Dear Jim,
I have had the pleasure of reading your blog and archives on a regular basis and have purchased and enjoyed both the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course and your latest book.
My questions relate to the availability, safety and durability of the Colt Model 1892 double action (DA) .41, which you recently recommended. I have contacted some of the dealers and auction sites you mention on your web site, but have not yet found one for sale that is in acceptable condition. If you know of someone that would be willing to sell one or two, I would be very grateful for the lead. What would be a fair price? Also, if you have any suggestions for someone who can tune up and accurize old Colts and S&Ws, that would be greatly appreciated.
I’m a bit concerned about the cylinder latch on this model. As I understand it, with wear of the latch over time, the cylinder will often go out of timing, leading to malfunctions and a potentially hazardous situation. Unfortunately, it seems the revised model 1894 and 1896 are even harder to track down with serial numbers that identify them as pre-1899 production specimens.
Here are my specific questions:
1.) Sources for Colt 1892 DA .41 revolvers
2.) Prices for 1892 DA .41revolvers
3.) Gunsmith for old Colts and S&Ws
4.) Safety/Durability of cylinder latch on Colt 1892
5.) Any other suggestions/options for pre-1899 revolvers: 1894, 1896, etc?
Thanks in advance for your advice. Kind Regards, – C.M.
JWR Replies: I’ve personally never had any cylinder latch problems with Colt Model 1892s double actions. In my experience, the most typical problem with these guns are weak “hand” springs. Thankfully, that is a very easy fix.
These revolvers can indeed still be found, with some searching. Try GunsAmerica.com, GunBroker.com and Joe Salter.
Currently, $600 to $750 is the going rate for military contract Colt DA .41s in good mechanical condition, but at those prices they frequently have heavily-worn bluing. Civilian production guns command substantially higher prices thane the more numerous military contract revolvers.
If you find one with “tune up” needs or other gunsmithing issues, then I recommend Sal Lanara. (If his name sounds familiar, that is because is a brother of the famed Colt Single Action gunsmith David Lanara.) Sal specializes in the Colt Double Actions. In addition to tune-ups, Sal Lanara can also do re-bluing, shorten barrels, and even do complete restorations, but those can be expensive.
He does not have a web site. Here is his contact information:
Sal Lanara
8150 Richard Road
Broadview Heights, Ohio 44147
Phone : (440) 526-7265
My suggestions on some other practical and affordable pre-1899s:
- S&W “Lemon Squeezer” (Safety Hammerless) .38 double actions.
- Iver & Johnson .38 double actions.
- S&W .44-40 and .44 Russian double actions.
- Webley Mark I and Mark II revolvers. Many of these have been converted to .45 ACP–for use with full moon clips by milling the back of their cylinders. This ruins their collector value, but they are still very practical, and extremely fast to reload. However, they will “shoot loose”, given a diet of full power .45 ACP loads. So use custom mild handloads. (If you don’t handload personally, then specify smokeless loads that crawl out the barrel at around 725 feet per second.)
There are a few other models available, but those are the ones that you are most likely to encounter at gun shows, or offered for sale via the Internet in the US. See my Pre-1899 Cartridge Guns FAQ for details on determining if any particular gun is of pre-1899 manufacture. (My FAQ lists “cut-off” serial numbers and for the Iver Johnson revolvers, some key identifying features.)