Some more random thoughts about pre-WW2 American DA revolvers of the era, since the questions prompted me to bring my collection out:
-The Detective Special is just a short-barrelled Police Positive Special.
-The Colt Official Police is really just an improved model of the Army Special. In fact, when they made the same changes to the Police Positive, they didn't bother changing the name. It was all marketing, when it was clear the Army wasn't buying the Army Special but it sold well to police.
- The S&W Military & Police fits nicely between the Police Positive and Official Police in terms of size - the Official Police is bulkier enough that I readily believe Colt's marketing that it could shoot the .38 High Velocity load S&W said not to use in the M&P.
-The S&W Mk.II Hand Ejector is a big gun, but not nearly as big as the Colt New Service. I don't think anything else made in the era compared to the bulk of it.
-I don't have a S&W Regulation Police (or .32 Hand Ejector, the earlier model), but I suspect it was a pretty small gun indeed. It only held 5 .38 rounds, and the Colt Police Positive with 6 is a very compact gun already.
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