| Colt Police Positive | |
|---|---|
 Blued Colt Police Positive revolver; six inch barrel | |
| Type | Revolver |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Colt's Manufacturing Company |
| Produced | 1907–1947 |
| Variants | SeeVariants |
| Specifications | |
| Barrel length |
|
| Cartridge |
|
| Action | double-action revolver |
| Feed system | six round cylinder |
| Sights | Fixed iron; half-moon blade front, V-notch rear |
TheColt Police Positive is a small-frame,double-actionrevolver featuring a six-roundcylinder,chambered for either .32 or .38caliber. A .22 caliber model was also offered. Designed primarily for sale tofederal,state, or locallaw enforcement agencies, the Police Positive was introduced into thefirearms market byColt's Manufacturing Company in 1905.[1][2][3]
The Colt Police Positive was an improvement of Colt's earlier "New Police" revolver, upgraded with aninternal hammer block safety. Colt named this new security device the "Positive Lock", and itsnomenclature ended up being incorporated as a partial namesake for the new revolver.[2]The cylinder of the Police Positive rotated in the clockwise direction, the opposite of firearms makerSmith & Wesson's competing models. Ever a canny competitor in the firearms industry, Colt missed no opportunity to score points over its arch rival, and began a marketing campaign which accentuated this detail. In its advertising Colt proclaimed that "All Colt cylinders TURN TO THE RIGHT", and suggested that the Colt design forced the cylinder crane up against the frame, resulting in tighter lockup with less play and better chamber tobarrel alignment, thus markedly increasingaccuracy.[2]The Police Positive was very successful; along with theColt Official Police it dominated the law enforcement firearms market in the early 1900s.[4] The Positive was itself incrementally modified in 1908, forming the basis for Colt'sPolice Positive Special model.[2]
John Schrank used a Police Positive in hisattempted assassination of former presidentTheodore Roosevelt, who was campaigning on a third-party ticket.
In the book "Casino Royale",James Bond keeps a .38-caliber Police Positive with a sawn off barrel under his pillow.
A nickel Police Positive with pearl grips and .32 calibre was used byCharles Bronson as Paul Kersey inDeath Wish. American gangsterAl Capone also used a Police Positive, a nickel .38 Police Positive with walnut grips and a 4-inch barrel, manufactured in 1929; in June 2011 a private collector sold it atChristie's for the sum of £67,250/$109,080/€75,656.[5]
The Police Positive was made ofcarbon steel, and was finished with either apolishedblued finish ornickel-plated.[2]
The First issue of the Police Positive ran from the revolver's introduction in 1907 until 1927. Sporting Colt's standard hard rubbergrips, it was offered with barrel lengths of 2.5 (available only in .32 caliber), 4, 5, and 6 inches, and was chambered for the.32 Long Colt (it would also accept the .32 Short Colt), .32 Colt New Police, and .38 Colt New Police cartridges.[1][2][3][6]CheckeredWalnut grips became standard after 1923.
The Second issue began in 1928 and ran until 1947, adding a somewhat heavier frame as well as aserrated topstrap to reduce sightglare, while retaining the wooden grips.[6] Both of Colt's “New Police” rounds were actually slight redesigns of existing S&W cartridges, the.32 S&W Long and.38 S&W with thebullet noses flattened, as Colt resisted providing its maincompetitor with any free advertising.[2]
Colt's Positive Lock safety, theinnovation responsible for the gun's introduction, functioned by preventing thefiring pin from striking theprimer of the cartridge unless thetrigger was deliberately pulled. Intended to address deficiencies of earlier models such as theSingle Action Army, the Positive Lock prevented anaccidental discharge even if thehammer was struck or the pistol was dropped, allowing the revolver to be safely carried with all six chambers loaded.[7] The revolver'ssights consisted of a half-moon blade front with afixed ironopen rear sight, which was a simple V-notch shaped groovemilled into the revolver's topstrap.[2]
Colt Police Positive revolvers marked withColt D.A..32 on the barrel are chambered for .32 Long Colt. Revolvers marked with.32 Colt New Police on the barrel are chambered for .32 Smith & Wesson Long.
Weighing 22 ounces and available with a blued finish and black hard rubber grips in.22 Long Rifle,.22 WRF, .32 Long (and Short) Colt, and .32 Colt New Police (.32 S&W Long) chamberings, the First issue of this model featured anadjustable open iron sighted 6 inch barrel and was marketed from 1910 to 1925, with checked Walnut grips replacing the rubber ones after 1923. A Second issue was sold from 1926 to 1941 and differed from the First in that it had a slightly heftier frame which upped the weight to 26 ounces; also Colt's nickel finish was offered as an option.[6] In today'scollectable market, the .32 New Police version appears to be the most sought after and valuable.[2]
TheColt Police Positive Special was an iterative improvement of Colt's earlier Police Positive model, the only differences being a slightly lengthened cylinder and elongated and strengthenedframe to allow the chambering of the longer, more powerful.32-20 Winchester and.38 Special cartridges.
This is the Police Positive with a 2-inch barrel chambered in .22 Long Rifle or .38 Colt New Police (.38 S&W). Produced from 1926 to 1940.
TheColt Detective Special and its variants are shortened, somewhat streamlined variants of the Police Positive Special, introduced in 1927.
Hong Kong: Former standard issue sidearm (1920s? - 1960s?) ofHong Kong Police Force, supplemented by the .38 S&W.38 Webley Mk III Revolver in the 1930s and gradually replaced by the .38 SpecialSmith & Wesson Model 10.