Colt Anaconda

     Notes:  This is Colt’s largest double-action revolver, chambered for .44 Magnum.  Introduced in 1990, the Anaconda uses Colt’s largest frame (at the time), and also used the ventilated sighting rib and the same style of barrel shroud and ejector shroud of the King Cobra.  First introduced only in .44 Magnum/.44 Special, a .45 Long Colt chambering was added in 1993.  (In addition, the .44 Magnum/.44 Special version is also capable of firing the .44 Smith & Wesson Russian round).  They are typically made from stainless steel, though a very few were made from blued carbon steel.  The typical finish is matte stainless.  Adjustable sights were introduced as a factory option in 1995; drilling and tapping for a scope mount was added as a standard feature in 1998; from 1997-99, porting was also a factory option.  The grips are of contoured wrap-around rubber.  A limited-edition version, the Anaconda Realtree, was sold for a short time in 1996; this model was built only in .44 Magnum/.44 Special with a 6 or 8-inch barrel, and was completely finished in the Realtree camouflage pattern.  Most .45 Long Colt models were built with 4-inch barrels, but limited numbers of the 6” and 8” barrel versions were chambered for the .45 Long Colt cartridge.

     The Kodiak was introduced in 1993.  It was marketed as a separate model, but is essentially a stainless steel Anaconda with an unfluted cylinder and standard Mag-Na-Porting.  For game purposes, it is identical to a ported Anaconda.

     Production of the Anaconda ended in 1999, but began again in 2001, minus the .45 Long Colt chambering.  These new-production models have adjustable sights with a white outline for the rear sight and a red ramp front sight; a target hammer, drilling and tapping, and a bright stainless steel finish.  Inside the shroud, the barrel is ribbed and ventilated to aid in cooling.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: These are rare weapons in the Twilight War world.  None have factory porting or factory drilling and tapping.

Colt Army Special M-1908

     Notes: This was the US Army’s version of the Colt New Navy M-1895.  The differences include the important fact that the weapon was designed to take the (then new) .38 Special smokeless powder round.  The locking system was also simplified.  Another version (identical for game purposes) is the Officer’s Target Model; this version differs primarily in having an adjustable rear sight.  US Army models were restricted to .38 Special, but versions in .41 Long Colt and .32-20 Winchester Centerfire were also built, primarily for the police. The Army Special served until nearly 1930, when most of them were turned over to various police agencies in the US. 

Colt Detective Special

     Notes:  This is simply a shorter version of the Police Positive (below).  It was designed specifically for plain-clothed police detectives, and looks very similar to the 1928 “Banker’s Special.”  The Detective Special has every possible edge rounded off.  Production of this weapon stopped in 1986, but by then, over 1.5 million had been made and sold worldwide.

     The SF-VI is basically a version of the Detective Special in a matte finish, but also has a transfer-bar safety and a wrap-around rubber grip.  It comes in 2-inch and 4-inch barrel versions, as well as an SF-VI Special Lady version with a chrome finish and a spurless bobbed hammer and a 2-inch barrel.  The Special Lady version is identical to the SF-VI 2-inch barrel version for game purposes.

     In 1997, Colt introduced a new version of the Detective Special.  At first, this was called the Detective Special II (or simply the DS-II), but in early 1998, the name was changed to the Magnum Carry, the name by which it is most commonly known today.  The DS-II/Magnum Carry was offered only in .38 Special, but this was quickly changed to .357 Magnum/.38 Special early in 1998 (hence the change in name to Magnum Carry).  It was available only with a 2-inch barrel, only in stainless steel, and used wrap-around rubber combat-type grips.  Production ceased in 2000, but the Magnum Carry is still regarded by many firearms experts as one of the best self-defense revolvers ever made.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The SF-VI and the DS-II/Magnum Carry do not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Colt Diamondback

     Notes: A scaled-down version of the Python, lightened for service use but more popular in target shooting.  The Diamondback was supposed to be a light police service weapon, but the normal caliber makes this idea unlikely.  It sold mostly to civilians.  A rare variant of the Diamondback is chambered for .38 Special, but these versions are quite rare indeed.  Finishes are blue or nickel-plated, with grips of checkered walnut. The Diamondback was produced from 1966-86.

