a .455 HE project I've got a bit of a bug for another N Frame .45 project (preferably .45 Colt) but I am finding slim and none that I'm willing to buy either due to price or because they are too nice to fiddle with.

It occurred to me I might be leaving something on the table if I don't look at the old big Colts but I know jack squat about them and don't know what model(s) to look for. For the right project at the right price, I can learn to like live with the cylinder release. IIRC Colt's equivalent of the S&W 1917 was the New Service (New Army?). What was the comparable model to the S&W N Frame Hand Ejector?

I know we've hashed out the differences between S&W and Colt in regards to durability in a previous thread or two and generally speaking the Smith has the sturdier reputation, at least when discussing the later civilian production (Python, etc). Does this seem to hold true for the military models as well?

I realize "feel" is very subjective but do the old Colts feel like the old Smiths? If you were to pick either up while blindfolded would it be immediately obvious which one you had (without touching the cylinder release) or are they pretty similar?

Those are the questions that come to mind at the moment but right now I'll take any and all the learnin' I can get.

Thanks!

[ezekiel38]

Yes you can tell the difference between an N frame Smith and a New Service Colt. The Colt grip to me is longer and thinner with more reach for the trigger finger to the trigger. The hammers are different and a Colt with a checkered hammer beats a Smith all day. The hammer on the Colt cocks different due to the type of mainspring. The Colt is a double, the Smith is a single.

The cylinders roll different also, more than just opposite direction, the Colt locks just as the hammer begins to fall, the Smith a little sooner. Finally the New Service Colt frame is huge compared to an N frame Smith. Colts are hard to find in good shape, parts are even harder, a Smithee to work on a Colt is like Hens teeth. Grips are rare and expensive. Enjoy the hunt!

[awp101]

Thanks! The urge has passed but I always enjoy learning something new that I might be able to use either in the future for myself or to help someone else.

[weagle99]

Colt v-spring guns aren't fragile, but the hand does absorb recoil due to the design and is a serviceable part. Colts achieve their bank vault lockup by the 2 stage hand pressing the cylinder against the bolt and achieving perfect alignment of the chamber with the bore.

It is often said that Colts 'go out if time easily.' One could argue that a Smith is always out of time since at the moment of ignition the cylinder isn't locked in place nor exactly aligned with the bore in the same manner as a Colt.

To see the difference, cock a Smith and hold the hammer back with the trigger pulled and test cylinder movement with your other hand. Now do the same thing with a Colt...

[awp101]

Sept 26, 2014 19:37:59 GMT -5 weagle99 said:

It is often said that Colts 'go out if time easily.'

That's one reason I was asking. I hear it about postwar Colt's but not the military DA revolvers.

[weagle99]

There is no difference in the V-spring action design pre and post war.

And none of them 'go out of time easily.'

[jayhawker]

I purchased a US issue New Service in .45ACP very reasonably as a shooter because the crane was loose when the hammer was at rest. It is solid as a rock when the trigger is squeezed and shoots great.

[mohillbilly]

My New Service 1909 Colt is as good shooting as is ever was . made to get the job done , a mans gun .

[Thumper]

I really like my 1909 New Service .44-40. I was more of an S&W guy, but always felt the large frame Colts were worth a try. Found this one for a great price and haven't regretted it. No N-frame I've ever touched has had an action as smooth as this one.

[awp101]

Nov 30, 2014 10:30:09 GMT -5 Thumper said:

I really like my 1909 New Service .44-40. I was more of an S&W guy, but always felt the large frame Colts were worth a try. Found this one for a great price and haven't regretted it. No N-frame I've ever touched has had an action as smooth as this one.

Tempting. Mighty tempting...