Colt Shooting Master
Colt's Manufacturing Company · Revolver · Discontinued · 1931
Also known as: Colt New Service Shooting Master
Overview
The Colt Shooting Master is a hand-fitted, large-frame double-action target revolver built on the Colt New Service frame. Introduced in 1931 as Colt's top-of-the-line revolver, it featured a flat-top frame with adjustable target sights, a checkered trigger and backstrap, checkered walnut grips with silver medallions, and an anti-glare Parkerized stippling across the topstrap and hammer to cut glare during outdoor matches such as those at Camp Perry. Each example was hand-honed by Colt's most skilled assemblers for an exceptionally smooth single- and double-action pull. Chambered most commonly in .38 Special, it was the finest revolver Colt offered until the Python arrived in 1955.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 1191 g (42.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 286 mm (11.26") |
| Barrel Length | 152 mm (5.98") |
| Action Type | Revolving |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Revolving Cylinder |
| Muzzle Velocity | 290 m/s (951 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 341 J (252 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Left Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .38 Special · primary — also known as .38 Spl, .38 S&W Special, 9x29mmR
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Swing Out Cylinder
- Safety mechanisms: Rebounding Hammer
- Features: Flat Top Frame, Adjustable Target Sights, Checkered Trigger, Checkered Backstrap, Anti Glare Stippling, Hand Fitted Action, Checkered Walnut Grips With Medallions
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Competitive target shooters
Production
Estimated total produced: 3,500 · Production years: 1931-1941
Approximately 3,500 produced across all calibers; about 2,500 in the primary .38 Special chambering.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Discontinued: 1941
Notes
Offered in five standard calibers across roughly 3,500 guns: .38 Special (about 2,500), .357 Magnum (about 500, from circa 1936), .45 ACP (about 250), .45 Colt (about 156), and .44 Russian/.44 S&W Special (about 94). A handful of one-off examples are known in .22 rimfire, .38 S&W (38/200), and .455 Eley.
Background
Built one at a time by Colt's best assemblers, the Shooting Master was the company's flagship target revolver of the 1930s and was dropped in 1941 alongside the Single Action Army as wartime production took over.