Colt King Cobra

     Notes:  This was designed in the mid-1980s to be a budget magnum revolver to succeed the Trooper series.  For marketing purposes, the King Cobra was styled to look like the Python, but is in fact a very different revolver.  The King Cobra is built largely of cast steel parts given either a polished blue finish or a polished or matte stainless steel coating.  (Blueing was, however, dropped in the early 1990s.)  Overall, the King Cobra is designed to require far less work in fabrication, machining, and fitting of its parts; however, it also means that that the precision fitting present on the Python (particularly the mechanism that gives the Python its smooth trigger and hammer pull) are absent on the King Cobra.  In essence, workmanship was traded for a reduced (real-world) cost.  The King Cobra was meant to compete directly with the Ruger GP-100 and the Smith & Wesson L-Frame revolvers.  As they were not sold until 1986, and production continues, they are quite common revolvers in the US, and to a lesser extent, the rest of the world.  Production of the King Cobra stopped after 1999.

     The King Cobra uses a heavy barrel, almost as heavy as a bull barrel.  Though for a while after introduction the King Cobra was offered in four barrel lengths, the 2.5-inch and 8-inch barrels were eventually dropped, as the 4 and 6-inch barrels were by far the most popular.  The 8-inch factory-ported barrel survived for an even shorter time, from 1997-99.  Atop the barrel is a solid sighting rib, and below it is a full-length ejector rod housing.  The front sight is a wide ramp with a florescent-orange insert, while the fixed rear sight is outlined in white.  The grips are simple black wrap-around neoprene, but do have an ergonomic shape.  The trigger mechanism incorporates a transfer-bar safety (common on today’s revolvers).  Recoil pull is not as smooth as that of the Python, but adequate for most shooters.  As the King Cobra is not as heavy as a Python, recoil is noticeably heavier, but not unmanageable, and accuracy is decent.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Factory porting will not be found on the King Cobra in the Twilight 2000 timeline; however, production of all barrel lengths continued until nearly the end of 1999 at several remote locations (along with many other Colt products), including a few government facilities.

Colt Lawman

     Notes:  The Colt Trooper was well-regarded among the law enforcement community; however, most officers felt that the Trooper was too darned big for everyday use, especially by detectives.  Colt therefore came out with the Lawman, a medium-frame revolver.  It is a sturdy, reliable weapon with a short hammer throw, crisp trigger pull, and lighter weight and smaller size. 

Colt New Service M-1917

     Notes: Upon its entry into World War I, the United States discovered that it did not have enough M1911 Colt Automatic Pistols to issue out to all the troops who needed one.  Therefore, the War Department asked Colt to modify the many calibers of the New Service revolver (first issued in 1898) to .45 ACP.  This weapon was still being issued as late as 1944.  3-round half moon clips loaded the 1917 New Service (It can be loaded without the clips, but then you have to unload the spent cartridges one at a time), and later full-moon 6-round clips were also issued.  If the 1917 New Service is loaded this way, loading and unloading take twice as long).  Later, some of these revolvers were fitted with a stepped portion on the loading side of the cylinder to eliminate the need for the clips; these versions were not the preferred ones of US troops, since they made the revolvers ejector mechanism useless.  Eventually, designers came up with the .45 Auto Rim cartridge (essentially a .45 ACP in rimmed form). 

     The size and weight of the M-1917 can be a two-edged sword – it lowers the recoil and barrel climb, but also presents a problem of balance and grip to those with smaller hands.  The trigger pull is quite smooth and even, but the length that the trigger finger much stretch to reach that trigger for the first double-action shot can be too long for an accurate shot it you have a short finger.  The simple sights are also a bit undersized.

     The Royal Canadian Mounted Police also issued a version of the Colt New Service to their police forces, to replace a plethora of older British-made revolvers.  These version of the Colt New Service were particularly issued to RCMP operating in Northwest Mounted Police division, and these had a 5.5-inch barrel chambered for .455 Webley Revolver Mk I ammunition.  The ammunition does make it quite a bit less powerful than the standard New Service, though the extra barrel length mitigated this somewhat.

     After World War 2, the New Service continued production, and was sold primarily to civilians.  Barrel lengths included 2 inches, 3 inches, 4.4 inches, 5 inches, 5.5 inches, and 7.5 inches.  A plethora of new chamberings was added.  These revolvers did not see wide production or distribution.  In addition, in 1900, the production of a Shooting Master version began, with adjustable rear sights and pinned front sights and heavy barrels of 6 or 7.5 inches.  They had walnut grips with Colt medallions in them, checkered front and backstraps, and a lightened trigger pull weight.  The butts originally were widenened at the bottom, but these were later changed to rounded butts with widened butts being merely an option.  These versions were made in small numbers until the beginning of World War II.

     Production of the M-1917 stopped in 1944, after over 356,000 had been built.  Typical M-1917 New Services found today are well worn with wooden grips; however, they are also considered by many to be nearly-priceless collector’s items.  After-war civilian models are worth somewhat less.

Colt Official Police

     Notes: This is little more than a modification of the Colt Army Special, produced starting in 1926, for the simple reason that US law enforcement of the time was a better customer of revolvers than the US military.  The rear sight has been removed and replaced by a simple groove on the top strap, and the front sight has been replaced by a round blade-type sight.  The barrels range from 2-6 inches; the 5-inch barrel was the most common, and was also given to Britain under the Lend-Lease program during World War 2.

Colt Peacekeeper

     Notes: Introduced in 1984, the Peacekeeper was intended to be a police service version of the Colt Python, with a blued finish, adjustable rear sight, and ergonomic rubber grips.  There were versions with two different barrel lengths.  The Peacekeeper was not successful and by 1998 it was no longer offered by Colt.

Colt Pocket Positive

     Notes:  This is an earlier Colt model, the New Pocket Model, with the positive safety feature of the Police Positive.  They continue the same serial numbers of as the New Pocket Model, but any such revolver with a serial number above 30000 is actually a Pocket Positive.  These revolvers may interchange .32 Long Colt, .32 Police Positive, or .32 Smith & Wesson Long cartridges.

Colt Police Positive

     Notes:  This weapon was designed to directly compete with Smith & Wesson’s Model 10 Military & Police Revolver; it proved to be so popular that production stretched from 1905 to 1943.  It became one of Colt’s most successful designs, with almost a million being sold in the US alone, mostly to police departments (though it also saw some US military use in World War 2).  The version seen most often today is actually the Police Positive Special; this model is usually chambered for the .38 Special cartridge, but other calibers are available.  Most police departments have switched to automatic pistols, leaving a lot of Police Positives on the civilian market.  Several calibers and barrel lengths are available. 

Colt Python

     Notes:  The Python is one of the world’s most renowned revolvers, used by people from civilians to the militaries of certain countries.  The parts of the revolver are hand-polished and fitted, and it is normally a rather expensive weapon.  The most immediately noticeable feature is the huge barrel (whether long or short), with a ventilated sighting rib.  It is a big, beefy weapon that fills the hand.  The trigger pull is extremely smooth, and the target-style sights contribute to its accuracy.  The drawback of the Python is that, even in its snub-nosed configuration, it is not very concealable.

     Some special models of the Python include the Python Elite, introduced in 1955 (built only by Colt’s Custom Gun Shop, with production stopping in 1990, but starting again in 2001).  The Python Elite can be had with a 4 or 6-inch target-quality barrel, a serrated service trigger, a target-quality hammer, and sights consisting of a front “Red Ramp” sight and a highly-adjustable rear “Accro” sight, outlined in white.  Finish may be brushed stainless steel or polished blue; grips are of fine-quality walnut with a finger groove and a silver Colt medallion.  The Elite may be fired as either a single-action or double-action revolver.  Tolerances are closer than normal and the Elite is carefully accurized.

     The Python Hunter was sold only for a single year (1981) though Colt’s Custom Gun Shop; the Python Hunter featured a heavy 8-inch barrel, drilled and tapped for a scope atop the sighting rib, and with wrap-around “Gripper” grips made from soft neoprene.  The Python Hunter was sold with a 2x Leupold long eye-relief scope as standard, and the whole set (including cleaning tools) contained in a padded aluminum case.  Today, if you can find a whole kit, the real-life cost is such that you’d better be rich!

     The Python Target was a rather rare variant of the Python, as it did not last long in production.  Designed only for the .38 Special cartridge, the Python Target is otherwise quite similar to the later Python Hunter – minus the scope (or drilling and tapping), the Gripper grips, and the fancy case.  Sights consisted of a micrometer-adjustable rear sight and a blackened ramp front sight.  Finishes were blued or nickel, and the grips were of checkered wood.  The barrel was a target-quality 8-inch barrel.

     Interesting Note: A friend of mine carried one of these when she was a security guard at a bank.  She loaded the weapon with alternating .38 Special and .357 Magnum rounds, with the first round to fire being a .38.  She said that was the closest she would come to firing a warning shot!