POTD: Colt Shooting Master – Depression-Era Target Revolver

Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a 1933 Colt Shooting Master in .38 Special, one of roughly 2,500 produced in that caliber out of approximately 3,500 total across all configurations.

The Shooting Master was Colt’s premium target revolver, introduced in 1932 and aimed squarely at serious competition shooters. 6-inch barrel, adjustable sights, target-grade trigger. On paper it was the right gun for that market. In practice, the timing was rough. Selling expensive target revolvers during the Great Depression to a market that was already leaning toward Smith & Wesson’s established options turned out to be a difficult proposition.

3,500 total guns across a production run tells you how that went. The Shooting Master never found the audience Colt expected. Which is part of why they’re interesting to collectors now.

This example shows mixed gray and brown patina, good checkering, solid mechanical condition. Stored carefully or used lightly, one or the other.

Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!

“Scarce Colt Shooting Master Double Action Revolver.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/5032/247/scarce-colt-shooting-master-double-action-revolver. Accessed 28 May 2026.

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