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Make: Colt
Model: 1905
Serial Number: 3425
Year of Manufacture: 1908 (
https://www.colt.com/serial-lookup/),
NFA Exempt With Stock"Firearms removed from the provisions of the National Firearms Act and classified as curios or relics, still subject to the provisions of 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44, the Gun Control Act of 1968...Colt, Model 1905, pistol, cal. .45 rimless, with leather holster/shoulder stock and 5" barrel".
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 minor handling wear. There are a few light marks, mostly around the edges of the checkering. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Fine condition.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Professionally Restored
Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is no erosion in the bore, but there is a little stubborn fouling near the muzzle. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 9 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 97% of its current metal finish. The finish is generally strong throughout. There are some spots of minor erosion on the left of the slide behind the slide wedge with touched-up finish around the spots. The action shows minor operational wear. Otherwise, there are only light handling marks. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The markings range from clear to shallow, but legible. Overall, this pistol is in fine condition as restored.
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 and a leather stock/holster with brass mounting bracket. The flap of the holster has nearly torn free from the body. One of the "ears" on the flap has torn free but is included. The flap's strap shows fraying. The holster shows scattered general wear.
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 1908 and is a particularly scarce gun. Of the 6,210 pistols made, only 440 were cut for a stock/holster. The pistol/carbine version didn't sell very well, likely having something to do with being priced at $40 while plain pistols sold for $22. 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. A pistol-carbine version will only become even more desirable with every passing year. We expect the collectors of Colt autos are going to be interested in this pistol, and ATF has helpfully exempted these pistols from the NFA, so you can actually install and use the stock if you'd like! 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!