Make: Colt

Model: Agent 1st Issue

Serial Number: 208408

Year of Manufacture: 1966

Caliber: .38 Special

Action Type: 6-Shot, Double / Single Action, Swing-Out Fluted Cylinder Revolver

Barrel Length: 2"

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a partially rounded blade with a serrated rear face, fixed to the barrel. The top of the blade has been filed down a little bit and cold-blued. The rear sight is a square notch in the top of the frame. The top of the frame is serrated for glare reduction.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered walnut with silver-colored Colt medallions. The grips have even light handling wear with a few nicks and scuffs. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good-plus condition as not original to the gun.

Type of Finish: Blue, Black Alloy Frame

Finish Originality: Most remaining finish is Original. In addition to the front sight, there are areas of the cylinder that appear treated with cold blue.

Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright and the rifling is sharp. There is some scattered minor erosion in the bore. In this writer's opinion, this bore rates 7+/10.

Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 90% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at some edges. There are areas of the cylinder that appear to have worn and been treated with cold blue. There are scattered little nicks and tiny scratches. The action shows light operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this handgun rates in Very Good condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this handgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None.

Our Assessment: The Colt Agent is similar to the Cobra, but with a shorter grip frame. The Cobra itself was based on the Detective Special, but with a lightweight alloy frame. Similar in size to the J-frame Smith & Wesson, these revolvers held a full six cartridges rather than five, making them a favorite for those who preferred a revolver, especially in an era when there was still skepticism about the reliability of autoloading pistols. Particularly if you had a full-size .38 revolver as a duty weapon, it was very convenient to have a revolver which not only shared ammunition and manual of arms, but had the same capacity for an off-duty or backup revolver.

This example of the Agent has been equipped with a set of grips from a Cobra or Detective Special, but otherwise retains much of its original finish and light wear. It is intriguing, as neither the frame nor crane have the "LW" serial suffix that would be expected on Colt's alloy frames from this period. It appears whoever was responsible for applying that marking missed one and it got past Colt's QC. This should still make for a fine concealed carry revolver, but is also of interest to collectors due to the factory marking error. Please see our photos and good luck!