The Colt Detective Special is one of the most iconic American firearms and probably one of the most iconic in the history of weaponry. Meeting instant success upon its release in 1927, the pocketable revolver was carried by law-abiding citizens, criminals, and law enforcement officers.
It was the weapon of choice for anyone who wanted to pack concealable firepower but preferred an established wheel gun designed for the new automatics like Colt’s 1903 Pocket Hammerless. In fact, the Colt Detective Special even saw issue as a military service weapon.
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Earlier in the 1920s, Colt employee John Henry Fitzgerald laid the groundwork for what would become the Detective Special. A former bare-knuckle prizefighter and New York State Trooper, Fitzgerald applied his knowledge of close combat to develop his ideal carry pistol.
Starting with a Colt Positive Police Special revolver, he cut the barrel down, shortened the ejector rod, bobbed the spur hammer, and even cut down the front of the trigger guard. The Fitz Special, as the modification came to be known, could even be ordered from the Colt Custom Shop.
Good luck getting them to do it today, though.
While Colt approved of the Fitz Special, a less extreme version was introduced for the regular market. This version was called the Detective Special.
As the first commercial snubnose pistol, the 2-inch Detective Special became the go-to revolver for plainclothes police and private detectives, as depicted in classic cinema. You take a Colt Detective Special home, throw it in a trench coat, add some Mid-Atlantic accent, and a fedora? Baby, you got a film noir movie going.
All the features that made the Detective Special popular with civilian detectives also made it popular with military spies. During World War II, about 3,000 were ordered in .38 Special for the Office of Strategic Services. Easily carried and concealed, the Detective Special was primarily used by intelligence personnel, including the famous Ritchie Boys.
Notably, the military revolvers feature a distinctive square butt that Colt had already replaced with a more pocket-friendly round butt.
Though not a frontline or even a rear-echelon weapon, the Detective Special continued to see limited use in the military with intelligence personnel, military detectives, and officers of high enough rank to demand one.
In fact, an order for additional Detective Specials was placed with Colt during the Vietnam War. Following the standardization on 9mm NATO ammunition, the military adopted semi-automatic handguns like the SIG Sauer P228 (designated the M11) for issue to troops who need a concealable firearm.
Today, Detective Specials with “U.S. Property” markings and Ordnance acceptance stamps command higher prices over their commercial counterparts at auction. If a revolver can be attributed directly to the OSS, its value can go up even more. Even without military provenance, a Colt Detective Special is quintessential Americana.
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