Information Regarding the Colt Detective Special

haon8 · August 30, 2012, 02:32 PM

Hey all, a couple of days ago my dad and I bought a 2nd generation Detective Special on Gunbroker. We currently have a 3rd generation DS, a Colt Agent, and a Colt Cobra, but we wanted to complete the series with a DS with the exposed ejector rod. The one we just got is special, however, as it has a factory nickel finish and factory hammer shroud, the latter of which has been hard to come by for us (on a DS, at least), and we've never seen a shrouded DS in nickel. The price point was pretty hard to beat, too ($800), so we went for it.

I was hoping to get some information, though. First off, the DS we just got doesn't have factory grips. The ones it has are nice and all, but it's always nice to have a factory set for showmanship. My dad is content with the non-factory grips it has, but his birthday is coming up, so I've been thinking about buying a set for him regardless. I came across a few sets on Ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ht_1223wt_1163

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ht_1223wt_1163

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ht_1104wt_1163

The big problem is that I don't know if these grips are factory. The seller informed me that they were made by "Jay Scott," which was apparently owned by Colt and produced grips for them, which is why they have the medallions and could brand "Colt" on the packaging. I like the way that they would accent the nickel finish on the gun, but was hoping to get some input about them from you guys. Are they of good quality? Do they look nice in person, or do they look cheesy? Finally, would collectors consider these grips to be "factory," or are they just another 3rd party pair?

I was also trying to find some production info on the hammer-shrouded Colts. From what we've seen (or haven't seen, as the case may be), they are very rare these days. I was wondering if there's any way to tell how many were produced originally, or if they were all special order. The Agent we have (1st generation) also has a hammer shroud, though they appear to be more common on the Agents.

Thank you!

SatCong · August 30, 2012, 05:33 PM

haon,

Here's a Dick Special with factory grips:

I believe the examples you have provided are NOT Colts grips.

Mike

haon8 · August 30, 2012, 05:35 PM

Oh, I know what the factory grips look like (we have quite a few Colts). I was just wondering what everyone's opinions are on the Jay Scott grips.

Dfariswheel · August 30, 2012, 07:04 PM

The grips you linked to were never installed by the Colt factory.
Those were strictly after-market.
Basically, they're cheap plastic with a wood backer that shows when the grips are assembled.
My opinion: Cheesy. Other opinions may vary.

Colt factory Detective Special grips were either standard checkered American walnut, or they were special order grips made of fancy woods, ivory, or some fancy synthetics, but not Jay Scott.

Only Colt knows how many shrouded guns were assembled at the factory, and they either haven't collected the data, or just won't say.
In any case, no one we know of has any idea how many were built.
The shroud was usually special order, but it seems some were semi-limited production guns.

Then too, a lot of shrouds were bought and installed after-market. There's really no way of knowing short of ordering a Colt Archive letter that would list a shroud as a factory installation.
To further complicate things, if a Colt was sent back to Colt for installation there would be no record of the work being done.

haon8 · August 30, 2012, 07:12 PM

Huh, alright. Thanks for the info Dfaris. How often do the special order grips tend to turn up alone? It would be easy enough to get a pair standard checkered grips, but I'd like something special for this DS.

**4V50 Gary** · August 30, 2012, 07:29 PM

SatCong - nice 3" Det Spec. Nice Liberty, JFK halfs and watch too. Good composition.

Dfariswheel · August 31, 2012, 06:51 PM

Special order grips don't turn up to often, they usually stay with the gun.

If you have to have genuine Colt grips and want fancy, that's going to be a problem finding them.

If you just want some fancy grips with Colt medallions here's some sources. Note that you need to order grips to fit the type of grip frame you have.
Older Colt "D" frames used a full profile grip frame, since 1966 they used a "stubby" grip frame with grips that overlap on the bottom. These grips are not interchangeable:

http://www.gungrip.com/index.php

http://www.eaglegrips.com/
(Medallions installed on request)

SatCong · August 31, 2012, 07:57 PM

Gary,

'preciatecha!

