In House Shipping:
Make: Colt
Model: 1903, Type III Pocket Hammerless
Serial Number: 313319
Year of Manufacture: 1919 (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 “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 logo in the bottom half of the grips. The right panel has a loss at the top-front corner, continuing down most of the front edge. The grips otherwise have only a few minor marks. The remaining checkering is well defined. Overall, the grips are in about Good Condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original, matching slide.
Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright with sharp rifling. There are scattered patches of light erosion and some pitting in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 6 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 92% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at some edges. The majority of the balance is in scattered spots of light surface oxidation, mostly on the slide and grip safety. There are a few light nicks, scuffs, and scratches. The action shows minor operational wear. The screw head is tool marked with a strong slot. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in about Very Good Condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired 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 stamped “CAL. 32 / COLT” on the bottom floorplate, an original manual, and its original black cardboard Colt box in pieces with the matching serial number hand-written on the bottom of the tray portion.
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 This allowed the weapon to be carried in and withdrawn from a pocket quickly and smoothly without snagging.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 M-1903 Type III Pocket Hammerless Semi-Auto Pistol was made in 1919 and is in Very Good Condition. It features a 3.75” barrel, 92% of its crisp, original blued finish, the classic checkered black hard rubber grips with “COLT” in a banner near the tops and a Rampant Colt logo in the bottom half (the right panel has a loss at the top-front corner, continuing down most of the front edge), a semi-bright bore with sharp rifling (there are scattered patches of light erosion, and there’s some pitting), an original vintage Colt blued magazine, an original manual, and its original black cardboard Colt box in pieces with the matching serial number hand-written on the bottom of the tray portion. Lastly, this pistol comes from the personal collection of inventor, founder, and President of Universal Firearms, Abe Seiderman, and should be of additional interest to collectors for that ownership lineage.