Colt SAA Bisley 38 special

[indentured]

Hello. I am new to this forum and I came here to ask if anyone knows how to appraise a gun that apparently wasn't made.

I have a gun that appears to be a Colt Bisley 38 special and from my research either 2 or 0 of them were made depending on if it s a S/W special or not.



The gun was re-barreled and had some other customization done to it.

How can I verify that this is a real Colt Bisley .38 special?

[cubrock]

The only way to know for sure is to get a factory letter. My money would be on it not being the original caliber, though. Given the customization, it is very likely it has a 2nd Generation barrel and cylinder. Looks like someone turned it into a target/bullseye gun, so changing the caliber to .38 Special would have been desirable to that end. It was very popular to customize Colt SAAs and Bisleys in the 50s and 60s in this way. If you could post clear pictures of the markings on the barrel and the rear face of the cylinder, we might be able to tell you for sure if those parts are 2nd Generation.

Looks very nice and I'd be proud to own it for what it is, but it isn't worth anywhere close to what it would be worth if it was all original. If you are looking to move it, please drop me a note.

[e-mail]

[Frank V]

Indentured

Welcome to the forum.

I'm also guessing it has been altered. A lot of them were to suit someone who wanted something different. Elmer Keith had a lot of different guns built for him.

I'd second the factory letter idea. It's probably the only way to know for sure how it left the factory. If you decide to letter it we'd be interested in knowing what Colt says.
Thanks.
Frank

[indentured]

Thank you for your quick responses. I am having trouble taking clear pictures of the barrel close up and the picture of the rear face of the cylinder is blurry.


The other barrel that is not attached to the gun says this on the sides:
left: COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY .38 SPECIAL
right: COLT'S MFG. CO. HARTFORD, CT. U.S.A.
The attached barrel says the same thing but it looks much newer.

I am going to look into getting the gun lettered. Can any of you point me in the right direction and also give me a price range?

Thanks again.

[cubrock]

Does the rear face of the cylinder have a rampant Colt stamped on it?

With those markings, the barrel that is on it is definitely a post-war barrel from the early 1950s. They were produced as replacement parts before Colt started making the 2nd Gen guns.

With regards to the letter, in my opinion it isn't worth doing at this point unless you are planning to keep the gun and want to know. If you are wanting to sell the gun, you probably won't recoup the letter cost, which is $100. Unless you pay extra for expedited service, you can count on the letter taking 3 to 6 months to get to you. Even with the letter, you still have a non-factory altered Colt that is desirable solely for what it is now. The letter won't change that, nor will it having been something extremely rare before the work (assuming it was originally a factory .38). If you want to have it lettered, go here:

www.coltsmfg.com/CustomerServices/ArchiveServices.aspx

The value of this gun is going to depend on finding someone who wants a non-factory custom from the 50s. Being in .38 Special hurts it, as more people would be interested in it if it was a larger bore caliber, like .44 Special or .45 Colt. It is going to be worth whatever someone is willing to pay. I've personally bought 50s custom Bisleys similar to this one for $1000 at Tulsa, where thousands of other people had already seen them and passed on them, so it wasn't just finding the steal of the century before anyone else had seen them. Guns like this don't have a set range to work off, as they do when they are original. You get what you can get for them.

[indentured]

The gun belonged to my grandfather:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Agnew
and I was interested in it's value. I am not really looking to sell it just yet.
Thanks for the help cubrock.

[COR]

I'd not part with that for any amount of money...Unless it was to a family member who appreciated it. The guns I have inherited have a value that cannot be measured in dollars and cents. That one should never leave your family.

These are only my rambling opinions...

Neat gun and great story of your grandfather. Cherish them forever.

[cubrock]

Jun 11, 2012 22:17:56 GMT -5 indentured said:

The gun belonged to my grandfather:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Agnew
and I was interested in it's value. I am not really looking to sell it just yet.
Thanks for the help cubrock.

That is really interesting. I was at the 2/2010 Show of Shows, so I likely saw your grandfather while there. I remember the line to see all those men was LONG, LONG, LONG and lasted all day. Everyone wanted to meet them.

Being a family piece, the amount of money someone else is willing to give is likely nowhere near its worth to you. I echo the sentiments to keep it.