Colt Forum banner

OMM at LGS. Come to Poppa!

3K views 22 replies 12 participants last post by  capstan 
#1 ·
Well, I have been thinking that I needed was an OMM in .22, but of course, I knew that they just didn’t exist. Well, yesterday, as my wife was visiting a friend at her shop, lo and behold, there was a small hole-in-the-wall gun store. I wandered in and found this, a Colt OMM in .22. The price was good and it came with the nice early full-checkered grips. Then clerk asked if I wanted to see the box. Of course, it had the box, target, sight tool, cleaning rod and the Welcome to Colt pamphlet. Not only that, Proofhouse has it as a 1953 and it is a duo tone.

Well, I did not know that the OMM came in a duo tone. I am not that knowledgable about the OMM, but what does everyone think? I am assuming in this condition and with the box and papers, a duo tone is desirable.

(Photos are before cleaning, but everything is in excellent condition!)









 
See less See more
5
#7 ·
Very nice.
Dual tone Colt revolvers were made from 1947-1954. To the best of my knowledge, all Colt revolvers made in this era were dual tone.
Although I am a sucker for them, I doubt this gun being dual tone makes it anymore desireable (valuable), unless Colt made very few during the dual tone era.
 
#10 · (Edited)
As an interesting observation, when I started to clean it, I removed the grips. The rear side plate screw is domed and the left grip panel is indented where the screw head is. I believe the grips are original so this would tend to show that target stocks were only used with flat head screws.

Oh, and the muzzle is in the white as well. Cool!
 
#12 ·
The rear side plate screw is domed and the left grip panel is indented where the screw head is. I believe the grips are original so this would tend to show that target stocks were only used with flat head screws.
That seems to be a contradictory statement. If this OMM has a domed screw, how does that show that target stocks were only used with flat head screws?
 
#14 ·
Did you take off the grips and see if the one was gouged out a liitle to allow for the "domed" head screw? If not, and the grip/stock just fit nicely right over the domed screw head, then Maybe the assumption that the full checkered target grips/stocks needed a flat head screw is in fact wrong.
Let us know what you find under the stock -that should help resolve this.
 
#16 ·
Ok,So there was no whittling on the inside to allow for the screw head? The grip was just tightened down so that the screw head crushed into the wood some?
Maybe the original flat headed screw was lost,and someone replaced it with the domed head screw just because they happened to have one? Or maybe when the gun was originally assembled, they used the wrong screw?

I will check my OMM's and see if they have flat or domed screws under the grips.
 
#17 ·
I checked my OMM 1954 .22 with the full checked target stocks.

It has the domed type screw head at the rear of the sideplate. I took off the grips/stocks and YEs there is the indentation of the domed screw head on the inside of the grip,but no gouging of the inside of the grip panel. Apparently they just tightened the grip until the wood pressed in some to accommodate that screw head. Perhaps, only the Python had the flat screw heads at the rear of the side plate for target grips????

This is a another piece of I teretsing trivia to know. Maybe others can check the screws on their OMM also to further verify. Ot maybe Colt switched over to the flat head screws later on.
Anyone else
 
#18 ·
I have two Officers Model Match revolvers. The 1953 .22LR has a domed rear side plate screw. The 1959 .22WMR has a flat rear side plate screw. All of my Pythons have flat rear side plate screws, including 1XX and 128XX. Based on the report of capstan, the change to the flat rear side place screw apparently occurred sometime after 1954. Based on my Pythons, I would speculate the change occurred in 1955.​
 
#21 ·
I strongly disagree. The full-checkered target stocks introduced on the Officers Model Match were the primary distinguishing feature of the new model. While it is theoretically possible that there was at least one Officers Model Match "special-ordered" with service stocks, the more likely scenario for someone wanting service stocks would be to just remove the target stocks and install service stocks.


FWIW, I believe the thread pitch is different for the two side plate screws.
Since the two screws will interchange, I believe the thread pitch is the same. Were it not so, just think of the number of ruined screws and screw holes that would have resulted over the decades when Bubba mixed up the screws!
 
#20 · (Edited)
Well, based on a catalog page sent to me by a member, the OMM was only offered with the full checkered walnut square stocks. I assume one could special order service stocks, but based on the above observations by other members, I tend to believe the domed screws came with the target stocks at least until later in the 50s or so. I also believe this particular OMM came from the factory with a domed screw and target stocks.

FWIW, I believe the thread pitch is different for the two side plate screws.
 
#23 ·
I just checked my 38 special OMM with the full checkered stocks. From it's serial number, it should be from 1954 (like my .22). BUT, it has a flat head screw at the back, Now it's serial number is close to where it changes to 1955 so the assumed approx.change over at 1955 could still more or less ,be valid.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top