Colt Officers Model Match
- Category
- Pistol
- Barrel
- 152 mm
- Weight, empty
- 1.08 kg
- Introduced
- 1953
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Colt Officers Model Match is a precision .38 Special double-action target revolver built on Colt's medium 'J' frame and produced from 1953 to 1969 as the fifth issue of the long-running Officers Model line. It features a heavy 6-inch barrel, an adjustable Accro rear sight paired with a Patridge front, Colt's first Target hammer, and fully checkered target grips. Long regarded as one of the finest target revolvers Colt ever made, it was also offered in .22 LR for rimfire competition.
The Officers Model Match was the gun that introduced two features Colt target shooters would obsess over for decades: the company's first Target hammer and its first fully checkered Target grips.
Distinct from the Colt Officer's ACP, a .45 ACP 1911-pattern semi-automatic pistol. This entry is the .38 Special double-action target revolver.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC
- Category
- Pistol
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1953 to 1969
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 152 mm
- Overall length
- 286 mm
- Weight, empty
- 1.08 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Double action
- Firing mechanism
- Double action single action
- Trigger
- Double action
- Capacity
- 6
- Magazine
- Internal
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 290 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 341 J
- Effective range
- 50 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Swing out cylinder
Heavy barrel
Adjustable accro rear sight- Patridge front sight
Target hammer
Checkered target grips
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 25 .38 Special pistols | 1.08 kg | 595 g | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,911 pistols | 286 mm | 196 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 26 .38 Special pistols | 152 mm | 51 mm | Among the longest tenth |
| Magazine capacityAmong 26 .38 Special pistols | 6 | 5 | Holds more rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Colt Officers Model Match
How much does the Colt Officers Model Match weigh?
The Colt Officers Model Match weighs 1.08 kg (2.37 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Colt Officers Model Match?
The Colt Officers Model Match is chambered in .38 Special.
How many rounds does the Colt Officers Model Match hold?
The Colt Officers Model Match holds 6 rounds, fed from an internal magazine.
How long is the Colt Officers Model Match?
The Colt Officers Model Match is 286 mm (11.26 in) long overall, with a 152 mm (5.98 in) barrel.
Who makes the Colt Officers Model Match?
The Colt Officers Model Match is made by Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC (United States).
When was the Colt Officers Model Match introduced?
The Colt Officers Model Match was introduced in 1953 and discontinued in 1969.
How does the Colt Officers Model Match operate?
The Colt Officers Model Match uses a double action, and its firing mechanism is double action single action.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Competitive target shooters
- United States
Provenance
Confidence in this record
70%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/colt-officers-model' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "colt-officers-model", "name": "Colt Officers Model Match", "manufacturer": { "id": "colt", "name": "Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1855, "website": "https://www.colt.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": "American firearms manufacturer headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1855 and now a subsidiary of Colt CZ Group, continuing production of iconic firearms including the 1911 pistol.", "status": "active", "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:38", "version": "7143c7ff3f7e156063a240f2df7b4746ee1c0394d7cd5f592d05bac43233d637" }, "category": { "id": "pistol", "name": "Pistol", "description": "Handguns designed to be fired with one or two hands" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1953, "barrel_length_mm": 152, "weight_empty_g": 1077, "action_type": "double_action"}