SOLD - Very Rare Colt Shooting Master Revolver - 45ACP

Description

2/21/26 - This is a beautiful and very hard to find Colt New Service Shooting Master revolver in .45 ACP. There were only approximately 3,500 of this revolver produced, with five different caliber variants involved, and only ~300 in this caliber. The Colt Shooting Master revolver was introduced as a .38 Special target revolver for NRA match competition, and was one of the finest revolvers on the market at the time. It was shown privately to the top marksmen at the August 1931 National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio and was unveiled to the public with the Colt Ace .22 LR model in the 1931 issue of American Rifleman magazine. The Colt New Service Shooting Master is said to be one of the finest hand crafted and hand-tuned revolvers ever made.

This example is especially rare because it is in .45 ACP. There were only a few hundred examples made in .45 ACP. The gun has the Colt patent on top of the barrel, "Colt Shooting Master .45 Auto" on the left side of the barrel, and the Colt pony on the left side of the frame. The revolver is all- matching. The bluing on the gun rates about 98% with most of the finish loss on the muzzle and a small spot on the right side of the frame.  Unfortunately, there is rust on the bottom of the hammer that you cannot see unless the hammer is cocked. Grips are original and in excellent condition. Lock up timing and rotation are excellent. Bore is bright with strong rifling and just minor hints of use.