That's what I was just about to say. Write to Colt and they'll fix you up.

Colt is now charging 300.00 for there letter.

Colt's factory letters are up to $100 per. I'd like to have the information, but $100 is such a blatant screw job that I refuse to bend over.

I guess its been awhile,I paid $30 for my last colt factory letter. :)

Signed by Samuel Colt himself? :D

One must analize the value of such a document David. If you were trying to establish a provinance on a rare and valuble colt worth $8000 bucks it might be prudent to pony up. On many Colt pistols, while it might be interesting, it would not pay off. I am happy that the Colt Historian offers this service, but I am like you..I would not pay it except in an extroidinary case. Jerry Burney

ROTFLMAO!! :roflmao:

:D

Outrageous!
 

I agree that it would be worth your while to spend $300 to establish the provenance on a piece worth thousands, but not even $100 if it's just for your own curiousity.

However, I think it shows an outrageous lack of customer service on Colt's part that they would charge anything for this service!

Jim

Jim, Earth calling Jim! Come home, we miss you! The economy of the World is constantly changing and if you haven't heard , everything of value is expensive. If Colt were to provide this service for free every idiot on the Planet would pester them incessantly asking about the most mundane pistols.
A charge filters out those who are serious from those who are curious. I would emagine that an official Colt letter would add at least the cost of the letter to the value of an expensive historic Colt. Not necessarily so to the often mundane pistol.
I think Colt has a perfect right..nay.. a responsibility to charge whatever the market will bear for this service if nothing else to support it's continued existance.
To maintain these historical records in storage and hire a researcher costs money. When did you last perform a public service for free? Jerry Burney

I have extensively shot and carried these little Colts for just about 20 years now, and they are, indeed, wonderful, accurate and incredibly reliable. The comment was made above:
"Colt made a million and a half .32 Cal. pistols but only a half million .380's. The .380 is much more desirable simply because there are fewer of them."

Actually, per John Brunner's research, Colt made about 570,000 of the .32's, and about 137,500 of the .380's. So, it's quite correct that there are many more .32's than .380's, and the .380s are more in demand both as shooters and for collector purposes, but there are not 2 million of them floating around. The .32's historically could be had for pretty reasonable prices, but in the past few years, even the value of the .32's seems to have really taken off.

They are little jewels, and if anyone here spots a decent one at a fair price, they're well worth looking into... Many have finish wear due to use/neglect but will still shoot beautifully. Those that still retain most of their original finish are gorgeous little pieces indeed.

John

Jerry, Jim answering Earth and Jerry! Jim's been here all along. And he knows that the economy of the world is...really always the same. Everything costs something. Someone must pay for everything.

My point is that a huge company like Colt can readily afford to hire a person - maybe, an historian, and a secretary - and provide this as a service to its customers.

Why should they do this? Out of the goodness of their heart? No. Out of enlightened self-interest.

You see, Jerry, providing salary, benefits, and office space to those couple of people might set Colt back, oh, maybe to the tune of about .0000001 of their annual expenditures. In return for giving away their services, they would make customers happy. And happy customers buy the company's product. And that's called profit.

However, today our companies are run by accountants, and people with MBA's in marketing who couldn't sell iced tea to Bedouins at the oasis bazaar.

And that's why these companies go out of business.

When did I last perform a public service for free? Well, I work for the federal government, so I don't know how to answer that question. No one is really interested in the advice and representation I provide to US Naval commands, outside of the commands themselves.

But if I were the honcho at Colt Firearms, you can be sure we'd be "giving away" this precious information about our own products. Oh yes!

Because, you see, I'd want YOU to have a reason why you should buy a new COLT, instead of a new Smith and Wesson, or Ruger, or whatever.

And if a stupid letter that cost my company $20 in research time and a 37 cent stamp helped do that: yeah, you can bet we'd be cranking out those letters for " free"!

"Thank you for your interest in our fine old pistol, Sir; Colt's always glad to be of service!"

(Company brochures included at no extra cost)

;)

Jim

Jim, I am not absolutely positive but as I recollect Colt no longer has an interest or control of this historical archive. I believe it is in the hands of the Winchester museum in Cody WY. Could very well be in control of the CT historical foundation. I don't know but I am fairly certain Colt Firearms has nothing to do with it any longer.
Colt has never been very savvy in business dealings since the end of WW2. Look how they gave up the Cowby action shooting market to the Italians. Biggest bonehead mistake I've seen lately in the gun World.
Colt has been trying to go out of business for years now....Jerry Burney

Amen!