Colt Officer’s Model .32 Long Heavy Barrel 6” DA Revolver, MFD 1939-40 C&R

SOLD FOR: $1,575.00

LSB#: LSB250810SB012

Make: Colt

Model: Officer’s Model .32 Heavy Barrel

Serial Number: 656581

Year of Manufacture: 1939–1940 (Production limited to approximately 1,000 units; sources include The Book of Colt Firearms by R.L. Wilson and Colt: An American Legend by S.P. Fjestad)

Caliber: .32 Colt New Police (.32 S&W Long)

Action Type: Double Action / Single Action Revolver with Swing-Out Cylinder

Markings:
The left side of the barrel is marked “COLT OFFICER’S .32 / HEAVY BARREL”. The top of the barrel is marked “COLT’S PT. F.A. MFG. CO. HARTFORD CT. U.S.A. / PAT’D AUG. 5, 1884. JULY 4, 1905. OCT. 5, 1926.” The left side plate bears the Rampant Colt logo. The inside of the crane cut and the crane arm are both marked “656581”. The front trigger guard bow bears Colt’s Verified Proof in an inverted triangle “VP”, and the rear bow is marked “Y”.

Barrel Length: 6″

Sights / Optics:
The front sight is an adjustable Patridge blade secured to the barrel. The rear sight is a square-notch unit adjustable for windage and elevation, dovetailed to the topstrap.

Stock Configuration & Condition:
The grips are a checkered walnut set with sharp borders and inset silver Colt medallions. The checkering remains crisp with only the lightest handling wear visible. The fit to the frame is excellent, with no cracks or chips noted. No numbers are found under the grip panels.

Type of Finish: Colt’s pre-war high-polish blue with matte topstrap and hammer channel.

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition:
The bore is bright with sharp rifling. There is no visible erosion. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 10/10.

Overall Condition:
This revolver retains approximately 95–97% of its original finish. The deep factory blue remains glossy and reflective, with faint handling marks and minor thinning at the muzzle. There are small scuffs near the barrel crown and faint operational wear on the cylinder’s turn line. The hammer spur, trigger face, and ejector rod knurling remain sharp, with vivid detail preserved across all control surfaces. The screw heads are clean and well-defined, and all roll marks are crisp. The overall condition rates in Excellent vintage collector grade.

Mechanics:
The action functions correctly in both double and single action. The timing and lockup are proper, and the cylinder release operates smoothly. We did not fire this revolver. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories:
None

Our Assessment:
The Colt Officer’s Model .32 Heavy Barrel is one of those fascinating late-interwar revolvers that bridged the artistry of the pre-war Colt factory with the rising precision standards of American target shooting. Produced only from 1939 to 1940—perhaps trickling into 1941—fewer than 1,000 are believed to have been made. This makes it one of the rarest variations in the entire Officer’s Model lineage. References such as R.L. Wilson’s The Book of Colt Firearms and S.P. Fjestad’s Colt: An American Legend both corroborate its limited production and near-cult status among collectors today.

Picture it in its original setting—the summer of 1940. The clouds of war darkened Europe, but in American club ranges and police training schools, the Officer’s Model Heavy Barrel was still king. Its perfectly balanced six-inch tube and .32 Colt New Police chambering (ballistically identical to the .32 S&W Long) were designed for deliberate, hole-cutting accuracy on the slow-fire line. The heavy barrel steadied the shooter’s hand, the checkered trigger face broke like glass, and the matte topstrap cut glare under the late-afternoon sun. It was the final word in American revolver craftsmanship before Colt’s factory would soon pivot to military contracts.

This example captures that moment beautifully—its high-polish bluing still deep and elegant, its fit and finish a testament to an era when every Colt left Hartford as a work of art. At roughly 95–97% finish retention with perfect mechanics, it’s both a rare find and a window into the twilight of the prewar golden age of revolvers. The Officer’s Model .32 Heavy Barrel was never meant to be mass-produced—it was meant to be perfect. And eight decades later, it still is.

KF