Colt 1903 Hammerless

CLASSIC12 · Nov 26, 2020

Been wanting one for a while now, they are quite scarce here in Switzerland and the few I saw were expensive and in poor condition.

Saw this one last night on the website of an LGS I’ve bought other nice stuff from and trust, so I texted him and asked him to put it aside for me. $ 650, now waiting for the permit. Colt serial nbr lookup says it’s made in 1940.

Until when were those made ?

And I’ve got abt 2000 rounds of ammo waiting for it

glenncal1 · Nov 26, 2020

According to Wikipedia they were made until 1945. Looks like a very nice example and that was a very fair price for the gun. They are fun to shoot and the sights will test your vision.

kwill1911 · Nov 26, 2020

Very nice pistol. The production of these guns ended with WWII. Yours appears to be what Colt called a "double header," i.e. a gun with a duplicate serial number. The second digit appears to be stamped over to give it another number.

TheHobbyist · Nov 27, 2020

Classic12, thanks for your post and sharing this one with us. I have been casually on the lookout for one of these locally for the past 5 to 7 years. When I would be at a gun show, I would run into the same challenges you have. That is, very poor condition and the price was very high.

Year after year I would see the same 1903's for sale by the same vendor and the price would be far too high for condition; they really do not want to sell them. Fair enough.

Thank you for your additional information in the other thread about purchasing and firearms ownership in Switzerland. I really appreciated it and it was great to learn about how another country handles gun ownership.

.357magger · Nov 27, 2020

Congratulations on your Model M. They, for me anyway, compete with the 1911 for JMBs best pistol design.

If from 1940, it would be a Type IV I believe with the magazine disconnect. I think you'll find it to be surprisingly accurate and just a joy to shoot, tiny sights notwithstanding.

I'm curious if "yours " has any other proof markings that provide clues about it's journey over the decades from Colt to you. These, in .32 and .380 were very popular worldwide. Any national proofs or other markings?

Have been several Model M threads lately and I've put pics up recently but in the spirit of never having enough gun porn..."1908" in .380 from 1926, a Type III.

CLASSIC12 · Dec 3, 2020

Took it home last night for $ 570.- in a three guns deal. Well I actually stopped by the range before heading home. The good news is that it came with a box and two magazines, the bad news is that the box is in poor shape, shows that metal and wood is more resistant than cardboard.

Shot at 15 meters. The grip is a tad small for my hands, the pinky is either squeezed in or under the mag, and it shoots a bit to the left, so I’ll have to (carefully) drift the rear sight. Great gun though.

Grayfox · Dec 3, 2020

Another fan of the Colt "M" models here. That's a beautiful specimen you've got there. Congratulations on a great find.

I have a 1903 and a 1908. Although not as nice as yours. here they are with their little brother.

sigp220.45 · Dec 3, 2020

Very nice 1903!

Mine are rougher, but shoot great. They are two of my favorite carry pistols.

4011 · Dec 3, 2020

I'm thinking that little jewel would have brought much more over this way.
Really nice

Faulkner · Dec 4, 2020

4011 said:
I'm thinking that little jewel would have brought much more over this way.
Really nice

I agree, that one would bring around $200 - $300 more in the US.

ACORN · Dec 5, 2020

They are one of the coolest guns to come out of Hartford.
I’ve been looking for one that I could afford for years.
Still looking.
I had a chance at one of the re-makes a few years ago NIB. Price was $850 IIRC.

Muss Muggins · Dec 5, 2020

Mine is about like your top one, but a little rougher still. Rides in my Jeep. Love those things . . .

sigp220.45 said:
Very nice 1903!

Mine are rougher, but shoot great. They are two of my favorite carry pistols.

Sistema1927 · Dec 5, 2020

I had a Model 1908 .380 in similar condition to yours. It had the box in much better condition, as well as the factory target, instruction sheet, and trigger guard hang tag.

Unfortunately, while in grad school I sold it to finance a semester's studies. I still kick myself whenever i think of that mistake, wondering why I didn't take on a second job. Who needs sleep?

Hair Trigger · Dec 5, 2020

CLASSIC12 said:
Been wanting one for a while now, they are quite scarce here in Switzerland and the few I saw were expensive and in poor condition.

Saw this one last night on the website of an LGS I’ve bought other nice stuff from and trust, so I texted him and asked him to put it aside for me. $ 650, now waiting for the permit. Colt serial nbr lookup says it’s made in 1940.

You paid a great price for that pistol, especially that you got what looks to be the original box, even though it is in poor condition (box). That is a Type 4, with the magazine disconnect. I have a US military issue like yours, my SN is 560xxx, which makes mine a 1944 manufacture. It's odd, but none were produced the year of 1943. Mine was my stepdad's issued sidearm (he was a courier in WWII). The list I looked at could make yours a 1939 manufacture, it showed 543XXX as the start for 1940 guns, but data varies, even within mfg records sometimes. In any case, it's a wonderful pistol. You may find that ball ammunition (round nose FMJ) is the best to use with it, the feed ramp is cut for that type and flat nose or JHP may not feed well. At least that's the way mine runs. I get perfect function with FMJ ammo, but either factory JHP or my JHP reloads tend to cause failures to feed frequently.

bigmtnman · Dec 9, 2020

If you are a "film noir" fan AND a gun guy, you HAVE to own one !! When a gun is being pulled out of a trench coat pocket ...... good odds on it being a Colt 1903. For me, my 1927 mfg has just the right amount of wear.
Your new purchase is a BEAUTY !!

.357magger · Dec 9, 2020

bigmtnman said:
If you are a "film noir" fan AND a gun guy, you HAVE to own one !! When a gun is being pulled out of a trench coat pocket ...... good odds on it being a Colt 1903. For me, my 1927 mfg has just the right amount of wear.
Your new purchase is a BEAUTY !!

Agreed, about the movie part. I read somewhere that one of the reasons the M was so popular in movies, aside from its overall popularity, was that it was super reliable with blanks where many other early autos were not. I know they're very reliable with FMJ, even with a pretty wide range of brands, so maybe so.

These things are everywhere in the early 20th century photographs. You can even find a picture of Mark Twain shooting his.

Not to mention Patton, Eisenhower, Cagney, Bogart, Charlie Chan...and the list CAN go on and on.

BAM-BAM · Dec 9, 2020

sigp220.45 said:
Very nice 1903!

Mine are rougher, but shoot great. They are two of my favorite carry pistols.

With that small safety .... what's the best condition to carry them???

Kurusu · Dec 9, 2020

bigmtnman said:
If you are a "film noir" fan AND a gun guy, you HAVE to own one !! When a gun is being pulled out of a trench coat pocket ...... good odds on it being a Colt 1903. For me, my 1927 mfg has just the right amount of wear.
Your new purchase is a BEAUTY !!

Have to agree with you on that. And, like Cassic12, I lusted for one. They are not very common in Continental Europe, where FN produced the Browning designed weapons. But I also managed one a few years ago.

it's not in such great shape as Classic12's. But it went to war.

WWI. And Irony. It served under Belgian banner.

And, Oliver. Congratulations on your "new little jewel".

ralph7 · Dec 9, 2020

Thanks for volunteering the purchase price.
That makes this thread more informative and shows what
a great deal you got on a fine condition Colt.
Original looking finish from here.

sigp220.45 · Dec 9, 2020

BAM-BAM said:
With that small safety .... what's the best condition to carry them???

Round in the chamber, safety on.

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