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Make: Colt
Model: 1905
Serial Number: 4932
Year of Manufacture: 1910
Caliber: .45 ACP
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto Pistol fed by Removable Magazine
Barrel Length: 5”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade fixed to the front of the slide. The rear sight is a rounded-top “U” notch dovetailed into the rear of the slide.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered walnut with smooth diamonds around the grip screw escutcheons. The grips have even, light handling wear. There are some scattered light nicks, scuffs and scratches. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good condition.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is gray. The rifling is well defined. There is light erosion and some minor pitting scattered through the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 6 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 87% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. There are evenly scattered spots of minor oxidation. The grip areas show light handling wear and have some patches of light erosion. There are a few light nicks and small scratches. The action shows light operational wear. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this handgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with a single 7-round magazine.
Our Assessment: The Ordnance Department of the U.S. Army convened a board of two men, Capt. John t. Thompson and Maj. Louis A. La Garde to determine a minimum handgun caliber for use by the U.S. Military in 1903. In 1904, a month before the report was released, Union Metallic Cartridge Company (U.M.C.) received “figures for the proposed ctgs.”. UMC began work on cartridges, and shortly thereafter Colt set to work experimenting on a .45 caliber pistol based on their 1902 Military model. U.M.C. came up with a rimless .45 cartridge that they were producing by April 1905. Meanwhile, Colt had John M. Browning try to figure out how to handle the stresses caused by higher powered cartridges using the M1902 pistol as a baseline.
By May 1905, Browning had applied for a patent covering a new barrel design with locking lugs on the bottom to lock it to the frame. In 1907, Army tests began on guns from 8 different manufacturers, which was narrowed down to Colt’s Model 1905 and pistols from Savage and Luger. Changes were requested, and Colt came up with a prototype of the new Model 1907 by Sept.1907. Only about 207 of this new model were made, making them some of the most desired collector guns in the world. Further modifications resulted in the Model 1911, which was adopted by the Army and is still in use until this day as the M1911-A1. Although the M1905 wasn’t adopted by the Army, they were made and sold commercially except for those used in government testing. The oil polished mirror finish Colt put on the pistols, with a fire blue or case-colored finish on the smaller parts, made them very desirable.
This M1905 pistol was made in 1910, toward the end of production. The pistol is in Very Good condition, retaining much of its original finish, a bore showing signs of use with corrosive ammo, and strong mechanics. The grips have fairly light wear for their age. This model, along with its M1900 and M1902 predecessors, is a must-have amongst Colt collectors as being the first of the large framed Colt semi-automatics. As only 6,210 of the M1905 pistols were made, they become even more desirable with every passing year. We expect the collectors of Colt autos are going to be interested in this very late production pistol. This example also comes from the personal collection of inventor, founder and President of Universal Firearms, Abe Seiderman, and may be of interest to collectors for this history. Please see our photos and good luck!