Colt Official Police

lazarus · Sep 16, 2018

I picked this puppy up at the Gettysburg show today. Someone reblued it at some point. Marked WNJP on the heel. W____ New Jersey Police I am pretty sure. By the serial number she is 1929 manufacture date. That or she might be a 1926 manufacture Monitor. But I am guessing it’s an OP :lol2:

The guy had it priced low because of the reblue job, even though it was done well. That and the timing is a tiny bit off. The lockup is good and appears accurate, but if you actuate the hammer slowly it’ll hang sometimes.

$250. He took $240 cash and a C&R and I was happy as can be.

I had every intention of not buying any guns at the show and every intention of waiting to get my first revolver for a 686 or GP100. I really wanted something that could eat 38SP and .357, but I just couldn’t pass it up. It looks darned pretty and just makes me think of every cop show I used to watch growing up in the 80s.

lazarus · Sep 16, 2018

Also I am apparently a Colt household now.

TheOriginalMexicanBob · Sep 16, 2018

I saw that revolver yesterday...I bought a Colt Detective Special from the same seller. He had some nice pieces to sell.

The Dick Special is being transferred in by South Carroll Sporting Goods for me. I have to wait to get the official okey-dokey from MSP before I can take possession.

Bob A · Sep 16, 2018

TheOriginalMexicanBob said:
I saw that revolver yesterday...I bought a Colt Detective Special from the same seller. He had some nice pieces to sell.

The Dick Special is being transferred in by South Carroll Sporting Goods for me. I have to wait to get the official okey-dokey from MSP before I can take possession.

Time to part with 30 bucks and get that C&R.

lazarus · Sep 16, 2018

TheOriginalMexicanBob said:
I saw that revolver yesterday...I bought a Colt Detective Special from the same seller. He had some nice pieces to sell.

The Dick Special is being transferred in by South Carroll Sporting Goods for me. I have to wait to get the official okey-dokey from MSP before I can take possession.

Ha! So that was you. He was telling me “aww, we had a Colt Detective Special just yesterday that was really nice, but someone snatched it up”

Oh well. At least it went to a good home :party29:

I really wanted one of those S&W model 10s, but he wouldn’t do one on a C&R. Which I get, really hard to appropriately date one. Not as nice once I tacked on the hassle and transfer fees.

3paul10 · Sep 16, 2018

Good for you! I love old cop marked guns....i would have been all over that deal

Applehd · Sep 16, 2018

I think someone posted in another thread that the Model 10s up to -4 and some up to -5 were of C&R date...

Rack&Roll · Sep 17, 2018

lazarus said:
I picked this puppy up at the Gettysburg show today. Someone reblued it at some point. Marked WNJP on the heel. W____ New Jersey Police I am pretty sure. By the serial number she is 1929 manufacture date. That or she might be a 1926 manufacture Monitor. But I am guessing it’s an OP

I think I have your answer as to what the ”W” means in WNJP. From the history of the NJ State Police:

In early 1922, a Headquarters troop, composed of specialists, four substations, and a training school, was established at Wilburtha, five miles from Trenton, bringing the total authorized strength up to 140. The second State Police class of fifty recruits started training at the new school on April 1, 1922, and on July 1, forty-two men were sent out to fill the vacancies on the road.

Almost certainly your Colt was part of the inventory of the “Wilburtha Headquarters Troop” and would be marked WNJP.

The above is from the history of the NJ State Police. They have history sections by decade, so I looked at the 1920’s.

Here is the full link to the 1920s section:

https://www.njsp.org/about/history/1920s.shtml

Rack&Roll · Sep 17, 2018

At the time your Colt .38 Special was in circulation, the NJ State Police Superintendent was Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf, who later gained fame nationally by leading the “Lindbergh Baby Kidnaping” investigation.

His son, Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., was the commander of the Gulf War and led Operation Desert Storm.

Finally, on March 29, 1921, the State Police Bill was passed into law. Senator Clarence I. Case, who introduced the bill, is known as the “Father of the State Police.”

On July 1, 1921, Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf, a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, was appointed as the first Superintendent of the State Police by Governor Edward I. Edwards.

Schwarzkopf was commissioned to organize the first training class. Competitive examinations were held for the purpose of selecting the type of man desired for this service.

