[marktwain]

Ping on an Officers Model Colt.

[Tijeras_Slim]

That is the earliest example I have seen. The one I posted is sometimes referred to as "2nd Change". Yours has the cylinder latch of pre-1920's guns like the 1917.

The grips are apparently original like the ones in this photo.

Also curiously, yours looks to be chambered in .38 Colt, not .38 Special (like every other one I've seen). That would also point to it being an early gun, as the .38 Special dates to 1899 (IIRC). The picture should also help in answering your query about the ejector rod.

This is clearly a pre-WWI gun IMO. It even looks like the one on my Great Grandfather's NJ National Guard Pistol Marksmanship medal, which dates to 1909-1912. Thank you for sharing.

[Jimmy Valentine]

I have one very similar. It is a 38 double action officers model manufactured by the Rock Island Armory. It was carried in the Spanish American War

If you have a serial number off of the barrel you can work backwards and get a little more history on it