This is a Colt "Officers Match Special", 1952 vintage, in .22lr. This is another one of those oddities which have noticeable cosmetic wear on the outside, and virtually new-pristine-from-the-factory internally.
This is a heavy handgun at 43 ounces, but it looks much more massive than its direct competitor, the S&W Model 17-3, which weighs 41 ounces. Both designs go back to the early 1900s, but Smith seems to do a styling refresh every 20-30 years or so. The result is that the Smith looks slimmer and trimmer, probably due to the tapered-but-heavy barrel, and the weight added by the top rib. Between the design, and the modern grips, the Smith is definitely more comfortable, with a center of gravity lower and closer to the hand. The big, fat, untapered barrel on the Colt has plenty of weight, but poorer balance, IMHO.
The action on the Colt is tight, but after finding the threads on the cylinder detent screw rusted in place, I'll have to open it completely and check for rust or gunk before retiring it alongside Lady Di.
The heavy wear of the blued finish at the muzzle, and front and rear edges of the cylinder (the widest part of the revolver) suggests it was carried a lot in a holster, even if it was virtually unfired. The walnut grips are heavily worn, especially on the right side. This seems consistent with carrying in a holster with a flap that covers the right-side grip, but also rubs against it.
The original grips must have never been removed, because not only had the wood shrunk to where it wasn't even as wide as the frame, but the sand-blasted blued finish stuck to the wood, leaving the grip area bare. Fortunately, this is the same Colt medium frame revolver as the Python, and the standard grips from the Python snubbie are still a perfect fit, leaving the entire revolver looking less worn. The first picture shows the new grips, which aren't perfect for the purist, but a purist would never touch this revolver, correct grips or not.
Doing a bit of research, I learned that the "Special" replaced the "Masterpiece" to lower costs. The Masterpiece, with its super-fancy "royal blue" finish like the Python had, was not selling at all in that economy. They decided to cut costs on the Special by using the standard finish like their other "working" handguns had. A standard polishing was used for the barrel, and the flat areas of the frame. Everything else received a coarse sandblasting. It no longer looked as elegant and precise as before, but it shot just as well.
The mystery of who would carry this expensive target .22 in a holster for quite a long time, and yet left it basically unfired, remains a challenge to my detective skills. Theories and speculation are welcomed.