Sixteen hundred men, between the ages of twenty-two and forty, made application for the one hundred and twenty positions allowed by the law.

Out of the total number of applicants, only two hundred and twenty-seven received a passing mark. From this number, one hundred and sixteen men reported to Sea Girt on September 1, 1921. Of this number, eighty-one officers and troopers completed the rigorous three month training program.

Moyaone · Sep 17, 2018

Interesting revolver, and interesting back story. Thanks.

lazarus · Sep 17, 2018

Rack&Roll said:
At the time your Colt .38 Special was in circulation, the NJ State Police Superintendent was Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf, who later gained fame nationally by leading the “Lindbergh Baby Kidnaping” investigation.

His son, Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., was the commander of the Gulf War and led Operation Desert Storm.

Wow, really cool. Thanks for looking that up! Fascinating history.

TheOriginalMexicanBob · Sep 17, 2018

lazarus said:
Ha! So that was you. He was telling me “aww, we had a Colt Detective Special just yesterday that was really nice, but someone snatched it up”

Oh well. At least it went to a good home

What they didn't realize was that Detective Special was one of a fairly small number sent to the military during WWII for issue to Military Intelligence, Army CID or the OSS. The tip-off...it had a square butt and the military acceptance prick punch mark under the barrel. I knew it for what it is.

By the serial number it most likely went to CID or MI rather than to the OSS (which would be really neato torpedo!). It was priced as a standard Detective Special so I feel I got a very good deal.

I will get a Colt Archives letter on it to verify where it was sent...most likely Ft. Myer, VA but if it turns out to be an OSS piece it qualifies as a Unicorn. Not very likely but one can hope.

lazarus · Sep 17, 2018

TheOriginalMexicanBob said:
What they didn't realize was that Detective Special was one of a fairly small number sent to the military during WWII for issue to Military Intelligence, Army CID or the OSS. The tip-off...it had a square butt and the military acceptance prick punch mark under the barrel. I knew it for what it is.

By the serial number it most likely went to CID or MI rather than to the OSS (which would be really neato torpedo!). It was priced as a standard Detective Special so I feel I got a very good deal.

I will get a Colt Archives letter on it to verify where it was sent...most likely Ft. Myer, VA but if it turns out to be an OSS piece it qualifies as a Unicorn. Not very likely but one can hope.

I've got my fingers crossed for you. I think maybe as important as preserving a piece of history is someone owning it who appreciates it. If you've got next of kin or a buddy who would get your stuff some year (decades from now hopefully :-) ) write down notes on everything where they'd find it.

I try to do that. Sure, most of my stuff isn't any more historically important than a footnote of a footnote, but my kids might still appreciate it. Oh, your carbine was probably a GI issue/bring back from Korea that passed on to your uncle who passed it on to you and now I have it? Cool! Stuff like that.

Also the revolver bug may have now bitten me hard. I've shot revolvers a few times before, but just sitting around taking it apart, cleaning it and dry firing it (I assume that is fine) I really want more. I still want a 686/GP100, but I think I might actually want a snub nose too. Just 38sp I think. Not sure I'd ever use it as a carry piece (not while living in this blasted state anyway) and the air weight I shot ended up being damned uncomfortable even with light target loads in it. So something steel framed I think is the way to go for me. Even with just 38sp.

TheOriginalMexicanBob · Sep 17, 2018

You should always use snap caps when dry firing a gun. While the chances of firing pin damage are pretty small (except for the 1873 Single Action type...a good chance of damage there depending on who made it)...snap caps are cheap insurance. It doesn't really matter what make gun...it's simply good form and being careful with a piece of mechanical equipment.

Lots of great snubbies out there. If you want a smaller, more easily concealable piece in .38 Special...you have basically two choices...Colt with a 6-round capacity or everyone else with a 5-round capacity. The Colt is scarcely larger but as good as the older D-frames are, parts are a potential issue today. It all comes down to what you want and find more comfortable...carry-wise and financial-wise.

lazarus · Sep 17, 2018

I mean, if I could fit it as a carry piece and manage the weight, I'd carry this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwu0SBn0--U

See start of video.

Alphabrew · Oct 3, 2018

Dang I’d have bought that as well.

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