[SaxonPig]

It's been 10 years since Colt filed for bankruptcy and essentially got out of the gun making business as a serious effort. All of the DA revolvers were dropped from production as they counted on military contracts for the M16 to keep them in business. They basically said to Hell with the commercial market.

Well, surprise... surprise. The U.S. government contracted with the Belgians to supply Army rifles and the three most popular Colt designs- the AR15, the 1911 and the SAA just happen to be the most copied and cloned guns in history badly undercutting Colt's sales. During the 1970s through the present the management at Colt has been lacking in innovation and intelligence to say the least. The unions screwed the company with work stoppages and were responsible for horrible quality during the 1970s and 1980s further eroding customer confidence.

Now, all that's left from Colt are variations of the AR15; the 1911 in several forms; and the hideously overpriced SAA (soon to be jacked ANOTHER $300 in price). Want a 22 caliber handgun? Tough. Want a DA revolver? Too bad. Long gone are the days when Colt produced a full line of revolvers and auto pistols. Look at what Pythons and Diamondbacks are bringing these days and tell me why Colt can't make a revolver and sell it for a profit.

You can gripe all you want about S&W prices; "the lock"; and "the agreement" as well as the lack of new guns being "pinned and recessed" but at least THEY ARE STILL MAKING GUNS. Those of us old enough to recall those great days when new Colts could be found for sale in shops lament the passing of this great American institution.

So here is my salute to days gone by... my Colts.

A pair of D'backs in 22 and 38 backed by a Python.

A pair of Pythons in 4" and 6" barrel lengths.

A 357 Trooper.

An Official Police featuring "arts and crafts" customized stocks.

A Metropolitan 38 (my only Mk III Colt).

A 22 Officers Model Target from 1930- 1st year for the 22 caliber in this model.

A 38 OMT from about 1950.

A New Service originally in 455 Ely sold in Colt's London Office in 1917 to some Brit officer going to fight in the trenches (they had to buy their own sidearms). Now in nickel and reamed to 45 Colt.

A Police Positive Special in 38 Special from around 1973 or so.

Another 4" 357 Trooper.

An Officers Model Target in 22 caliber.

A 4" nickel Python joins the first two seen earlier.

I won't post my Colts that are still in production, like the 1911s. This is a tribute to those Colts no longer available. I would like to buy a new Colt DA revolver, but that's just wishful thinking.

 

[flat top]

Beautiful guns!!! A buddy of mine (who has since passed away) was a real Colt man, and had purchased a brand new Python when they first came out, and invited me to help him break it in. Out of the box, it was the sweetest shooting revolver I have ever fired...a far cry from anything I have fired before or since! Only the good die young!!!!

 

[Leighton]

SP, The one I always thought was the sharpest looking was the DB with the 2.5"bbl in .38spl and .22lr. Yes they will be missed, and at todays prices I'll never be able to afford one!

Leighton

 

[Guest]

Some beautiful revolvers. Course they are in the past, as are the Smith and Wessons.

 

[c pierce]

Some beautiful revolvers. Course they are in the past, as are the Smith and Wessons.

Greg in my mind the past is alive and well. Those older guns hold a special place in my heart, no modern gun can fill that void. They bring back memories of my grand father my dad and all the ones I loved who are gone now. So as you can see we all put value on objects for different reasons.

 

[DHENRY]

SP,
That's a real nice heap-o-Colts! kfjdrfirii
Nice job (unfortunately) on the 'ode'.
I've always found it surreal that Colt's inventiveness and groundbreaking products were p****d away in a storm of stupid market analysis and slavish pursuit of government contracts.
Neither (obviously) paid off.
Some neat and valuable totems of a better time long gone.
;mcp9 ;mcp9
Don

 

[Guest]

Some beautiful revolvers. Course they are in the past, as are the Smith and Wessons.

Greg in my mind the past is alive and well. Those older guns hold a special place in my heart, no modern gun can fill that void. They bring back memories of my grand father my dad and all the ones I loved who are gone now. So as you can see we all put value on objects for different reasons.

Hey pierce. How ya been?

I totally agree with your sentiments. I just don't see anything new that perks my interest from any current manufacturer for myself. There is some stuff I would carry and shoot, but not love.

Somtimes i wish my dad were still alive so i could talk to him about it. What he thought of the past verse the future. How he carried the memories of his family. Unfotunately, he passed away when I was in my ealry 30's. Parkinsons and old age pretty much made him a different man for the last 5 years of his life.

Crap. Getting sentimental now dammit. But i would give just about anything to have him back for 1 day to actually have an adult conversation with him.

 

[xtimberman]

When I think about vintage Colt DA revolvers, my mind always conjures up Charles Askins, Jr. For most of his life, he preferred Colt DAs over the S&Ws - and he wasn't shy about giving you all of the details as to why they were superior to his way of thinking.

