Local pawn shop. Price is $999 ... not much room for wheeling and dealing. Blue/condition is about 85-90 % ... maybe better. Bore is great. Sights are fine. Comes with Hister flap top holster. Just a pretty little thing. Said he would consider trades. Would prefer .380 caliber as .32 ACP just is not common in this area. What do ya'll think? Sincerely. bruce.

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Price seems high to me. However, I’ve overpaid for things I really want ��

Price does seem high but......

How often do you even see one in that condition?

If you do not buy it, how bad will you be kicking yourself when you go back and it is gone?

If you really want it.....

I've never bought into the whole 1903 mystique and I'm not a fan of .380 in blowback guns, so it's at least $500 overpriced to me. I know, severe case of YMMV.

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Release the Kraken

I agree the price is high (at least for this area) but they are great guns. I have a .32 and a .380, and I prefer the .32 version.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

I have my Dad's 1908. The mystique is real! Lusting for a new Colt 1903.

About $400 too high.

Keep looking.

And make sure it has an original mag.

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My sgntr is mor thn 30 chrctrs

I had one 40 years ago & traded it off. Mine was blue with walnut grips. Another one of those "I wish I hadda kept it" guns.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I also think the price is high. I got this one about a year ago with 5 magazines and 5 old boxes of ammo for $1000. It’s very nearly as new and would easily go 95%+. I probably wouldn’t go more than $700 for an 85% gun. On the other hand, how bad do you want it?

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Everybody could shoot

I think it's high and I own four of them, 3X.32 and 1X.380. Several hundred too high. (Then again, it's your money.)

If it is 90% plus and no freckling etc then the price is not bad.
If it is a US government issue, a good deal!
Basically,check it out fully to make sure it is not messed with and original 100%.
Bring cash and do an OTD offer.
Check it out carefully.
Make the seller earn it.

The ultimate question is noted above - how badly do you want it? Is it part of a collection of similar guns or just a super cool antique you'd like to have? Is it a shooter or a safe queen?

Assuming the price is reasonable (unlikely), assuming you don't need that money (good for you!), assuming the gun is all original (probably), etc., etc., and that's a lot of assumptions...................

How badly do you want it?

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Come and take it!!

I paid $400 for mine about 3 years ago and it's about 75%. I would not get it in .380: it's a small gun, blowback, tiny sights, and you aren't using it for carry, so what difference does .32 vs .380 make?

Ammo in your LGS in .32 may be scarce but it's been plentiful and reasonable online, at least the last time I bought a bunch (Jan 2020).

For me the price seems several hundred too much and unless you are a diehard collector does 90%ish versus 75% really make a difference as long as both function perfectly.

I'd try a trade, depending what was in the safe I wasn't shooting and keep looking.

I like the 1903 .32 acp and have two of them. They are good pistols but
not perfect and many are getting on in years by now. .32 acps are much
more common than .380s. $999.00 would be plenty for a pair unless
they were extra nice and both had original magazines.

Thank you all very much for your most helpful advice. I do not think this gun is for me. So very thankful that I did not just plunk down the money. So very thankful that I ask advise. Sincerely. Bruce.

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$1000.00 is what they cost up here when they appear. So far, they haven’t gotten my money. If course, it’s differences of opinion that make horse races and spinsters. I did buy two Remington M51s. They didn’t cost $1000 for the both of them.

Regards, Porkie.

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Least expected, you’re elected

I'm usually the first in line to say that many shooters undervalue collectible guns based on outdated bluebook prices in what is an internet/online auction age.

I'm also among the first in line to point out that when you buy a quality firearm that is no longer made and will never be made again, you never pay too much you just buy too soon, and you'll eventually have a good deal.

All that said, $999 is about $400 too much, especially in the current economy where a lot of closet and safe queens will be showing up for sale.

BUT they are being made again. U.S.armament is making them under license from COLT

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age is just a number

most of mine have been $450. or less except the 1 i had engraved engraved . Tied up a bunch in that one but it was done for a reason

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age is just a number

Value/ Price would be dependent on Condition and amount of original finish....Original Finish should have the Serial and the VP on the Triggerguard showing bright metal, as they were applied after Bluing.

