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Old 06-18-2018, 08:37 PM
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Redcoat3340 Redcoat3340 is offline
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My 32acp choice: Colt 1903.  Thanks My 32acp choice: Colt 1903.  Thanks My 32acp choice: Colt 1903.  Thanks My 32acp choice: Colt 1903.  Thanks My 32acp choice: Colt 1903.  Thanks  
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Default My 32acp choice: Colt 1903. Thanks

Many thanks to all who offered their expertise, experience, and opinions on which .32acp to look for.

I put an ad in the WA Armslist and got a response....a choice of a Colt 1903 for $450 or Mauser 1914 for $350. With all the advice I got I was over the Colt like a cold sweat.

Picked it up today and it's in great shape for a 100 year old gun (it was made in 1918).

Paid $400 and I'll have it to the range tomorrow or Wednesday. What a sweet little gun. Comfortable, fills the hand even for its size, bore is in good+ shape and while there's no real bluing left the finish is much better than the pictures kinda show.

I'll be looking for a Wolfe spring kit (recoil & hammer/mainspring) just to make sure. A bunch of ammo arrives Friday.

Again, thanks to all who made suggestions, sort of....there were a bunch of guys really behind the Beretta model 70, now I'll be looking for one of those!
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Old 06-18-2018, 08:52 PM
Rpg Rpg is online now
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You got the right 32.
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Old 06-18-2018, 08:55 PM
Ozark Marine Ozark Marine is offline
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Great choice.
Did it come with a half-tone mag?
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Old 06-18-2018, 09:01 PM
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$450 is a steal for one of those. great score.
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Old 06-18-2018, 09:08 PM
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The Colt 1903/1908 Pistols are among my favorites and I own a .25, .32 & .380. I bought them only because I love the design , not as a self defense gun as I am not confident in any of the calibers (but that's a discussion for another day).

I do shoot them a few times a year and I always get a kick out of people trying to figure out what they heck they are. They have amazingly smooth triggers and I do not ever remember any of them having a FTF - never!

I lucked out and each of mine came with at least one or two two-tone Mag's.
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Old 06-18-2018, 09:08 PM
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Enjoy that one. IMHO the best thing that ever came out of a Colt factory. Perfect balance and feel. You will love it.
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Old 06-18-2018, 10:44 PM
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Just don't fumble depressing the grip safety, and I bet that gun will really please.

Is that pitting or tool marks on the slide at the right end? Maybe that's why the gun was so cheap.

If I wasn't surviving on a fixed income, I'd buy one, and a Mauser 1914 and a Beretta M-35 or a M-70.

If you get the Beretta M-70 with the flat grips, try to find a spare pair at a good price. They may crack and replacements are usually expensive. After GCA '68, they had to import with target grips to make the cut for importation.

Many years ago, at the library, I read an old article in, American Rifleman by a guy who thought highly of his Colt .32 auto as an outdoors gun.I think his was very accurate.

It's one of my great regrets that I never got to fire my dad's Colt .32 auto before he traded it to an accountant for tax help. My son and his wife have two. Maybe I'll shoot them one day. But one is nickel, and I hope whenever he wears it to visit me that the neighbors don't hear of it. I'd be SO embarrassed. I think of nickle guns about like what Patton said about pearl grips...

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Old 06-18-2018, 11:05 PM
walter o walter o is offline
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I just love the Colt model-m they are like the 3rd gen.S&W they just keep on running. pictured 2 -.380 the rest are 32 Cal
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Old 06-19-2018, 12:08 AM
shouldazagged shouldazagged is offline
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My ex-wife, the second one, has a really nice 1903 I've wanted to buy from her for years. She won't sell, dammit. She always was hardheaded.
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Old 06-19-2018, 03:44 AM
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Had this one quite awhile. Paid $400 for it so you know it was quite awhile.
Lovely little gun. After seeing what I had to hit to get my conceal carry permit, I decided to shoot this one. No problem.

Before Ed's time, the pamphlet has the formulae for making what is now Ed's Red in the back. It originally use Sperm Whale oil instead of ATF. (actually the Ed's Red was in another pamphlet, I THINK with an early Det Spl.)

Charlie


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Old 06-19-2018, 06:43 AM
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Big danger if dropped it can fire even with safety on. The hammer jumps the sear when dropped.
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Old 06-19-2018, 08:28 AM
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The Colt 1908's and 1903's are "unique" in my collection. They were purchase for NO real reasons (like self defense, CCW, target shooting, etc.) but ONLY because I love them! Almost every other Firearm was purchased with some reason or purpose in mind - these are just BEAUTIFUL, SMOOTH and NEAT!

Unfortunately, IMHO they make pretty bad CCW guns though....... Can't really carry them safety with a round in the tube (safety is too easily swiped off). To carry them with an empty Chamber slows the gun down too much for CCW IMO, and the caliber is quite arguably inadequate for proper stopping power. Too bad they never progressed into an action like the Sig P365 in larger calibers - but of course then they would not be the same I suppose.

I am always impressed with how smooth and accurate they are and always thoroughly enjoy shooting them - even the puny little .25acp!

Last edited by chief38; 06-19-2018 at 08:32 AM.
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Old 06-19-2018, 09:07 AM
2152hq 2152hq is offline
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You'll have fun with that one,,congrats!

"...I'll be looking for a Wolfe spring kit (recoil & hammer/mainspring) just to make sure. A bunch of ammo arrives Friday..."

Wolfe may (I don't know) offer a replacement recoil spring for these as they are often kinked.
If it gives you some problems, sometimes you can straighten the kink out a bit and then reverse the spring in reassembly. That'll often cure any problems arising from that.
Reversing it in reassembly simply puts the spring guide through the formerly kinked area and holds it true.

The mainspring/hammer spring is a pretty stout forged V spring though, Seated under that in the back of the frame is a multi fingered leaf spring to operate the sear & trigger,,not unlike the 1911 type.
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Old 06-19-2018, 09:20 AM
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I think you will enjoy that quite a bit.
Wait until you shoot it!
If it has a nice two-tone magazine, that's a substantial value added!
I carried one for years with no issues. Foolishly sold it.
The only one I have left is too nice to carry around, but it does get shot upon occasion.


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Old 06-19-2018, 09:57 AM
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Have fun with it.
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Old 06-19-2018, 10:45 AM
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Here's two in my collection that I don't shoot for obvious reasons.
Jim
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