Knew this was coming up. Was one of the first vultures to hit the estate sale. Cal. 32.

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That is certainly a shame.

Those are classics. Carries like no other. You gonna like that one.

Charlie

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Charlie

Charlie is right on the money. A true classic. Shoot it and start looking for another.

Those are great little guns, especially now that you can get good quality magazines for them at a fair price. I have three, one early, one middle and one late. I even load for .32 auto just so I can afford to feed them. Ammo cost as much as cheap 9mm now.

Used to carry one in my vest plate pocket on forth watch. Can't have too many.

Condition wise that one is strictly in the shooter category. They are a lot of fun so if you bought it please enjoy it!
Jim

I'm envious. I've wanted a 1903 for years, and one of my ex-wives won't sell me hers.

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Oh well, what the hell.

This came from an ex that her husband died this month!

Wouldn't it be awesome if Taurus started making those?

So, you little "vulture", how much did it end up costing you??
Inquiring minds wanna know!

That and the .380 & .25 are amongst my FAV's!

That was my first handgun purchase when I turned 21 in 1959. I think it was less than $30

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Paul
Salome, AZ

I am a fan of the 1903 Colt for sure. Oil that baby up and take it to the range. If you have never shot one, I am very interested to hear your first impressions....

Dad ended his days in January, he had 3of the 1903 32's. My brother and I would each like one of his but his wife ain't sharing!

Ivan

I have one handed down from my Dad. It is a 1927 vintage, pretty rough finish but internals are great. The action is as smooth as butter. Great carry gun in my opinion.

Um no? Not really.

I hyave a 1903, a 1908 (380), and a 1908 vest pocket (25). I am amazed at the quality of craftsmanship in these old handguns.

I got nothing against the plastic guns but the fitting of the moving parts on the little colts is great. Never shot my .25. But the .32 and the .380 operate like a Swiss watch. I'll not give the cost of this one but I offered and paid a fair price.

The 1903 Pocket Hammerless is one of the finest concealed carry guns ever made. I carry mine often.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Thanks for all the likes. Ref. The little Colt. There was a pair of Bond arms derringers there but they don't seem to be very popular.

What continues to amaze me is how much many people will spend on a shooter level example like yours. I can't remember the last time I saw one under $500, and when you start getting into 90+ condition, forget about it.

I like yours, a lot.

According to my book by R. L. Wilson it appears that your fine little .32 auto was made in 1912. You can't beat the quality of these pistols.

Back in the early 60s when there were a lot of racial troubles in South Louisanna a parish deputy gave my Grandad a 1903 that he had "taken off a darky" (his words not mine) when he found out Pawpaw didn't have any type pistol. My uncle tried shooting 32S&W through it w little success. Since I understood what 32 ACP was I got it after both my grandparents passed. My Dad grabbed it for me because i was the only one who could get it to shoot. Until I got it I made sure my uncle never saw me shoot it w ACP. I left the 32S&W ammo box in the drawer where the pistol stayed and made sure Grandma had a 20 gauge shotgun if she needed to shoot a critter. I also bought Dad a 681 so he wouldn't be tempted to try to figure it out. It's a sweet little pistol.

They are much like the 3rd generation S&W autos they just run and run.
The only thing that may break is the firing pin.

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age is just a number

Took the granddaughter shooting again. Her request. 22 mdl. 34 first up. Then my new shield. She didn't like it. Then the 3 inch 36. She was hitting center mass like a pro. Next the 1903. Now she likes it. After several rounds thru it. She moved up to head shots. That girl makes an old guy smile. Outa 145 rounds in four different pistols she only had four rounds that didn't score something. The four she got off the target were shooting head shots and hands were getting tired. No more bragging till next outing.

I don't think so. They are currently being made under license from Colt by U S Armament. They make several different finishes. Also make new magazines that interchange with the originals.

Here is my original Colt 1903, from the 20s, I can't remember the exact year right now, but around 1926.

It is a great little gun, and has never malfunctioned (well, since I've had it...it was made twenty years before I was born!). Pictured with its little brother.



