In House Shipping:
Make: Colt
Model: 1903, Type III Pocket Hammerless
Serial Number: 134222
Year of Manufacture: 1912 (
https://colt.com/serial-lookup)
Caliber: .32 ACP (7.65mm Browning)
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto Pistol with Removable Magazine
Barrel Length: 3 3/4”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a short rounded blade fixed to the front of the slide. The rear sight is a round-top “U”-notch dovetailed into the rear of the slide.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are checkered black hard rubber with “COLT” in a banner near the tops and a Rampant Colt over stylized "C" logo in the bottom half of the grips. The grips have minor handling wear with only a few small marks. The checkering, lettering, and Colts are still well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Fine Plus Condition.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is some stubborn fouling in the bore, and there is minor erosion in the chamber. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 8 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 90% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. There are some scattered spots of minor erosion on the slide, mostly on the right toward the front. There is a patch of wear at the left-front of the slide. There are scattered minor nicks, scuffs, and scratches. The action shows light operational wear. The screw head is tool marked with a strong slot. The markings are clear. Overall, the pistol is in Very Good Plus Condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this handgun. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with one vintage original Colt fully blued 8-round magazine, which is correctly unmarked with a pinned base, dating manufacture to ca. 1903-1913. The magazine floorplate's toe is bent down slightly.
Our Assessment: The Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless semi-automatic pistol was designed by legendary firearms inventor John Moses Browning, and was the first of the Colt concealed hammer models, followed by the M-1908 in .380 ACP. Despite the “hammerless” title, the M-1903 and M-1908 pistols do have a hammer, which is covered and hidden from view under the rear of the slide. This allowed the weapon to be carried in and withdrawn from a pocket quickly and smoothly without snagging. A favorite among detectives, everyday civilians, policemen, and gangsters alike, including such famous outlaws as Bonnie Parker and John Dillinger, a total of 572,215 Colt Model 1903s were produced before manufacture ceased in 1945. It served as the US Army’s General Officer pistol from the 1940s until being replaced by the M15 in the 1970s, and was also issued to US Office of Strategic Services (OSS) operatives for their “cloak and dagger” missions in occupied Europe during WW2.
This Colt Model 1903 Type III Pocket Hammerless Semi-Auto Pistol was made in 1912 and is in Very Good Plus Condition. It features a 3.75” barrel, 90% of its lustrous, original blued finish with some vibrant “fire-blue” on the slide lock safety and trigger, classic “COLT” banner and Rampant Colt checkered black hard rubber grips, strong mechanics, and a mostly bright bore with sharp rifling (there’s some stubborn fouling in the bore, and there’s minor erosion in the chamber). This would make an attractive addition to a collection of Colt automatics.