Colt Model 1889

[cote_b]

Just wondering if a Colt model 1889 revolver meets the requirements to be classfied as antique, provided it was manufactured before 1898? Its a double action revolver chambered in 38 long colt, 38 short colt or 41 long colt.

Thanks

 

[41 Colt]

I've never heard of them chambered in 38 short colt. The ones in 38 long colt are NOT antique, the 41 colt ones ARE. You can rechamber them to .38spl too and retain antique status.

 

[cote_b]

I've never heard of them chambered in 38 short colt. The ones in 38 long colt are NOT antique, the 41 colt ones ARE. You can rechamber them to .38spl too and retain antique status.

I just went by the wikipedia article on these revolvers, so it wouldnt surprise me if they were wrong on that 38 short part. How much would it cost to have one rechambered to 38 spl ( roughly). I guess it would depend on the gunsmith who does it. Hypothetically, once this revolver was rechambered to 38 special, would it be a sure thing that the RCMP would deregister is and give me an antique letter for it? or are they hit or miss on that?

 

[tactical870]

Hypothetically, once this revolver was rechambered to 38 special, would it be a sure thing that the RCMP would deregister is and give me an antique letter for it? or are they hit or miss on that?

That is hit or miss as 38 LC and 38 SPL are reasonably close. The shop that rechambered my 1889 was told by CFC that they could not do it again and flat out refused to do the work for me on a second 1889.

 

[cote_b]

Great, so even if I bought one and had it rechambered, theres no guarantee that the RCMP would give me an antique letter, even though it would perfectly fit the requirements of an antique? I kind of figured they would be reluctant to deregister handguns if they can help it.

 

[41 Colt]

I bought a registered one back in the summer already with a .38spl barrel and got it deregistered in early November. It took a month or two, but I did get my letter.

I think Ellwood Epps has Official Police barrels in .38spl for these guns. I thought I bought the last one but they may have more.

870, that's weird that they refused to even do the work, they really don't want to be liable do they? BTW, IMO they were lying about the CFC, I think they are covering their asses. Just my opinion.

 

[tactical870]

I bought a registered one back in the summer already with a .38spl barrel and got it deregistered in early November. It took a month or two, but I did get my letter.

I think Ellwood Epps has Official Police barrels in .38spl for these guns. I thought I bought the last one but they may have more.

870, that's weird that they refused to even do the work, they really don't want to be liable do they? BTW, IMO they were lying about the CFC, I think they are covering their asses. Just my opinion.

I figured something along those lines. I'll be really happy when my local 'smith upgrades his business license for restricted and prohibited.

 

[cote_b]

Thanks for all your info guys. Forgive my ignorance, but in order to have this revolver re-done in 38 spl, what would need to be done? Is it the barrel or cylinder that would need to be relaced/altered to use .38 special? Would getting one of those barrels from epps do the trick, or would more gunsmithing need to be done?

Thanks guys

 

[tactical870]

Thanks for all your info guys. Forgive my ignorance, but in order to have this revolver re-done in 38 spl, what would need to be done? Is it the barrel or cylinder that would need to be relaced/altered to use .38 special? Would getting one of those barrels from epps do the trick, or would more gunsmithing need to be done?

Thanks guys

Both should be replaced. Both the bore and cylinder dimensions are different and the 38 lc cylinder lacks a forcing cone. The cylinder can be sleeved down as 38 cylinders are hard to find. I believe starpuss has come across the odd 1892 cylinder in 38 SPL but they are rare and you'd have extra cylinder stop notches if you used one on the 1889. I understand it is possible to upgrade the 1889 to the 1892 style with a conventional cylinder stop but it's a ton of work.

 

[41 Colt]

Just the barrel will do it as in my experience, but I found one of those rare .38spl cylinders and it shoots a lot better, plus it's off a VP marked gun (circa 1906, proofed for smokeless IIRC).

 

[cote_b]

Thanks again for your info! So at the end of the day, this would be a very costly and time consuming process to have an 1889 altered to .38 spl to get antique status?

 

[cote_b]

Just the barrel will do it as in my experience, but I found one of those rare .38spl cylinders and it shoots a lot better, plus it's off a VP marked gun (circa 1906, proofed for smokeless IIRC).

So just swapping out the brarrel was enough to be able to have the revolver function and shoot properly ( and safely)? I guess getting the new cylinder would be ideal however.

 

[41 Colt]

I'm not sure what the total cost would be. The barrel at Epps was only $130. Not sure what a 'smith would charge to fit it.

Mine shot okay with the stock cylinder, lots of leading though. I would have just left it, but I got lucky when I bought a late model 1892 for just the parts and got the proper cylinder.

One thing though is these guns can get out of time easily. I had to do work on mine to get it to index to where I was completely comfortable shooting it.

 

[cote_b]

Alright, thanks for the info. I might just suck it up and buy a modern restricted revolver and deal with getting an ATT and only using it at a range.

 

[41 Colt]

Don't, antiques are cool.

 

[cote_b]

Don't, antiques are cool.

I know they are, and I really, really want one too. The issue is cost and limited options/availablity. Ideally I want a revolver ( SA or DA) in a cartridge thats somewhat available and ideally not too expensive ( gun or ammo). A Colt SAA in .38spl would be ideal, but the cost is insane.

 

[41 Colt]

Even a Colt DA Army Navy in .38spl is around $2000 if you can find one. Buying a registered one in .38 Colt or one .41 Colt would be cheaper, then modify it.

 

[tactical870]

A Colt SAA in .38spl would be ideal, but the cost is insane.

They're cheaper now than they have been in years. Chances are you could buy an antique SAA in 38 for a little over $3000 right now. There is nothing cheap about owning antiques and good shooters will always hold their value.

 

[41 Colt]

They're cheaper now than they have been in years. Chances are you could buy an antique SAA in 38 for a little over $3000 right now. There is nothing cheap about owning antiques and good shooters will always hold their value.

None of the ones I've seen in the EE are that cheap when .38spl, well into the $4000 range. Only the .41 cal ones have been $3000 in my experience.

 

[swampdog]

None of the ones I've seen in the EE are that cheap when .38spl, well into the $4000 range. Only the .41 cal ones have been $3000 in my experience.

I'm new to antiques and may be missing something here. But those sound like crazy prices, driven up by the restrictive Canadian market. One might end up with an unregistered "antique" shooter, but what is the true collector value? Modifications likely destroy much of the intrinsic value of the pistol. And what happens to the resale value of the gun if and when the CFC adds .38 special to the non-antique list? You might have a $200 gun.

Why not just buy something that qualifies as an antique without modifications in another caliber such as .455 or .44? Brass and bullets are readily available in those calibers.