Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #1
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    Question 1940's .38 Colt Commado - What do I have?

    Hi guys,

    I need help in identifying a revolver handed down to me from my grandfather and I thought I'd run it through you guys. I've done some homework, but still don't know what I have here.

    That said, here's what I do know:

    1) It's a Colt Commando .38 Special revolver.
    2) On the butt of the handle is engraved with my grandfather's full name and the following "From Dept. 71 Nov. 1 1943". ( I smudged out the full name in the picture )
    3) The revolver has a chrome (or nickle plated) finish.

    My grandfather passed away months before I was born. From family stories, i do know he was a Philadelphia Police Officer beginning in the 40's. He had served in several different departments over his career. From what I've been told, this revolver was given to him from his department as a going away gift. I've done some research and it seems that black (or blued) .38 specials were standard issue for cops in the 40's.

    So I guess my question is this:
    1) Does anyone know if Colt ever manufactured a .38 special with this finish from the factory? To me, it doesn't seem like a great idea (shiny cop guns get noticed by crooks pretty quick). It looks like this revolver was dipped in chrome or something after the fact. I've look around to find other .38 specials that had this finish, but haven't really found many.
    2) Is there a certain way I should store to prolong the finish? The finish itself seems to have held up over the 70+ years, however there has been some pitting more recently. It was given to me wrapped in tinfoil, which was also wrapped in a brown paper bag. Since i've had it, I've put @ 100 rnds through it, cleaned it and put it in a sealed ammo can with desiccant packs to suck out the moisture.

    Any background or thoughts is greatly appreciated. I've attached pics for reference.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." ~ Theodore Roosevelt

  2. #2
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    Default Re: 1940's .38 Colt Commado - What do I have?

    Quote Originally Posted by LineWalker View Post
    2) Is there a certain way I should store to prolong the finish? The finish itself seems to have held up over the 70+ years, however there has been some pitting more recently. It was given to me wrapped in tinfoil, which was also wrapped in a brown paper bag. Since i've had it, I've put @ 100 rnds through it, cleaned it and put it in a sealed ammo can with desiccant packs to suck out the moisture.
    Nice gun, I would use Renaissance Wax on it for protection and as a bonus it minimizes fingerprints.

    http://www.amazon.com/Renaissance-Wa...enaissance+Wax
    Tact is just not saying true stuff. I'll pass.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: 1940's .38 Colt Commado - What do I have?

    The Commando was a wartime variant of the Colt Official Police and was made with a Parkerized finish so the nickel finish isn't likely to be original. According to the Blue Book, they were produced from 1942-1945.

    Google is your friend, there is probably a Colt collector forum out there.
    Last edited by Grey Bearded One; March 20th, 2014 at 07:14 AM.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: 1940's .38 Colt Commado - What do I have?

    Whoever Department 71 was, they probably had it plated and inscribed as a gift to your grandpa maybe upon retirement or transfer or something but it almost certainly didn't come from the factory that way. Still, it's an awesome piece of family history. Wipe it down with a silicone rag and maybe invest in a Bore Store for long term preservation. That should keep it safe for future generations of the family to enjoy.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: 1940's .38 Colt Commado - What do I have?

    I have friend who served under PPD(retired as Sargent) from something like 1965 to mid 1990's.(He was there back in 1985, when the PPD dropped a mixture of civilian and military explosives on a "home-made" wooden bunker, built on the roof of the Osage Avenue house occupied by members of the MOVE organization. The bomb then ignited the several barrels of gasoline, starting a fire which destroyed the entire block, leaving 250 people homeless, and killing eleven people)

    When I see him next time, I'll ask if he knows anything about "Department 71"
    They currently goes by the District - from 1st District to 39th District.
    They may have been "Department" at some point in their existence...
    Last edited by Mity2; March 20th, 2014 at 12:41 PM.
    Audemus jura nostra defendere

  6. #6
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    Default Re: 1940's .38 Colt Commado - What do I have?

    Quote Originally Posted by carwash View Post
    Nice gun, I would use Renaissance Wax on it for protection and as a bonus it minimizes fingerprints.

    http://www.amazon.com/Renaissance-Wa...enaissance+Wax
    Thanks Carwash, Good info. If it keeps the paw prints off, I'll check it out.

    Quote Originally Posted by Grey Bearded One View Post
    The Commando was a wartime variant of the Colt Official Police and was made with a Parkerized finish so the nickel finish isn't likely to be original. According to the Blue Book, they were produced from 1942-1945.

    Google is your friend, there is probably a Colt collector forum out there.
    Thanks Grey, I will cross reference those forums too. I had a feeling the shiny look wasn't oem.

    Quote Originally Posted by thebearpack View Post
    Whoever Department 71 was, they probably had it plated and inscribed as a gift to your grandpa maybe upon retirement or transfer or something but it almost certainly didn't come from the factory that way. Still, it's an awesome piece of family history. Wipe it down with a silicone rag and maybe invest in a Bore Store for long term preservation. That should keep it safe for future generations of the family to enjoy.
    TBP - That's exactly what myself and other members of my family thought too. Too nice fore a service piece at that time, but possibly a "going away" aka "trophy piece" from his dept. I can only imagine back then, the dept would have had to go to locate a gunsmith with the knowledge to proper "trophy-ise?" the piece. Today probably isn't a big deal, but perhaps back in the 40's it was a bit more difficult.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mity2 View Post
    When I see him next time, I'll ask if he knows anything about "Department 71"
    They currently goes by the District - from 1st District to 39th District.
    They may have been "Department" at some point in their existence...
    Thanks Mity2 - Let me know if your friend does have any more insight into the old-style Philly nomenclature. I guess I have watched too many Police Academy movies, but "district" and "precinct" always come to mind when I think about PPD categorizations.
    Last edited by LineWalker; March 20th, 2014 at 09:40 PM. Reason: incorrect spelling of "precenct". I'm a bad person...horrible.
    "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." ~ Theodore Roosevelt

  7. #7
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    Default Re: 1940's .38 Colt Commado - What do I have?

    nice heirloom you have there, Sir.

  8. #8
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    Default Re: 1940's .38 Colt Commado - What do I have?

    Quote Originally Posted by Thomas Paine View Post
    nice heirloom you have there, Sir.
    Thank you Thomas, much appreciated. I have always had a respect for history and it's neat this piece has a story and surfaced so many years later. It's honestly an awesome time-capsule and a treasure that my family will hopefully enjoy for many years to come
    "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." ~ Theodore Roosevelt

  9. #9
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    Default Re: 1940's .38 Colt Commado - What do I have?

    are there any ordnance dept marks on it?
    this was colt's war time offering in counter to s&w's "victory" version of the m&p 38. s&w however, made far and away more pistols than colt.
    most of the colts stayed stateside and were "issued" to security guards and the like at plants.
    it's only metal, we can out think it....

  10. #10
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    Default Re: 1940's .38 Colt Commado - What do I have?

    [QUOTE=brian;2682712]are there any ordnance dept marks on it?
    this was colt's war time offering in counter to s&w's "victory" version of the m&p 38. s&w however, made far and away more pistols than colt.
    most of the colts stayed stateside and were "issued" to security guards and the like at plants.[/QUOTE

    I don't think so, but I'm not sure so I'll have to check. Where should I look for those marks on the colt? Heh heh, I love this history stuff
    "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." ~ Theodore Roosevelt

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