I just acquired a circa 1975 Diamondback in 38 Special with 4' barrel. This is my first Colt revolver, but I have had several Colt semi-autos over the years. It's in really nice condition with just one small spot of almost rust despite having been indifferently stored by its second owner. I shot about a 100 148 grain wadcutters today and was happy with the results after a slight adjustment in the sights. I have always thought I preferred semis, but with this, revolvers now outnumber autos in my collection.I do have one small problem: the stocks seem a bit loose and the gun rocks slightly.
- Diamondback Firearms Serial Number Guide
- Colt Diamondback Serial Number Range
- Colt Diamondback Serial Number Range By Year
I did pull them off and nothing seems obviously wrong except that they aren't quite tight on the frame. Any ideas?IMG/IMG. The simple fix for loose grips is to apply a heavy coat of Johnson's Paste Wax, or even shoe polish wax (NO car wax) to the entire lower frame. Don't wipe it off.Mix up some 5 minute epoxy and quickly pack some in the holes in the grips that fit over the frame pin.Mount the grips, shift them until they align with the frame and the edges of the grips match up, then snug the screw down.Let cure for 30 minutes then remove the grips and clean off the wax.Allow to fully cure for 24 hours and you have a permanent repair.
If your grips are the early type that have metal ferrules to fit the frame pin, instead of putting epoxy in the holes, put the epoxy at the top of the grips on the rounded area that fits the circular cut out area of the frame.This does the same thing, it just works better on the early style grip.DON'T lose the grips. Genuine Colt factory Target grips START around $150 these days and go UP from there.If you want good shooting grips, the Pachmayr rubber 'Gripper' is a great one for the Diamondback.If you want wood, the Hogue Mono-Grip in fancy woods is a favorite for Colt owners.
If your grips are the early type that have metal ferrules to fit the frame pin, instead of putting epoxy in the holes, put the epoxy at the top of the grips on the rounded area that fits the circular cut out area of the frame.This does the same thing, it just works better on the early style grip.DON'T lose the grips. Genuine Colt factory Target grips START around $150 these days and go UP from there.If you want good shooting grips, the Pachmayr rubber 'Gripper' is a great one for the Diamondback.If you want wood, the Hogue Mono-Grip in fancy woods is a favorite for Colt owners.These must be the early grips and it does seem to be at the top where they slip. I certainly will hold onto the originals, but the Hogues do look really nice. Colts always seemed a step or two behind s and w in the fit and finish department. This may have been one of their first attempts at the suddenly fashionable oversize grips.I have a Diamondback with a 4' barrel, and a Colt Cobra. Without a doubt, these revolvers are some of the highest quality firearms ever made.
Chuck Hawks said of the Cobra: The Colt Cobra is the Rolls Royce of lightweight snubby revolvers. Examples in good condition now sell for several times what they once cost new. This is partly due to collector interest, and partly because it simply makes good sense to own the very best if you are going to stake your life on it in an emergency. Check out Chuck's site at:I had sent both of these revolvers back to Colt to bring them back to their original specs; along with trigger jobs on both, and refinishing.
I had the Diamondback done in 'Royal Blue' which was not it's original finish which was standard Colt blue. But, I love this revolver and had always admired the Royal Blue finish found on their Python. They couldn't do a complete refinish on the Cobra, as they no longer have the tooling to take the steel barrel out of the alloy frame (they did refinish the cylinder). The trigger job they did, shows me that their employees still have a very good skill set. I hope that some day Colt gets back into the revolver production business. Bought mine in 1969, a police supply dealer in Oklahoma City. It probably has somewhere around 500 rounds fired in its life.
I've had some trigger work done on my Colt Trooper and the result is tempting me to do the same thing to the D'back.Thinking back on it, the only reason I bought the Colt was they didn't have any 4' S&W's in stock at the time. The Colt cost me an additional $15 over what the Smith would have. About 3 years later, desiring a smaller side arm for concealment, I bought a Smith 19 snub and still have it as well. Even still have few rounds of Super Vel. Those two were the best handgun buys of my life.
But, dumbness didn't abandon me totally, In both cases, I don't know what I did with the stock grips. Actually it does. I own three Glocks and carry one every day. I just wanted the DB for its value and target shooting. Living on the U.S./Mexico Border revolvers are a poor choice here for a primary CCW nowadays. I have revolvers that I carry as a backup but only if the Glock runs dry.FWIW, I wasn't saying it was wrong to own a glock. What I was saying is that I don't really think a Glock holds the same dollar value as the Colt and I think you got a very good deal, dollar value wise.