In the 1930s, he was only a junior officer in the USBP, but he was the top shooter on their pistol team - which put him in a position to have some influence on the USBPs choice of service sidearm. Colt won every contract during these years and up into the 1940s when he left the BP to active duty in the US Army.

During WWII, he did not carry the standard issue 1911, but instead chose to carry his own custom Colt "Fitz" in .38 Special. It was loaded up with his preferred 200gr. RNs which served him well for self defense and alley justice.

His preference for Colt's DAs did not wane until S&W introduced the M-19 - which he promptly adopted as his preferred sidearm.

xtm

 

[DHENRY]

XT,
You hear that (about the M-19) a lot.
IMHO, the smaller frame of the M-19 and its .357 magnum capability helped to show Colt fans that not all S&W magnums were big and heavy.
Interestingly, the M-586 was designed to 'clone' the Python.
Even the cylinder-length is identical.
Whatever the many reasons, by the 1960's, Colt's business decisions sure weren't as good as their guns! :x
Don

 

[c pierce]

What colt failed to realize in their business decisions, was that our government did not have their best interest at heart.

 

[azmick]

What colt failed to realize in their business decisions, was that our government did not have their best interest at heart.

Not sure just why, but that's kind of funny {you have to laugh just so you won't cry?}

 

[bmcgilvray]

Good post and good thoughs. Love seeing your revolvers Saxon Pig. Especially love the fully checkered target grips.

I like Smith & Wessons of "traditional" manufacture best of all and have more of them than anything else but I do really enjoy owning, shooting, and thinking about the classic Colts as well. It is remarkable how thoroughly and completely an old line firearms manufacturer can "shoot itself in the foot", utterly squandering the measure of capital it possessed in market recognition of its name and frittering away some of its most famous models.

I admire the design of the action that soldiered on through Colt's glory days of the 20th century but was curtailed in favor of the Mark III design. Even the later designs of Colt DA revolvers would be appreciated at this point.

Realistically I could scarce afford to buy many of my favorite Colt models if they were to restart manufacturing them and to the same degree of finish and workmanship of bygone days.

My very favorite Colt revolver model is the gargantuan New Service in all its stately and elegant glory.

This is a heretical statement to make but many pistoleros of this generation would be better served with a Colt Official Police than the Glock that is so popular.

Here's the trash and treasures of the Colt wing of the menagerie here. I ought to make a more artfully arranged and photographed depiction. This was a stop gap personal reference photo.

 

[Frank V]

Colt has discontinued some really great revolvers. Who would buy a Detecive Special,Python, New Service, or plain Trooper if they were offered again? Frank

 

[bmcgilvray]

(Raises hand) I would...I would!

As funds permitted of course.

The Detective Special has to be the single most useful model that Colt could bring back. With the concealed carry market being what it has been in recent years it would seem that a Detective Special and variants could "pay the bills" for Colt.

I'd personally enjoy New Service revolvers again and would even like to see the Official Police. I love handy fixed sight revolvers.

I'd be more likely to purchase a resurrected Officer's Model than I would the Python.

It's a shame that I don't have to worry about gathering funds for such purchases for there apparently not ever going to be new Colt revolvers.

 

[Frank V]

(Raises hand) I would...I would!

As funds permitted of course.

The Detective Special has to be the single most useful model that Colt could bring back.

Oh boy especially if they offered that nice hammer shroud like they used to. One more shot & not a great deal larger either. Oh well it's fun to dream!!!!!! Frank

 

[parson45]

It is truly sad that the company that perfected the revolver no longer makes them.

 

[jspick]

Well it is my opinion that Colt and Winchester both went under because they relied MORE on there NAME to sell guns than on keeping up with the times.
The high priced collectors guns are geneally speaking the Winchester and Colts. Smiths are just starting to bring some good prices relatively speaking.

What do you see in western movies? Overwhelmingly it is Colts and Winchesters. Thier lack of innovation to keep the current market place interested in thier products was gone.

Neither Colt or Winchester had anything new to offer. For an example Remington has had 4 or 5 variations of an O/U shotgun in the last 10 years. In my opinion all lacking but they were trying. Along with thier import guns, very cheaply made but they were trying. Colt an dwinchester didn't try.

John

 

[onenut58]

You have some realy nice colts SaxonPig.

 

[County Mountie]

I picked up an older 4" Trooper .357 yesterday in a trade. It was a buy both or nothing and I really wanted the 6" pre 17 S&W so I bought both. I was thinking of selling the Trooper to get some of my money back but now I'm having second thoughts.

 

[Keith44Spl]

SP,

WOW nice gaggle of Colts you got there, clapper

Su Amigo,
Dave