Original Mag is two-tone and Stamped Cal.32 and 2nd line, Colt.

These are exceptionally good Shooters considering the sights, Using old Remington green/white box ammo, on an NRA Pistol Target, I was able to keep 3 in the 9 ring and 2 in the 10 @ 50 ft.
(12 years ago) Not bad for what’s now a 101 year old Pistol.


After firing the 5 rounds, I cleaned it, than put REN Wax on it and back in the Safe.

To paraphrase a comment I saw from author/collector Bruce Canfield from Mississippi about collectible firearms; "sometimes you don't pay too much, you just paid too soon."

With that quote in mind, I once bought a collectible handgun for $500, which was about $100-$150 more than the market rate at the time. Now, about 5 years later, I wouldn't take $700 for it.

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Live long and prosper

They are nice but not that nice.
You can kick your self for not buying it or end up crying for a long time if you do. Say you buy it? Then what, post some pictures, clean it and put it in a safe. For what??



Repeat:


"It's only a Gun. It's only a gun"

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Still Running Against the Wind

Of course, one should consider one’s life expectancy before applying that particular piece of wisdom

The one below was $249, with correct two-tone mag, at Cabela’s of all places, not known for hot deals on collectables.

Shoots just fine. Admittedly, it does fall a bit short on the 85-90%.

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Can you show the magazine, Absalom, so members can see what a Colt 2/tone mag looks like? They're so expensive sometimes they're faked.

I don’t have a photo on my phone and can’t get to my gun right now to take one, but here is a great illustration of the different magazine types which I borrowed from a well-informed member on another forum. Sorry about the low resolution, but it’s readable.

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I don't have any experience with their guns but my brother bought a mag. and I bought 2 mags. and they work just as good as the original mags. at a much better price. Larry

I bought a .32 third party magazine for my PPK. It works great, but if it had the Walther banner on the side, it would add something to the collector value rather than the collector/shooter value. It's worth considering with an older gun with collector value. My oldest .32, a FN 1910, hasn't much shooter value at all...a 100 year old gun that doesn't see much range time and with sights that barely qualify as such. The reason I own it isn't for SD or target shooting or any other practical value. Maybe that's true with the 1903 Colt. If it were mine, I'd go with an original, if one could be found.

If you're talking about the newly manufactured 1903s that are being sold as Colts, I would strongly urge you to cool that lust, or turn it elsewhere.

I bought one, brand-new, back in 2017. Out of the box, the magazine was jammed in the pistol, the bluing was inconsistent (dull in some spots, shiny in others), there was a gouge in the trigger guard, and both the safety and the grip safety were impossibly tight. (You had to hold the pistol with two hands and push down on the grip safety with both thumbs on order to squeeze the trigger.)

When I contacted Colt, they informed me that they have nothing to do with those pistols, other than licensing their name. I contacted the manufacturer in Pennsylvania; after several days they got back to me, and I returned the 1903 to them for repair.

After examining the pistol, they emailed me to inform me that while they repaired the magazine release, all of the other issues I noted were not really problems, and that the pistol fell within their, and Colt's, standards.

Ultimately, the distributor took the pistol back and refunded my money. (Kudos to TechNet Armory of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.)

I still have the correspondence from this adventure, and will be happy to share it with you if you wish, but the bottom line is I wouldn't own one of those "new" 1903s on a bet.

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Some years ago, I bought a 1942-vintage Victory Model revolver from a Forum member on here that was new and unfired. At the time I paid $600 for it. I still have it, it's still new and unfired, and I wouldn't sell it for twice what I paid.

First second or third variation?

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Expect the unexpected

I think that unless you're really really into the Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless, then you should pass. I've seen them go for significantly less, and although you'd have to be patient and do a lot of digging, you could find one for less, especially if you want one in .380 ACP because the 1908 Pocket Hammerless is less popular for some reason.

So yeah, unless you're a huge fan and the 1903 Pocket Hammerless is on your personal Bucket List, don't.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

All I can think of is the one in 32acp that I bought for $100 bill about 1996.
A girl I was seeing took it with her when she left.

I miss the Colt, but as long as she stays gone I'm okay with the deal.

