In House Shipping:
Make: Colt
Model: Super .38 Automatic
Serial Number: 200961
Year of Manufacture: 1968 (https://colt.com/serial-lookup)
Caliber: .38 Super
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto with Removable Magazine
Barrel Length: 5”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a serrated, ramped blade fixed to the front of the slide. The rear sight is a square-notch dovetailed to the rear of the slide.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered brown “Coltwood” plastic panels with reinforcement rings around the screws and a Rampant Colt in a circle in the middle. The grips have extensive shrinkage, resulting in cracking and loss, common to this grip material. Overall, the grips are in Poor Condition.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is no erosion in the bore, but there is a little stubborn fouling. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 9 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 96% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at some edges, most notable at the front edges of the slide. There is some residue around the grips. There are some scattered minor nicks and scuffing. The slide's finish has a slight plum hue. The action shows minor operational wear. The screw heads are lightly tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in about Very Good Condition, and would rate Fine but for the grips.
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 blued 9-round magazine stamped “COLT SUPER / .38 AUTO” on the bottom floorplate.
Our Assessment: Colt introduced the “Super .38” in 1928 as the successor to the .38 ACP Model 1902 Military and Model 1903 Pocket Hammer models.The Super .38 was a hard hitting version of the Government Model 1911, built on the familiar 1911A1 frame, but with a lighter bullet offering less felt recoil than that produced from .45 ACP. .38 Super was a higher pressure loading of .38 ACP, capable of driving a 115 gr. bullet past 1400 fps., producing more than 500 ft-lbs of energy. This is not quite up to the .357 Magnum, but was still capable of penetrating body armor and automobiles at the time. A large number of Colt Super .38 pistols were sold in the Southwestern US, particularly Texas, and in Central and South America. .38 Super was one of the most popular cartridges south of the Texas-Mexican border for many years.
This Colt Post-WW2 Super .38 Automatic was made in 1968 and is in Very Good Condition. It features a 5” barrel, 96% of its crisp, original blued finish, two-piece checkered brown “Coltwood” plastic grips in poor shape (showing the shrinkage, cracking, and losses common to the material), an original Colt blued 9-round mag, strong mechanics, and a mostly bright bore with sharp rifling (there’s a little stubborn fouling). The Super .38 pistols are highly prized by collectors, and this one, with a new set of grips, should still make for a fun shooter. 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. A signed Certificate Of Authenticity from the Seiderman family will be included with this piece.