Colt Officer's Model Target, Third Issue

My father has given me my great grandfather's and grandfather's Colt Officer's Model Target 22lr, made in 1938, six inch barrel. It has been in the family since original purchase, used for round-about hunting into the 80s, and recently brought out by my grandfather to obtain his first conceal carry permit.

It has been well maintained. Beautiful gun.

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I will shoot it this week and report. If it doesn't shoot well it will be me, considering it was effectively used for rabbit, squirrel, and even the occasional coyote.

It means a lot to me, and I'm grateful my dad passed it down to me. He has kept my grandfather's long-guns, which were equally cared for. (This is the only pistol he ever felt he needed.)

I have been lucky that both my grandfathers have lived into their 80s. My granddad who owned this colt recently had to move into long-term care, so this inheritance is bitter sweet.

But its a reminder of all he has meant to me, and all he has done to make me who I am. He fed his family in part with this and his rem .22 and 12g, and he cared for them well because it was one of the many ways he was caring for his family.

And they were an example of how he found joy and meaning in doing things right, and doing things well.

I hope I can live up to that.

Thanks for that heads up. I will keep an eye on that to keep it all original.

"

Driftwood Johnson said:

Howdy

Very nice, especially the part about it being in your family for so long.

I picked this one up a couple of years ago. Surprisingly, it did not cast an arm and a leg, I guess nobody else was interested in it. This one left the factory in 1935.

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Easily one of my most accurate 22s. maybe even more accurate than my favorite K-22. Yes, this group was fired from a rest, pretty close up as I remember.

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Nice that yours still has the little elevation screw for the front sight. That tends to go missing on a lot of them that I have seen.

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Still looks pretty darn good.

joed said:

Very nice! I have one myself from 1930 which was the first year for the .22 rf. Mine hasn't been taken care of like these but it is the best shooting .22 revolver I've seen.

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Got to go to an indoor range today to shoot some offhand groups with Winchester bulk at 10 and 20 yards. It is capable, though there's quite a bit of room for me to improve.

It has a nice trigger pull.

I shot two other groups at 10 yards, 2 3/8 and 2 7/16.