Here's a 1903 I purchased a few years ago for $450.00. I like the .32 ACP round in these pistols as they're very reliable and very accurate. This one made in 1924.

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Live long and prosper

Now that one looks pristine, and nowadays one might get 1000 for this kind of condition with a bit of patience. 1924 was just about when Colt transitioned from hard rubber to wood.

I bought one last year for around $500. But I bought it as a shooter and just to own a piece of history. It's not collector grade. Maybe 80%. I like the /32ACP in these vintage pre WW2 guns. Savage 1907 & 1917, Walther PP, Remington 51, Colt 1903 and 1908, CZ 27 and a FEG Frommer STOP. They shoot that round very nicely. Much better than the 380s IMO. I don't carry mine and never will. As far as ammo for them I bought a case of European (.32ACP Geco runs a bit hotter) for a very reasonable price. It's the local gun shops that don't have any or much at a reasonable price.

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John 1:17
NRA Life Benefactor

I sure wish I could buy a nice Colt M1903 or M1908 for $600 here in California. They typically are marked at $1000 - $1200 for the best examples and don't last long when offered for sale.

Several posters have told the OP that the one he is looking at is priced way too high and they tell how cheap they got theirs. I bought one around 1967 for $15. It had some blueing wear but wasn't beat up. I carried and shot it for a few months and sold it for $17.50. I guess I sold it too early. Larry

It's the same issue as people relying on blue book values.

What you paid even a year or two ago may not reflect current market value because things change.

Ty sequined dinosaurs went from about $5 last week to $40-$50 this week because Space X used one to demonstrate zero g in Saturday's launch. That spike won't last long.

On the other hand, I watched Shiloh Sharps rifles go from about $1500 with a 0 to 3 month wait, to around $4000 with a 36 to 48 month wait after Quigley Down Under was released. It took literally decades for the prices and wait times to moderate.

I've seen very good to excellent condition 9422s double in actual real world value in the last 15 years, and I see real beaters going for the prices a LNIB 9422 used to command. However, I also saw a significant slump in 9422 prices during the great .22 LR shortage.

Similarly, the Winchester BB94 in .375 Win won't bring what it used to, due to the very sporadic availability of .375 Win ammo, and if you handload, they can be excellent values right now.

The post 1963 pre rebounding hammer (1982) Winchester Model 94 is a carbine that the old heads almost always under value as it never had any collector value. However, shooters are paying $450-$500 for one in just good to very good condition now, as they have the traditional quarter cock hammer safety system and make great woods guns.

Ironically, with Winchester lever gun collectors dying off and not many movies, etc, to inspire new ones, the prices for collectable Winchester lever guns are falling. They are falling the most in the WWII to 1963 models, as serious collectors see the cut off as being the start of WWII. The end result is that you can get a post WWII, pre-64 Model 94 for around $550 to $600 in very good to excellent condition. That's only about $100 more for a pre-64 in the same condition that will usually shoot 1.5 MOA compared to 3-4 MOA for a post 1963 Model 94.

In short, market demands and prices change and your best bet is to check on line auction sites and review actual completed sales for arms in the same condition over the past few months to determine actual market price.

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In terms of the 1903 Colt, they vary a lot. Recent sales show a LOT of them changing hands and prices vary from around $450 to $500 in good mechanical condition with a lot of bluing wear, rising to around $750 for very early examples. On the other end, a 1944 manufactured lparkerized end lease example in excellent condition with box and paperwork sold for $3520, and it was a bargain compared to the $5575 sale price (and 22 bidders) for a US property marked 1903. Both could have been purchased for the for the $9,151 sale price, with 32 bidders, for a 1903 with a factory letter indicating a sale to the Office of Strategic Services.

In the middle, examples with decent 85-90% blue varied from around $600 to around $1250. However, I noted nice examples selling in the $800-$900 range, which is where I'd place the value for what the OP described.

Is it worth $999. Certainly - to the right buyer who is looking for exactly what it is. But it's probably not a "deal".

I have had several Colt pocket pistols go through my collection through the years. I have one that I've had Parkerized and two other's still in original Colt blue that are my favorites.

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