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Make: Colt
Model: 1908, Type III Pocket Hammerless
Serial Number: 11640
Year of Manufacture: 1912 (https://colt.com/serial-lookup)
Caliber: .380 ACP
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 early style "COLT" batwing banners across their tops and Rampant Colts in small circles at their bottoms. The grips have only a few scattered minor marks. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in about Excellent Condition.
Type of Finish: Blued, small parts Fire-Blued
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright with sharp rifling. There are some scattered spots of light erosion and stubborn fouling in the bore, and there’s more notable erosion in the chamber. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates about 6 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 60% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. Most of the balance is in scattered patches of surface erosion. There are some nicks, scuffs, and scratches, some appearing to be from attempts to clean the erosion. The action shows operational wear. The screw head is tool marked with a strong slot. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in 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 7-round magazine stamped “CALIBRE 380” on the bottom floorplate.
Our Assessment: The Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless semi-automatic pistol was designed by legendary firearms inventor John Moses Browning, and was the second of the Colt concealed hammer models, following the M-1903. 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 This allowed the weapon to be carried in and withdrawn from a pocket quickly and smoothly without snagging.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 the infamous Al Capone, a total of 138,010 Colt Model 1908s were produced before manufacture ceased in 1945. The M-1908 most notably served as the US Army’s General Officer pistol from the 1940s until being replaced by the M15 in the 1970s.
This Colt M-1908 Type III Pocket Hammerless Semi-Auto Pistol was made in 1912 and is in Good Condition. It features a 3.75” barrel, 60% of its original blued finish (there’s scattered erosion), strong fire-blue on the controls, the classic checkered black hard rubber grips with early style "COLT" batwing banners across their tops and Rampant Colts in small circles at their bottoms, and a semi-bright bore with sharp rifling (there are some scattered spots of light erosion and stubborn fouling, and there’s more notable erosion in the chamber). 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.