Guns are a different story, especially since there’s such a huge collectors market.
One well revered retro-bullseye gun is the Officers Model Target. It was Colt’s top-end pre-war target revolver, available in .22, .32 and .38 Special. They were built on Colt’s ‘E’ frame, the same as the Official Police model. This revolver made Colt’s reputation as The target gun prior to WW II. In the 20’s to the 40’s many if not most bullseye shooters used the Colt.
The Officers Model had a hand fitted and finished action, checkered trigger and backstrap, with an adjustable rear sight and an adjustable front sight.
I’ve never seen an old pre-war Officers up close, my only exposure to heat bluing is from viewing the screws and pins from vintage Colt Peacemakers. Their components remind me of the luster radiated by a black pearl. It’s an extremely beautiful but difficult finish to describe—and it’s expensive too.
The Officers Model Match was Colt’s post-war target gun. I’ve had the privilege of shooting several of these fine old pieces, and I must admit, they’re amazing. They were built on Colt’s ‘I’ frame. Post-war the ‘I’ frame was used for all their mid-frame revolvers like the Official Police, Trooper, and Python.
There were only slight differences between the ‘E’ and ‘I’ frames, in particular, the system of securing the cylinder into the frame.
Pre-war guns used a flanged screw and stud device to hold the cylinder in place. It’s a ‘figure 8’ arrangement on the right front frame. When the screw is backed out, the flange on the screw draws the cylinder retention stud up with it.
The post-war guns used a cap screw, spring, and stud arrangement. It’s a large screw on the front right side of the frame. The screw is actually a cap that retains the cylinder retention stud and spring.
The Officers Model Match had Colt’s new post-war target hammer, target grips, and Accro adjustable rear sight, which was a much higher quality match sight than the Target had. Shooters complained about the pre-war sight arrangement, by having to adjust both front and rear sights, as being too cumbersome.
It had a grooved trigger and grooved backstrap, unlike its predecessor’s checkering.
The post-war guns used a different bluing system, and received slightly less tuning and action polishing. Colt realized the vast amount of work done on pre-war guns was simply too expensive, and believed it unnecessary, since target matches were generally fired single action only.
The Colt Officers Match was the common centerfire gun for bullseye shooters. In the early days, one would a shoot a .22 with an Officers Match or Woodsman Match Target, a centerfire pistol, and a reworked government model .45. But the centerfire gun was usually a revolver, and for the winners, it was a .32 or .38 caliber Colt Officers Match (The Cheater Gun).
Some pre and post war guns were single action only. These were special ordered items and produced in extremely small numbers. They can’t be fired in double action. If the trigger is pulled in double action mode, the cylinder rotates but the hammer doesn’t cycle and the gun won’t fire.
And to complicate the issue further there was an Officers Model Special in the 1950’s. It had a straight bull barrel with a long front sight ramp and Coltmaster adjustable rear sight. [See illustration] These are the ones we might occasionally see during DR matches today.
Colt’s premier target revolver finally came under competitive pressure from Smith & Wesson’s K-38 in 1947, which was later renamed the Model 14 in 1957. The Masterpiece as it would eventually be called, slowly but methodically eroded Colt’s market share.
The Officers Model Match was discontinued, along with all ‘I’ frame revolvers in 1969 with the exception of the Python.
Colt Officers Match and Target revolvers can be readily purchased at various collector houses in the $850 to $1,400 range, assuming it’s in their most common configuration: .38 Special double action. For .32 caliber and single action only guns that are in better than 95% condition—well, the sky’s the limit for those things.
