Colt 38

The Colt Police Positive was offered in .38 S&W yes, sometimes referred to as ".38 Colt New Police" but is the same cartridge. Being made in 1924 doesn't really narrow it down, both the Police Positive and Police Positive Special were being produced at this time - and would be made simultaneously for many years.

The standard Police Positive frame is not long enough to accommodate a .38 Special, so if it is a .38 it will be a .38 S&W. You can tell the difference in frame size if you look at some pictures online or if you have handled enough eventually you can tell the difference between the two at a glance.
 
It must be 38 colt new police . Colt just didn't want to stamp S&W on their pistols .

{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 the bullet noses flattened, as Colt resisted providing its main competitor with any free advertising.}
 
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#1bcshooter said:
The S&W cartrage does fit this old colt so I'm assuming it is 38 S&W and Colt just didn't want to stamp S&W on there revolvers .
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That's exactly what happened. Colt did not want the Smith and Wesson name on their revolvers, so the .32 S&W Long became the .32 Colt New Police, and the .38 S&W became the .38 Colt New Police.
 
BattleRife said:
That's exactly what happened. Colt did not want the Smith and Wesson name on their revolvers, so the .32 S&W Long became the .32 Colt New Police, and the .38 S&W became the .38 Colt New Police.
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While correct in the assessment of cartridges, I still have almost no idea how this specific fuddlore has come to exist. I have a Colt New Pocket chambered in .32 S&W Long and it is literally marked as such on the barrel: "FOR .32 S&W CTG.". So there it is, the name S&W itself stamped on a Colt revolver before the .32 and .38 "New Police" cartridges even came into existence.

And lets say that sure, it is correct that they didn't wish to market for S&W so surely they would immensely emphasize all of their revolvers being chambered for Colt-designed cartridges? "For Colt's .32/.38 Cartridge"? "Chambered in .32/.38 Colt"? Nope. There is almost no marking indication at all to the chambering of guns in their own cartridges. I have a Pocket Positive example chambered in .32 Long Colt and it is simply marked "Colt D.A. .32", my 1892 Colt in .38 Long Colt is even more diminutively marked "D.A. .38"

Maybe someone else can chime in on this, while I understand where the idea stems from - making perfect business sense - I have yet to see a single shred of evidence to substantiate this claim, and as aforementioned, have even seen proof to disprove it
 
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