By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Capitalizing on the drop-dead gorgeous profile of the sexy Python revolver, Colt introduced in 1966 another of its “snake guns,” this one dubbed the Diamondback, essentially a beefed-up Detective Special with longer barrel options, a thicker top strap with an adjustable rear sight, and other attributes which made it hard to resist.
It has a wide serrated target-type hammer with firing pin, the sights are all blue/black and feel that is not possible to completely describe.
While the 6-shot double-action revolver is primarily known for its .38 Special chambering, a number of these wheelguns were offered in .22 Long Rifle. The result was a remarkably well-balanced small game and target gun capable of very good accuracy. It would not be too bold to suggest the .22-caliber Diamondback was among the finest rimfire sixguns ever produced, and it is a pity the line was discontinued in 1988.
Anybody who owns one of these revolvers, especially with a 4- or 6-inch full underlug barrel with the vent rib should treasure it. There was also a 2 ½-inch version. The heavy barrel provided ample weight—the 4-inch model hit the scale at a reported 31 ounces while the 6-incher weighed 33 ounces—so that there was virtually no felt recoil when firing standard 40-grain lead roundnose ammunition. And with properly adjusted sights, the little Diamondback is deadly accurate.
I’m quite certain anybody carrying a rimfire Diamondback would be able to put cottontails, snowshoe hares, grouse and other small game in the cooler with relative ease.
While Colt has seen fit to resurrect improved versions of the Python, Cobra, King Cobra and Anaconda, we have yet to see a return of the Diamondback.
We recently had the opportunity to lay hands on a like-new specimen, and found it to be a real treat. This particular handgun was still in its original box, with the Styrofoam interior. The deep blue finish was close to 100%, and it showed signs of having less than a couple of boxes of ammunition through it.
The sights were set so at 15 yards, bullet impact was a bit high and to the right, but a quick bit of work with a small screwdriver to shift the rear sight a couple of clicks to the left and down two clicks put everything where it is supposed to be.
Colt didn’t fudge with the Diamondback design, especially where the .22-caliber version is concerned. I looked through the bore with a light, and found it to be almost pristine. According to the True Gun Value website, a Diamondback in new condition can fetch upwards of $5,000-$6,000, so it’s definitely a collector’s item. I have seen models going for around $1,500-$1,600 and a little more at gun shows over the years, which may see awful steep for a rimfire revolver, but a Diamondback aficionado might consider that a bargain, considering one can check online sites and find asking prices of more than $6,000 for a gun with the original box, factory letter and instruction booklet.
My own Diamondback in .38 Special has a 4-inch barrel, and it performs rather well with standard-pressure factory ammunition, and my own handloads pushing either 110- or 125-grain JHPs, and is definitely not for sale. (And I didn’t pay anywhere near today’s asking price.) I replaced the factory grips with a set of Herrett stocks several years ago, and put the original grips in my gun safe.
The .22 LR specimen in these images was manufactured in the early 1980s and the lockup was factory-tight. It had a decent action, crisp single-action letoff and no blemishes on the finish.
So, aside from looking like a Python someone had run through a washer and dryer, what made the Diamondback such a dandy? I think much had to do with the feel and aesthetics of this smallbore sixgun. Offered in both blue and nickel finishes, Diamondbacks were—and still are—delightful round guns to shoot.
I’ve never considered handguns as collectors’ items. All of my revolvers, including an original Python with a 6-inch barrel, are “working” guns. That is, I occasionally take them to the range and fire a few rounds, after which they get a gentle but thorough cleaning and oiling. They are definitely not for sale.
As for the .22-caliber model mentioned here, it got the full treatment.
Those who own one of these premium revolvers have a gem. Those who don’t can remain envious.
