By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Ask me what one of the most eye-catching .22-caliber revolvers ever manufactured and my immediate answer would be the Colt Diamondback, with a 6-iunch barrel.
Right, there weren’t a lot of them, but I know a guy who owns one and I’ve had an opportunity to shoot it. Suffice to say, this classic snake from Colt was, and remains, a deadly accurate small game wheelgun which could shoot, and shoot, and shoot some more without fear of ever wearing out.
After all, the chamber walls in that cylinder were thick and the full-lug barrel with the vent rib and adjustable rear sight delivered the goods.
While Colt has seen fit over the past few years to resurrect improved versions of the Python, Cobra, King Cobra and Anaconda, we have yet to see a return of the Diamondback. There oughta be a law!
According to various sources, 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, and maybe more if someone is willing to shell out the money. What they will get is a remarkably well-built rimfire, and one which comes with the original box and packing papers just might be kept as a safe queen, although I could never just let such a sixgun gather dust.
I’d have to spend time with it at the range, and probably tramping the lowlands this time of year, looking for a stupid rabbit or snowshoe hare.
The .22 LR specimen shown in the accompanying images was manufactured in the early 1980s and the lockup was factory-tight. It had a decent action, crisp single-action let-off and no blemishes on the finish.
If you’ve never had the opportunity to even just grasp one of these smallbore Colts, you just don’t know true delight.
When I had the chance to shoot this particular revolver, I used a variety of .22-caliber ammunition, both RNL and HP weighing 36 and 40 grains, respectively. The little Diamondback digested everything and delivered them to the target consistently.
I own a Diamondback in .38 Special, with a 4-inch barrel. It gets a steady diet of handloads, all within SAAMI specs for that cartridge. I have had no troubles with my sixgun, and it continues to lock up tight when the trigger is pressed. It has gone through hundreds of rounds since I acquired it 15 years ago, and prior to that, the previous owner did not appear to have abused it. The finish is good, at about 98%, and it is definitely not for sale.
Going back four decades or so, it is certainly understandable why Colt produced the Diamondback. It is essentially a beefed-up Detective Special, built to benefit from the wild popularity of the Colt Python. The visual appearance belies any other explanation, and I’ve got to say the people at Colt who decided to produce the Diamondback, in both .38 Special and .22 Long Rifle, were geniuses.
The Diamondback’s virtues have been extolled by me and other handgunners over the years, including the late Skeeter Skelton, who suggested it would be useful on small game and varmints such as coyotes.
The Diamondback in .22 LR is truly a collector’s item, but it would not deserve a life tucked in a locked safe. In my estimation, handguns are built to be used, and if I’d had the budget back in my youth to have afforded the rimfire Diamondback, it would have been along on raccoon and rabbit hunts, and would likely have uncounted numbers of blue grouse to its credit. It would ride in a well-oiled holster, which would be carried on a cartridge belt filled with Federal, Remington, Winchester and/or CCI ammunition.
It would be cradled and cleaned, rubbed and oiled by hand, wiped with the softest cloths and gently cradled in a strong padded box.
If you own one, it’s a keeper.