He could've sold that Colt for more than the price of a Glock, got some extra mags and ammo and a holster. But instead, he opted to just trade you. That was my point.
Glocks are great guns. But I scratch my head when I hear stories like this.But if he thought it was worth it, that's all that matters.
Diamondback Firearms Serial Number Guide
Holster wear, buggered screw, pitting on cylinder, and grips would make me pass. It is no longer 'collectible'. It is now just a revolver and you could buy a much better (stronger) revolver for what this worth. If you have to have it offer the price of a new glock $600-ish. Pythons in this condition just a couple years back were selling for $800-$1000. At $600 i don't think you could lose money (so long as it works and nothing ever breaks).not many colt revolver smiths around anymore, if it has any issues it will be expensive to repair. The fist thing it cries with that refinish is CHECK EVERYTHING!Now it may have been a former cop gun that was 'shot little, carried a lot' and refinished or it could have been slam wore-out.If I had it in hand (I know what to look for) and it checked-out OK other than it's 'cosmetically challenged' exterior I'd go $375-$425 and not a penny more for a shooter.A Colt Custom Shop refinish will cost $500+.
Colt Diamondback Serial Number Range
Stocks will run another $150+ unless you go with knock-offs so there is really not much 'meat on the bone' left of potential profit unless you are a youngin' and hold on to it for 30 years. Originally Posted By RTX:I didn't have any idea they're that valuable. I've got one that my wife uses for a nightstand gun and she really likes it a lot. However, with that kind of value, I think I need to pick up one of the Llama clones, sell the Colt, pocket the difference, and hope she doesn't notice.Other than at gun shows I've never seen one with a asking price that much, they usually hover at around 1K and move slow at that price in the shops. The last one I saw sat for three months at $1100 and finally sold for $975.00 and that was at a high volume/traffic shop.Okay, that sounds more like it. I think your earlier post here wins the thread - check everything, then make an offer.Honestly, they are such good shooters that I wouldn't really care what it looks like if it's sound and I could buy it cheap.
I'd offer 300 bucks and be willing to give a little more. Clean it up, put a cheap Hogue grip on it, then enjoy it for years. Originally Posted By 1srelluc:Other than at gun shows I've never seen one with a asking price that much, they usually hover at around 1K and move slow at that price in the shops. The last one I saw sat for three months at $1100 and finally sold for $975.00 and that was at a high volume/traffic shop.Not sure what shows you're attending, but in TN a $1100 Diamondback wouldn't last a day. This of course requires the gun to be in good condition & not like the one in this thread.Some of you guys must've once worked for the same cheap assed dealers I have. Those $400-450 offers are laughable, IMO.The $1400.00 - $1600.00 prices being bandied about is laughable in a shop.
Colt Diamondback Serial Number Range By Year
All bets are off at a gun show particularly around tax refund time. Sure, I've seen asking prices that high and higher for NIB offerings but you see the same gun for years. A 'almost a Python' is just that.Here's a good example from completed auctions for a DB that has been dinked with a bit.Lots of the more 'challenged' condition but with original finish examples sold for around the same price.Given the cluster-fuck cosmetic/altered condition of the one in the OP my high end of $425.00 is more than reasonable.
That's kind of shitty lighting, but that looks to be 'Coltguard' which is a satin electroless nickle finish.It looks like it has some rust on that cylinder which is going to be under the finish and you will never stop it short of stripping it.Diamondback is a 'D' frame, so the same action as a detective special, cobra, viper, agent etc.If it was not rusted it would be a $1100 —$1750 gun. In its current condition half of that lower number is going to be the top end of its value, and I personally wouldn't put that in it, because that finish is going to flake. Originally Posted By RTX:I didn't have any idea they're that valuable.
I've got one that my wife uses for a nightstand gun and she really likes it a lot. However, with that kind of value, I think I need to pick up one of the Llama clones, sell the Colt, pocket the difference, and hope she doesn't notice.Other than at gun shows I've never seen one with a asking price that much, they usually hover at around 1K and move slow at that price in the shops. The last one I saw sat for three months at $1100 and finally sold for $975.00 and that was at a high volume/traffic shop.It seems only the.22 lr diamondbacks actually get that much if otherwise excellent.