Colt Officer's Model Target 22lr price check and questions

Howdy

This one left the factory in 1935. I paid $650 for it, which may seem a little bit high, but it is in excellent condition.






Accuracy is terrific. Of course I fired these shots from a rest, but still, it is far more accurate than me.






The rear sight on this one is only adjustable for windage, not elevation. Adjustable by loosening the little screw and drifting the sight to one side or the other.






Elevation is adjusted with the small screw at the front of the front sight. Make sure the screw is there, I have seen some where the screw has gone missing.






No problem shooting modern 22s through these. I don't specifically recall but I was probably shooting Mini-Mags when I was shooting it for accuracy. I also keep lots of 'cheap' Remington 'box' ammo around and I probably put some of that through it too.


The Colt 22 Officer's Model Target is a fine revolver. A little bit bigger and heavier than a Smith and Wesson K-22, which is usually thought to be the 'gold standard' of double action 22 rimfire revolvers.

FYI @Driftwood Johnson your pics aren’t showing up for me.

Ohhhhh noooooo - I think another .22 caliber revolver just got added to my "wanted" list

I think at that price range nice ones are a steal for what you are getting. Also the match ammo is standard veloity and Subsonic or "Auto Match" is also popular currently and being cranked out by the factories.. However, a revolver with a heavy frame like the pre war Officers model Target is capable of taking all hi velocity ammo just fine. It is the semi auto early handguns that should not be fed it as the mechanisms are not really set up for it before WW2 , or even later !

Mine is from 1930, the first year the .22 rf was offered.

Tomahawk674 said:

Seems like good to very good examples are fetching $700-800. Is this fair?

I'm talking about CCI mini mags and Remington golden bullets.

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Does fetching mean asking price or paying price?

I bought mine about 4 years ago for $600. I’ve been watching GB and one sold for $550 about a month ago, pretty good shape. If I saw a nice one in the price range you mentioned, I’d buy it. The level of quality is pretty high. Clockwork like.

Mine likes CCI mini mags, CCI Blazers and believe it or not, Remington Thunderbolt, and I’ve shot about every type of 22 ammo through it.

The target model Colts are cool revolvers. My old is Colt is a .38 Officers Model Heavy Barrel from the 1930’s that was worked on by King. When touched by a master, these guns can have a magical trigger pull and shoot with amazing accuracy . I bought this for $550 in April of this year.

The .22 model you’re interested in is a great way to start, when you find one in good shape you wont be disappointed.

Stay safe.

I sold mine about 3 years ago. As I recall I received $600 for it. VG - EX

Condition makes a big difference. I’m not sure what the market is right now but $700 seems reasonable price for one in good condition. $800 is certainly possible for one in very good condition. Whether or not it’s a fair price is up to each individual buyer and seller.

I have been considering buy a Colt Officers Model Target .22 for a while. I seen this post and started looking at prices. I found well worn ones dirt cheep, and very nice ones up to $2000. I was looking on a sight last week and found this, one below, for $750. It was made in 1940 and was stated to be a 95% condition revolver. I do not think OMTs are going to decrease in value. By the amount of nice ones, that are being offered, not a whole lot at reasonable prices. People that have them are hanging on to them. I believe in a few years, they will be through the roof. I pulled the trigger and bought it. It is one of those old designs, that will never be made again. The quality and construction is beautiful. There is not anything made today that is even close. You can tell it was made by a true craftsman, that took pride in their work. I love all the old revolvers, especially .22s. Back in the day, they put as much in rimfires as centerfires. This revolver shows it. It is a welcomed addition to my collection and I can thank the writers in this post for lighting the fire.

Driftwood Johnson said:

Howdy

This one left the factory in 1935. I paid $650 for it, which may seem a little bit high, but it is in excellent condition.

View attachment 954510




Accuracy is terrific. Of course I fired these shots from a rest, but still, it is far more accurate than me.

View attachment 954511




The rear sight on this one is only adjustable for windage, not elevation. Adjustable by loosening the little screw and drifting the sight to one side or the other.

View attachment 954512




Elevation is adjusted with the small screw at the front of the front sight. Make sure the screw is there, I have seen some where the screw has gone missing.

View attachment 954513




No problem shooting modern 22s through these. I don't specifically recall but I was probably shooting Mini-Mags when I was shooting it for accuracy. I also keep lots of 'cheap' Remington 'box' ammo around and I probably put some of that through it too.


The Colt 22 Officer's Model Target is a fine revolver. A little bit bigger and heavier than a Smith and Wesson K-22, which is usually thought to be the 'gold standard' of double action 22 rimfire revolvers.


View attachment 954514

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I wish I could keep up with Driftwood. Or at least spend a day with him, and just talk old firearms. You Sir, have some unique firearms and a lot of good knowledge to go with them. There is no way you could not be a very interesting man to draw knowledge from.

A bit cheaper alternative is the Colt Police Positive Target. Mine shoots very well, once I get my big mitts positioned right on the little gun!

They've got one at "my" dealers. It's got a front sight like the one Walkalong has pictured above, except no scope (I suppose it's understood, but it does have a rear sight). They're asking $1400 for it. They've been sitting on it for a while. It does appear to be in very nice condition, but I haven't examined it up close.

Gary W. Strange said:

There is no way you could not be a very interesting man to draw knowledge from.

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Thanks. But ask my wife and see if she agrees with you.

The pre-war Colt DAs are fantastic. My .22 is as accurate as my Korth .22, although the build quality on that is in another league. It would cost a lot to make a .22 to Colt's pre-war standards today.

Gary W. Strange said:

...The quality and construction is beautiful. There is not anything made today that is even close. You can tell it was made by a true craftsman, that took pride in their work...

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I couldn’t agree more. Used Smith’s, Colt’s, Dan Wesson’s, etc. are WAY undervalued a lot of the time.

BigBlue 94 said:

A bit cheaper alternative is the Colt Police Positive Target. Mine shoots very well, once I get my big mitts positioned right on the little gun!

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Gotta be careful, though, because many of those were chambered for .22 WRF and even some honest sellers may not realize they dont (properly/safely) accept Long Rifle cartridges.

NIGHTLORD40K said:

Gotta be careful, though, because many of those were chambered for .22 WRF and even some honest sellers may not realize they dont accept Long Rifle cartridges.

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Interesting. Mine is a 1935 build, and the colt serial look up says " PPT 22LR and 22WRF". My barrel says "PPT 22 Cal". I shot 22LR in it last time i had it out just fine. Though i am smart enough to use standard velocity stuff

BigBlue 94 said:

Interesting. Mine is a 1935 build, and the colt serial look up says " PPT 22LR and 22WRF". My barrel says "PPT 22 Cal". I shot 22LR in it last time i had it out just fine. Though i am smart enough to use standard velocity stuff

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The barrels were the same, which is problematic for the WRF guys because they cant shoot jacketed bullets- the bore is too tight and can rip the jackets off.

You would definitely know if you had a WRF cylinder, though- LR cartridges would be very loose in the chambers and fired cases will be all swollen and bulged.

NIGHTLORD40K said:

The barrels were the same, which is problematic for the WRF guys because they cant shoot jacketed bullets- the bore is too tight and can rip the jackets off.

You would definitely know if you had a WRF cylinder, though- LR cartridges would be very loose in the chambers and fired cases will be all swollen and bulged.

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Ah I see. The LR cartridges fit nice and snug so I should be good to go.

I rate the Colt OMM / OMT, S&W K-22, Dan Wesson 22 and Korth all as premium .22 l.r. double action revolvers. I learnt real pistol craft on a club owned Colt OMM in .22 l.r. and owned one for a long time.