Enjoy these little gems...they were made to shoot, and do so very well!!

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

Or, much better IMO, one of the economy 1911 companies doing good work like ATI or Rock Island should offer them. Though I personally would prefer a repro 1908 as .380 has a lot more bite than .32.

See my post above....US Armament makes a very nice one, and are reputed to be working on a .380 version. Authorized by colt and marked as the originals. Parts are reputed to interchange. They are a beautiful "reissue".



Photo from their website.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

I'd much rather see a new build CZ Model 1924 pistol with a more sensible grip angle, but I am a rabid fan of unusual/rare/wacky firearm operating system.

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Release the Kraken

I looked at one of the new production with the parkerized finish. They were asking $850 IIRC. Out of my price range.

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I told you not to use Lifebuoy

ALWAYS SEE THEM IN BOGART MOVIES... PERFECT POCKET PISTOL .

1903 Colts were my first collecting love. Thru the years, I switched over to S&W. I kept the best of the 3 I had, though.

Nice Colt!
The 1903 Hammerless is a great little pistol.
The 32's were always more fun to shoot than the 380,,at least for me.


If the right grip is as nice as the left in the pic and I was going to shoot and carry the pistol,,I would remove the orig grips and replace with a set of checkered Walnut repros like the later issue 1903's had.
Those orig grips in nice condition (no cracks, no missing chips, ect) are a very expensive article when you go shopping for a set.
They can bring in some decent $$ for you if you choose to sell them. Or just to save their nice condition,

The material is Hard Rubber, orig called Vulcanite. It's very brittle now with the passage of time.

I ran across a fairly nice first model Colt 1903 at the local gun show today, I'd say about 80% (mainly due to finish wear on the slide). Seller wanted $650. I was tempted but passed. I also ran across a somewhat later 1903 in slightly better condition at the same price. Seller indicated he would be willing to negotiate but I decided I didn't need any more guns today. At one time I had a sizable collection of US-made pocket pistols, among which were several 1903s and 1908s which I sold off 20+ years ago, along with most of the others. I kept only several Savages and Remington 51s as they were my favorites and I couldn't bear to part with them.

The Colt Pocket Auto has been a very popular gun for over 100 years, I run into a lot of vintage holsters made for them. And I agree, they’re fun to shoot.
This holster has an Ohio deputy’s name written inside and is dated 1923.
Regards,
turnerriver

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turnerriver

I've wanted one for some time in .380 maybe that's a different model, they just look so nice

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This is the way....

Actually, I think they're running closer to just over $1K, but considering what it takes to make these in a quality manner that's not a bad price point.

I have a couple of .32's from 1924 that are in very nice condition for guns approaching a century in age.

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- Change it back -

I have three of the 03s and an 08. I was also lucky enough to pick up a copy of John Brunner's book on them a few years ago.

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The Colt 1903 is in .32 ACP. The 1908 is much the same but in .380. Then there is the 1908 Vest Pocket which is the small .25 which was the inspiration for a plethora of small .25 pistol copies from numerous European manufacturers. Back when I was a kid, I remember that there were cap guns made which closely resembled the 1903/1908. I had one of them, and it was one reason I had an early interest in pre-WWII US pocket pistols. With the exception of the Remington 51 and possibly the Savage (different opinions on that), all others were pure blowback, so the .380 was the largest caliber the American pocket pistols were made in. The father of all of them was the .32 FN-Browning Model 1899, still an excellent design.

The little Colt 1903 Hammerless guns were great designs (John Browning, natch) and were very well put together by Colt. They can still serve as effective discreet carry pistols.

I have two, illustrated here. The second one one belonged to Sheriff Harry Wheeler, who also worked his way up through the Arizona Rangers to become that organization's captain. After the Rangers were disbanded, he became the 3-term sheriff of Cochise County and was the moving force behind the Bisbee Deportation. You may find it interesting to look that one up, for sure. He purchased this gun while on his way to serve in France during WWI. His grave is in Bisbee's Evergreen cemetery, about 30 yards or so from my own maternal grandparents' graves.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -