Colt Detective Special Clone?

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GunXpatriot

New member
I've taken a liking to the Colt Detective Special. To my aggravation, they are no longer in production.

I keep hearing that the Armscor 206 is a near-clone of the detective special, however, the Armscor is much more clunky. For recoil, that might be fine, but the DS's charm is being an easily concealable classic looking snubbie which of course, also offers 6 rounds...

http://i579.photobucket.com/albums/ss238/Onufriyenko/reviews/Armscor_M200/Armscor_M200008.jpg

That is a comparison, side by side. The Armscor really is fine, for what it is, and what you are paying for, it's great!

But I dunno, it just seems a lot more clunky, and because the frame is... "Lower", it seems like a much bigger gun than it really is... I'm not feeling. Does anyone know of a "better" Detective Special clone that is still in production, or more easily obtainable/cheaper than a Detective Special?
 
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Waspinator

New member
For a new revolver, only thing that comes to mind is that 6-shot version of the Taurus Model 85 they sell . Think it only comes in stainless finish though ( they have blued model 85's, but they are the 5-shot varient).

http://www.taurususa.com/product-details.cfm?id=867&category=Revolver&toggle=&breadcrumbseries=

They used to offer it in blue, model number 856, but it only shows up in the archives now.. So, they must have discontinued the blue model 856.(shame really, I think it looks better in blue.)

http://www.taurususa.com/product-details.cfm?id=615&category=Revolver

Find yourself some wood grips, and it is a close .. sizewise/lookswise... match to the 6-shot detective specials. Here is an ebay listing for some used wood grips that shows them installed on the above taurus 6-shot model 85.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TAURUS-GRIP...435?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ec92b3043

I'm still new to handguns, but I did run across that taurus in my researching and this thread jogged my memory.
 
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Ferretboy

New member
There is a colt detective sitting down here at a local pawn shop for $449.00 comes with a hollster. Its tempted me.
 
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PawPaw

New member
Ferretboy said:
There is a colt detective sitting down here at a local pawn shop for $449.00 comes with a hollster. Its tempted me.
Click to expand...

If it's in sound mechanical condition, and in fair finish, it would be a great shooter. I'd jump on it as well.
 
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gak

New member
The Rossi is very close in an A-B comparison, just beefier ahead of the cylinder. It is a small frame (darn close to the D) 6 shot .357....I'd shoot mostly .38s or +s in it anyway mostly like any .357 snub but it's nice to know you can chamber and fire mags in it when wanted. It's got an old school hammer firing pin and Taurus' lifetime warranty FWIW. I won't argue with those suggesting a good used Detective Special, but if you want new the Rossi's one of the better values out there. Rossi haters abound--some with specific experience to back it but most just repeating rumors--and there are a few reports on failures, but I bet a poll of actual 461/462 users would show the majority pleased. I'd sure get it before the others mentioned here. My .02.
 
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GunXpatriot

New member
Like the Taurus and the Rossi. Both look great, much better as a "clone" than the Armscor. Btw, does anyone have experience with the Armscor... 200 series? I believe the 206 is just a short barreled 200.

People seem to think they're good, fit and finish appears to be mostly terrible and I guess they're not +P rated... I was wondering if anyone here had shot one with a large number of rounds, just to see how a cheap gun like that held up.

At the same time though, you never know... Look what IV8888 did to those Hi-Points LMAO
 
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Aguila Blanca

Staff
GunXpatriot said:
Btw, does anyone have experience with the Armscor... 200 series? I believe the 206 is just a short barreled 200.
Click to expand...
How did you copy the photo from the M1911.ORG M200/M206 review without having read the full article? They reviewed both pistols (yes, I wrote "pistols." A revolver is as much a pistol as a semi-automatic) awhile back.

http://ezine.m1911.org/showthread.php?t=140

I already had an M206, and after the review I picked up an M200 to teach my wife how to shoot. I think they are very solid pistols and, for the price, they can't be beat. The triggers on both Armscors ... out of the box ... are so much better than the two Taurus revolvers I made the mistake of buying that there's simply no comparison.

If I didn't already own one -- I'd buy one. I also own a Detective Special, but it's much too pristine to carry.
 
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GunXpatriot

New member
Well... Aguila Blanca... It's because I'm a jackass. :)

Thanks for that insight, though.

Now, on the subject of taurus. I've always heard Rossi guns are great for the money, eg, getting a lot of value for what you pay... But all Rossi guns are manufactured by Taurus, correct? So if those Taurus's were not a good buy, one could say that a Revolver would be an equally bad choice... Couldn't it?

Also, to anyone who is familiar with it, would I be better off "R46102" (.357 Magnum)

or would I be better off with one of the .38 Special +P's?

I guess it would add a little weight, correct? I would think it would shoot equally well, and I guess, to have .357 capability is great, but out of a revolver like that.. Would I ever want to fire full power .357 Magnum? Seems like it would be painful...

Even still I like the grip on the 46102... Guess I'd just go with that, if it were the case. Still don't know what the FC means, though, on the 46102FC.
 
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Aguila Blanca

Staff
Rossi was not always owned by Taurus. IIRC, Rossi was an Argentinean brand, and Taurus was (and is) Brazilian. The old Rossis were pretty decent guns, but my understanding (which has possibly been incorrect in the past, although I can't remember that far back) is that currently Taurus manufactures the handguns, and Rossi manufactures the long guns (regardless of the rollmarks).

My experience with two Taurus revolvers was dismal. My own fault entirely-- I ignored advice from people who are trustworthy and who tried to warn me, but I was seduced by a slightly lower price.

Believe me -- it WASN'T worth it.
 
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GunXpatriot

New member
Aguila... What exactly was the problem with the Taurus revolvers? Could it really have been THAT bad? That must have really sucked...

Timing, etc can be fixed without much trouble to my knowledge, so that leaves...

I mean, the entire gun couldn't have fell apart... Could it?
 
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Aguila Blanca

Staff
Two revolvers. One was a 4" .22LR (Model 94?). DA trigger pull was something like 20 pounds, SA was about 14. I installed a Wolff spring kit and spent a bunch of time stoning the moving parts. That brought the DA trigger down to 13 pounds and the SA to 8. Both Armscors were better than that (and had less creep) out of the box.

The other Taurus was a
model 327 snubby. Same frame as the .22. Trigger was just about equally horrible, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Cock the gun manually, and everything looked good. Pull the trigger in DA ant the bolt stayed down inside the frame, leaving the cylinder to free-wheel. This, as they say, is '
not a good thing."

I worked on it every night for about two weeks, and gave up in frustration. I turned it over to the gunsmith at the range where I shoot, and HE worked on it off and on for two weeks ... and then HE gave up. Then I worked on it some more, and I think I have it fixed -- but I'm nervous enough about it that I still haven't shot it. I'd sell it, but I won't sell it unless I feel it's safe ... which I don't. The problem is that the bolt looks like it was cut from a piece of welding slag using an acetylene torch, and the window in the frame that the bolt rides in must have been cut with a dull chisel. The bolt took a lot of filing -- stoning wouldn't touch it. The frame window was about impossible, because there's a fixed pin in the frame right beneath the center of it, so I couldn't get even a jewelers file in the slot to work on it.

I was warned, and I ignored the warnings to my detriment. There's a reason why "Friends don't let friends buy Taurus."
 
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GunXpatriot

New member
Aguila Blanca... That's the most horrible thing I've ever heard. :eek:

I've heard of RG .22 revolvers performing better than that... Yeah, no, I don't think I'll ever go near a taurus. And to be honest, I've heard many people say Taurus is garbage, wondering why. I guess, now I know.

20lb DA and 14lb SA? I don't even... How is that even possible? I've shot some cheapy guns, and let me tell you, that sounds awful. Nagant revolvers don't pull that hard, and at least they have an excuse!

Well if there's one thing I can say, damn good advice on Taurus... The Armscor sounds a lot better now. Now if what you say is correct, and Rossi revolvers are made by Taurus... I think I may just pass on that.

I mean... How can they even make a gun THAT BAD? Like I said, the RG "saturday night special" type revolvers seem to do better than that... It's a damn shame, I don't even... *sigh*
 
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CajunBass

New member
Let's see...A six-shot snub more availabe than a Colt.

I could never warn up to a J-frame snub for some reason. I kept looking and looking and tried various carry guns until I found this one.



Smith & Wesson Model 12-2. Six shots, aluminum frame. Light as a feather. The K-frame is a little bigger than a DS, but not much. Since I got this one, it's been my only carry gun. I don't shoot it a lot, not because I worry about wearing it out, but because I don't get to the range often for personal reasons these days.

Alas, also out of production, and probably no less expensive or more available than a DS, but another option.
 
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Waspinator

New member
Just remembered another one that I came across.

For a inexpensive option, you can look into the Charter Arms "Police Undercover" .38+p 6-shot revolver. Not sure about the size compared to the Colts. Apparently it is based on the .44 special "BullDog" frame that a lot of people really like, not the regular 5-shot .38 Undercover frames.

http://www.charterfirearms.com/products/Charter_Undercover_73840.asp

Here was a review I found on it.

http://www.handgunsmag.com/2010/09/24/featured_handguns_hg_chartercover_200810/

Looks really interesting, especially at the $300-$350 range they seam to go for.
Example: http://www.kygunco.com/charter-arms-police-undercover-revolver-38-special-p-2-6-shot-stainless-27387
 
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Dave T

New member
No offense to those looking for a lower cost option but comparing any of the suggested revolvers to the Detective Special by Colt is like saying a Hugo is the clone of a Toyota or Nissan compact. Really??

Dave
 
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