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This is the story of an old lady who had her father's gun. One day old lady saw that her city was about to have a gun buyback. She decided it was time to get rid of that old heirloom and even receive a $100 gift card in return.
So she found the old box and got ready to turn it in.
LUCKILY before she could do that she mentioned her plan to a friendly neighbor. Neighbor was not a gun expert, but felt that the gun might be worth more than the $100 being offered. Neighbor decided to help her since the old lady was on a tight budget and could put any extra money to good use.
Neighbor brought the gun to a local gun store and gun store owner called me. You see folks, it helps to be on good terms with your FFL especially if you are a collector.
Gun store owner - "Hey beetle, got something here I think you'll want to see!"
So I make the drive to the store and meet up with the neighbor and owner of the gun. She pulls this out of a bag.
At first I'm thinking -- "What the heck did they drag me down here for? That box is BEAT! I'm thinking rusty hunk of junk in the box?"
but before I go on, let's talk about the history of the Colt Super 38....
Wanted: Handgun that can go toe-to-toe with the Mobsters!
The Volstead act outlawed alcoholic drinks in the United States during the 1920s. It also made the business of illegally manufacturing, importing, or selling of alcohol highly profitable. As you can imagine criminals stepped in and soon started making a lot of money. We saw mobsters like Al Capone rise during this era.
The mobsters were well funded and had the latest in weaponry, including the famous Thompson automatic ("tommy gun"). Law enforcement at that time found themselves outgunned. The .38 revolver that was ubiquitous among law enforcement simply did not have the penetration and stopping power needed against the mobsters. With a velocity of about 800 feet per second, it did not have the power to penetrate car doors or body armor of the time.
By the late 20s the situation was pretty dire. Gang violence was on the rise (St Valentines Day Massacre). So law enforcement asked the gun manufacturers of the day to come up with something more effective -- a gun or round that could penetrate automobiles and body armor.
Colt was the first to respond. In 1927 Colt started developing a new pistol that would used an improved round. In 1929 Colt introduced the "38 Super", which was simply the old .38 ACP round loaded to higher pressures.
So What Was In the Box?
Luckily I was able to clean up that mess of medical tape on the box. The box itself is highly collectible.
I had to be extra careful on the bottom of the box. The Colt practice at the time was to write the serial number in pencil on the bottom. The serial number is still there and ties the box to the gun.
Ah yes, nice. The original labels and paperwork are still there!
Enough with the tease -- show us the gun!
Alright, enough teasing. While I was disappointed in the condition of the box, what was inside took my breath away. The gun itself is near mint, easily 99%+!
The only area that has wear is on the trigger itself, and that is simply from use.
Out of allowed pics per post, continued next post
So she found the old box and got ready to turn it in.
LUCKILY before she could do that she mentioned her plan to a friendly neighbor. Neighbor was not a gun expert, but felt that the gun might be worth more than the $100 being offered. Neighbor decided to help her since the old lady was on a tight budget and could put any extra money to good use.
Neighbor brought the gun to a local gun store and gun store owner called me. You see folks, it helps to be on good terms with your FFL especially if you are a collector.
Gun store owner - "Hey beetle, got something here I think you'll want to see!"
So I make the drive to the store and meet up with the neighbor and owner of the gun. She pulls this out of a bag.
At first I'm thinking -- "What the heck did they drag me down here for? That box is BEAT! I'm thinking rusty hunk of junk in the box?"
but before I go on, let's talk about the history of the Colt Super 38....
Wanted: Handgun that can go toe-to-toe with the Mobsters!
The Volstead act outlawed alcoholic drinks in the United States during the 1920s. It also made the business of illegally manufacturing, importing, or selling of alcohol highly profitable. As you can imagine criminals stepped in and soon started making a lot of money. We saw mobsters like Al Capone rise during this era.
The mobsters were well funded and had the latest in weaponry, including the famous Thompson automatic ("tommy gun"). Law enforcement at that time found themselves outgunned. The .38 revolver that was ubiquitous among law enforcement simply did not have the penetration and stopping power needed against the mobsters. With a velocity of about 800 feet per second, it did not have the power to penetrate car doors or body armor of the time.
By the late 20s the situation was pretty dire. Gang violence was on the rise (St Valentines Day Massacre). So law enforcement asked the gun manufacturers of the day to come up with something more effective -- a gun or round that could penetrate automobiles and body armor.
Colt was the first to respond. In 1927 Colt started developing a new pistol that would used an improved round. In 1929 Colt introduced the "38 Super", which was simply the old .38 ACP round loaded to higher pressures.
So What Was In the Box?
Luckily I was able to clean up that mess of medical tape on the box. The box itself is highly collectible.
I had to be extra careful on the bottom of the box. The Colt practice at the time was to write the serial number in pencil on the bottom. The serial number is still there and ties the box to the gun.
Ah yes, nice. The original labels and paperwork are still there!
Enough with the tease -- show us the gun!
Alright, enough teasing. While I was disappointed in the condition of the box, what was inside took my breath away. The gun itself is near mint, easily 99%+!
The only area that has wear is on the trigger itself, and that is simply from use.
Out of allowed pics per post, continued next post
How are those kinda people in charge? The semi auto is just effective. 
What a tool. Anyway, that revolver is sweet also. Congrats!
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