Mike

August 30, 2012, 02:32 PM	#1
haon8 Member Join Date: July 12, 2011 Posts: 30	Information Regarding the Colt Detective Special Hey all, a couple of days ago my dad and I bought a 2nd generation Detective Special on Gunbroker. We currently have a 3rd generation DS, a Colt Agent, and a Colt Cobra, but we wanted to complete the series with a DS with the exposed ejector rod. The one we just got is special, however, as it has a factory nickel finish and factory hammer shroud, the latter of which has been hard to come by for us (on a DS, at least), and we've never seen a shrouded DS in nickel. The price point was pretty hard to beat, too ($800), so we went for it. I was hoping to get some information, though. First off, the DS we just got doesn't have factory grips. The ones it has are nice and all, but it's always nice to have a factory set for showmanship. My dad is content with the non-factory grips it has, but his birthday is coming up, so I've been thinking about buying a set for him regardless. I came across a few sets on Ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ht_1223wt_1163 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ht_1223wt_1163 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ht_1104wt_1163 The big problem is that I don't know if these grips are factory. The seller informed me that they were made by "Jay Scott," which was apparently owned by Colt and produced grips for them, which is why they have the medallions and could brand "Colt" on the packaging. I like the way that they would accent the nickel finish on the gun, but was hoping to get some input about them from you guys. Are they of good quality? Do they look nice in person, or do they look cheesy? Finally, would collectors consider these grips to be "factory," or are they just another 3rd party pair? I was also trying to find some production info on the hammer-shrouded Colts. From what we've seen (or haven't seen, as the case may be), they are very rare these days. I was wondering if there's any way to tell how many were produced originally, or if they were all special order. The Agent we have (1st generation) also has a hammer shroud, though they appear to be more common on the Agents. Thank you!

August 30, 2012, 05:33 PM	#2
SatCong Senior Member Join Date: November 21, 2004 Location: Twangtown Posts: 175	haon, Here's a Dick Special with factory grips: I believe the examples you have provided are NOT Colts grips. Mike Last edited by SatCong; August 31, 2012 at 08:34 PM.

August 30, 2012, 05:35 PM	#3
haon8 Member Join Date: July 12, 2011 Posts: 30	Oh, I know what the factory grips look like (we have quite a few Colts). I was just wondering what everyone's opinions are on the Jay Scott grips. Last edited by haon8; August 30, 2012 at 05:43 PM.

August 30, 2012, 07:04 PM	#4
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	The grips you linked to were never installed by the Colt factory. Those were strictly after-market. Basically, they're cheap plastic with a wood backer that shows when the grips are assembled. My opinion: Cheesy. Other opinions may vary. Colt factory Detective Special grips were either standard checkered American walnut, or they were special order grips made of fancy woods, ivory, or some fancy synthetics, but not Jay Scott. Only Colt knows how many shrouded guns were assembled at the factory, and they either haven't collected the data, or just won't say. In any case, no one we know of has any idea how many were built. The shroud was usually special order, but it seems some were semi-limited production guns. Then too, a lot of shrouds were bought and installed after-market. There's really no way of knowing short of ordering a Colt Archive letter that would list a shroud as a factory installation. To further complicate things, if a Colt was sent back to Colt for installation there would be no record of the work being done. Last edited by Dfariswheel; August 30, 2012 at 07:10 PM.

August 30, 2012, 07:29 PM	#6
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,845	SatCong - nice 3" Det Spec. Nice Liberty, JFK halfs and watch too. Good composition. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

August 30, 2012, 07:12 PM	#5
haon8 Member Join Date: July 12, 2011 Posts: 30	Huh, alright. Thanks for the info Dfaris. How often do the special order grips tend to turn up alone? It would be easy enough to get a pair standard checkered grips, but I'd like something special for this DS.

August 31, 2012, 06:51 PM	#7
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	Special order grips don't turn up to often, they usually stay with the gun. If you have to have genuine Colt grips and want fancy, that's going to be a problem finding them. If you just want some fancy grips with Colt medallions here's some sources. Note that you need to order grips to fit the type of grip frame you have. Older Colt "D" frames used a full profile grip frame, since 1966 they used a "stubby" grip frame with grips that overlap on the bottom. These grips are not interchangeable: http://www.gungrip.com/index.php http://www.eaglegrips.com/ (Medallions installed on request)

August 31, 2012, 07:57 PM	#8
SatCong Senior Member Join Date: November 21, 2004 Location: Twangtown Posts: 175	Gary, 'preciatecha! Mike