Colt Police Positive Restoration

[rseymorejr]

I inherited a Colt Police Positive Special from my Father. He bought this used before I was born and never shot it very much. Mechanically it is very tight and sound. As far back as I can remember the finish was probably about 50%. If that was the only problem I wouldn't even be posting about it I'd just keep it and the memories a is. But, sometime in the late 70's my father had a friend that dabbled in woodworking and offered to make a set of grips for it. Sounds Great! Right?

Wrong. After having the gun for what seemed like forever my father got it back. With original grips and screws lost, the worst looking pair of garbage grips I've ever seen and the frame of the gun scratched and gouged from a file used to shape the new "grips". My dilema now is that even thought I'd have preferred to leave the gun as it was when my father had it, every time I look at it my heart sinks. So I'm at the point where I'd like to repair this mess.

What are my best options? I'm not opposed to having it reblued if I could get rid of the scratches and gouges but not sure I'd be able to repair the metal enough??
Any suggestions?

 

[joppaj]

I have nothing useful to add, but I'm sorry the gun got so badly damaged. I hope you can get it cleaned up and repaired.

 

[Conductor]

Contact Doug Turnbull (turnbullrestoration.com). Send them some clear, detailed photos and see if you can get a quote. They may need for you to send them your gun. Turnbull does absolutely fantastic restorations, not your ordinary re-blue job. But he's not cheep. I guy I used to work with sent him a well-used and somewhat abused 1911, and got back a gun that looked like it just came off the assembly line. I think that the work cost $2K or so, but well worth it.

 

[Magnumite]

Two ways to approach this.

Smooth out the areas damaged by the work done with matching texture and cold blue.

Good professional refinish.

First is less expensive and could be done by you if you went slow and careful. Second is probably in the $300 -$600 range but for a good job well worth it.

Either method would decrease collector value and desirability. This is probably not an issue since it is an heirloom.

Since you will be keeping it and wanting to preserve it like it was pre-grip making, I would opt for first option. Judging by the finish wear you may be able to spot rust blue some of that and get a good finsh blend. Rust blue is much more durable…like hot blue. The real key will be matching the metal texture.

 

[TheOriginalMexicanBob]

Sentimental value aside...Police Positive Specials are not rare and don't carry much value in the market. That's not to say they're not good revolvers...they certainly are. You need to balance the cost of a refinish or full restoration against the market value and sentimental value. In pure dollars...this orange isn't worth the squeeze. But being your dad's gun it certainly could be.

A proper restoration will be expensive...finding an excellent replacement would be much cheaper. A good alternative might be having it refinished in Cerakote or a hard chrome.

Quality replacement stocks will be pretty easy to source...whether original Colt, reproduction or aftermarket. A lot depends on when it was made. The grip frame changed in the mid-'60s from a lot frame to a short frame and the stocks changed as well even though they look identical.

I have a Police Positive Special made in the late '40s...I bought it very cheap back in the '80s. It had no finish and no grips but was mechanically tight. I had it re-blued and added new grips. It may not be as nice as a completely original gun but it's one of my favorite shooters...not much value but fun to shoot. I restrict it to target wadcutters and it likes them.

 

[Fushigi Ojisan]

Correct grips are out there but pricey

Sent from my SM-T733 using Tapatalk

 

[rseymorejr]

Ok I bit the bullet and sent it off for a professional job. I paid more than it's worth but I can't really put a price on the sentimental value so here we are. Looks pretty good for starting her second century! Next step-figuring out what I want to do with those grips!

Before

After

 

[wpage]

Well done!

There is no cost factor on things that matter.

 

[Magnumite]

Ok I bit the bullet and sent it off for a professional job. I paid more than it's worth but I can't really put a price on the sentimental value so here we are. Looks pretty good for starting her second century! Next step-figuring out what I want to do with those grips! View attachment 387925
Before
View attachment 387926
After

Really nice. As far as the grips go…find some that make you more proficient with it. Keep the originals.

 

[teratos]

Ok I bit the bullet and sent it off for a professional job. I paid more than it's worth but I can't really put a price on the sentimental value so here we are. Looks pretty good for starting her second century! Next step-figuring out what I want to do with those grips! View attachment 387925
Before
View attachment 387926
After

Looks good!!

 

[Trigger Time]

Nice piece!! I'd be proud to own it . If you don't mind, it would be nice to know who did the work?

Altamont makes some nice grips. Currently out of stock but it may be worth calling them, they are nice people to work with.

https://www.altamontco.com/pistol-grips/colt/new-service/

 

[28Shooter]

Very nice! Just dump the grips and get a nice set of reproduction grips or maybe a set of Herrett's.

 

[wreckdiver]

Outstanding

 

[inkd]

Where did you have the bluing done?

 

[rseymorejr]

Ford's Custom Guns in Florida did the work. They were fantastic to deal with and they exceeded my expectations. They told me to expect 6 months and I got it back in 4. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

Ford's Custom Gun Refinishing | Crystal River, FL

Ford's Custom Plating offers custom gun refinishing services, including Chrome, Nickel, Hot Blue, 24K Gold Plating, and Laser Engraving of your firearm.

www.fordsguns.com

 

[rseymorejr]

Nice piece!! I'd be proud to own it . If you don't mind, it would be nice to know who did the work?

Altamont makes some nice grips. Currently out of stock but it may be worth calling them, they are nice people to work with.

https://www.altamontco.com/pistol-grips/colt/new-service/

I'll give them a try, thanks

 

[SWO Daddy]

Nice piece!! I'd be proud to own it . If you don't mind, it would be nice to know who did the work?

Altamont makes some nice grips. Currently out of stock but it may be worth calling them, they are nice people to work with.

https://www.altamontco.com/pistol-grips/colt/new-service/

Just put a set of Altamounts on a Ruger Bearcat I picked up. There was a 4 week lead time but they shipped them in 2. Communication was good and the grips are great.