[needsmostuff]

Official Police that is. If your not looking at them you may be missing a great ride.
For me they are kind of a guilty pleasure and I'm not sure why. Not sexy "snake "guns in fact nothing really remarkable about them other than being the quintessential utility gun. Like S&Ws model 10 but maybe a little bigger and stronger. Now before ya'll roast me for that be aware that Colt sanctioned it to use the "Heavy Duty " 38 round . S&W was compelled to resort to a N frame for that loading. Slightly larger than a K frame (much like an L frame)it was referred to as the 41 frame by Colt.
After a very short learning curve they are maybe easier to dis and reassemble than a S&W . That said problem solving is more complicated and does require a bit of vodoo to get them right.
But when right they are blessed with a wonderful trigger and super lockup.
For some reason they remain crazily under valued much like the model 10 was 10 years ago,,, which makes me bring more home. Most were beat cop guns so few are pristine .But it seems the rougher on the outside the smoother on the inside.
When you include the Army Special that morphed into the Official Police in 1927 they had a long run with just some minor changes.

A 1950 O.P.

A 1940 O.P.

A couple of 5" O.P.s from the early 30's

And a 5" 32-20 Army Special from the mid 20's

Anybody else have a thing for them.

 

[WendyZXZ]

Never have owned one but I do like nice Colts, those fit!

 

[msharley]

Official Police.

Official Police that is. If your not looking at them you may be missing a great ride.
For me they are kind of a guilty pleasure and I'm not sure why. Not sexy "snake "guns in fact nothing really remarkable about them other than being the quintessential utility gun. Like S&Ws model 10 but maybe a little bigger and stronger. Now before ya'll roast me for that be aware that Colt sanctioned it to use the "Heavy Duty " 38 round . S&W was compelled to resort to a N frame for that loading. Slightly larger than a K frame (much like an L frame)it was referred to as the 41 frame by Colt.
After a very short learning curve they are maybe easier to dis and reassemble than a S&W . That said problem solving is more complicated and does require a bit of vodoo to get them right.
But when right they are blessed with a wonderful trigger and super lockup.
For some reason they remain crazily under valued much like the model 10 was 10 years ago,,, which makes me bring more home. Most were beat cop guns so few are pristine .But it seems the rougher on the outside the smoother on the inside.
When you include the Army Special that morphed into the Official Police in 1927 they had a long run with just some minor changes.

A 1950 O.P.

A 1940 O.P.

A couple of 5" O.P.s from the early 30's

And a 5" 32-20 Army Special from the mid 20's

Anybody else have a thing for them.

Hey Need,

Happen to have one in .22 caliber.

Think it may be the only one in the world, like this...

Enjoy!

Later, Mark

 

[jeepnut]

OP 1947
OP 1936 with MOP grips

 

[LimaCharlie]

A 6" Colt Official Police from 1955.

 

[bearcat6]

I like the older Colts, here is an OP of mine


Here's one in .22

 

[Injunbro]

I had one once; a good, solid gun but it never really brought any happy smiles to my face. A guy @ a gun show had a Detective Special he wasn't in love w/ & we worked a deal. We both smiled later.

 

[CajunBass]

I'm a big fan of the Official Police. I've owned a couple/three of them, all 4" ones, including the often maligned MK III Models, which I also liked. Never saw anything wrong with them. I wish I'd hung onto one of them anyway, but I think they all went away during my "personal economic downturn."

One of the ones I had dated to 1939, and was stamped "Department Treasury/Secret Service." Obviously a SS uniformed officers gun. I got it at Ali-Babba's one evening and thought it was neat, but the stamping really didn't mean anything to me. I shot it a few times, posted pictures of it around, including the Colt Forum. I got a PM from a member in Georgia who wanted to buy it. He collected department marked Colts and didn't have one from the SS. At the time I told him I didn't want to sell it, but six months or so later, I noticed it in the safe and thought to myself "That's just another gun to you, and you know someone who would really appreciate it." I contacted the fellow again, asked if he was still interested. He was. We both had C&R licenses, so a deal was struck, and I shipped the gun off to him. Last I heard he still had it.

Another OP story. When I was much younger, I took a part time job with Burns Security. They asked if I had ever fired a gun. I had hunted most of my life and had shot plenty of shotguns...(note...He did NOT ask if I'd ever fired a handgun.) I said "yes." That was good enough. I was issued a Sam Brown belt, with a Jordan Border Patrol style holster, and a Colt Official Police with fake mother of pearl grips. Looked very much like the one above. Oh, and six rounds of RNL ammo, and a little booklet called "You and your revolver." Then I was told, "Don't shoot yourself or anyone else if you don't have to." And I sent forth to keep the world safe.

Obviously, I never used that gun. Never fired it actually. I had no place to shoot, and if there were ranges around, I didn't know anything about them. That was my first experience with a handgun.

 

[ussmanlovede36]

I've owned several Colt OP's over the years but I always ended up trading or selling them off. I prefer S&W DA's.

 

[Brassmonkey]

I have a nice heavy barrel OP that was a Boeing Aircraft Corp gun. Good shooter. A been there but well cared for piece.
They are underr rated.

 

[bearcat6]

I've owned several Colt OP's over the years but I always ended up trading or selling them off. I prefer S&W DA's.

You are allowed to have both.