I started carrying this antique mousegun

deadin said:
This one I wish could talk... It came off of an 1890's homestead in North-Eastern Washington near a little town called Addy.. It's been ridden hard and put away wet, but I would bet it has tales to tell....

It still shoots flawlessly....

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Nice 5 digit Colt. Made in 1905. I have 3, and my oldest is 1912. Have been looking for older 1903's but they are rare. Do you have a "half tone" mag?
 
In my USCG days a shipmate bought a Colt .380 into the armory and ask if we could detail strip it and clean it. No one had ever stripped one before, but heck, it probably is similarly to a Model 1911 just with an enclosed hammer. So we stripped it, cleaned it, and reassembled it. Then we took it out to the range to test fire it. when the trigger was pulled ***** FULL AUTO !! The shipmate had some choice words about idiot Gunners Mates, plus our questionable family tree and left. We were the topic of conversation at the E.M club for many days.
 
jimmyj said:
In my USCG days a shipmate bought a Colt .380 into the armory and ask if we could detail strip it and clean it. No one had ever stripped one before, but heck, it probably is similarly to a Model 1911 just with an enclosed hammer. So we stripped it, cleaned it, and reassembled it. Then we took it out to the range to test fire it. when the trigger was pulled ***** FULL AUTO !! The shipmate had some choice words about idiot Gunners Mates, plus our questionable family tree and left. We were the topic of conversation at the E.M club for many days.
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Would ya mind "cleaning" my shooter Colt M1903 .32ACP? :D
 
Faulkner said:
All of you boys that are concerned about carrying a Colt Pocket Pistol safely these days need to read the advertising for them from back in the day. Why, they're safe enough to sleep with under the pillow.

Have we modern gun guys become a bunch of sissies? :)

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Note that this ad is from, "Cosmopolitan." Evidently, before Helen Gurley Brown took over as editor there, they were more gun friendly! The editorial content was likely much different, too, not a racy women's magazine.


I like the old Colt Models M nd N and would buy one if I could afford it. I would look for a really clean one, though.


About those old springs...does Wolff or anyone else make good replacement springs?


I saw the post above about the Model 1903 .38 Auto. I believe the Roosevelt brothers carried those on their Asiatic expeditions. They wanted the guns to wear concealed while trying to seem innocent/unarmed when meeting Asian officials.


The cartridge for those was later (1929) given a heavier powder charge and named the .38 Super. I think it'd have been more popular had they made the barrels to headspace on the case mouth. The small semi-rim was not large enough for headspacing consistency from one shot to the next, and accuracy was poor.


Many years ago, I rummaged through old issues of, American Rifleman at the library. I found an article on the Colt .32 auto as an outdoorsman's gun. The author noted the excellent accuracy. But I'm not sure the cartridge would reliably stop even a jackrabbit, with FMJ ammo. But that ammo might kill a deer, if well placed. Not at all sure that it would kill a bear.
 
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Faulkner said:
All of you boys that are concerned about carrying a Colt Pocket Pistol safely these days need to read the advertising for them from back in the day. Why, they're safe enough to sleep with under the pillow.

Have we modern gun guys become a bunch of sissies? :)

I've been sleeping with a gun under my pillow, or under the covers for a lot of years. I also have the Teddy bear and a little rabbit named "cotton candy" that my grandaughter gave me a couple years ago. I know they feel safer.:rolleyes:
Peace,
Gordon
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DocB said:
Mine is from the teens and in 38 Auto. I've never carried it because the springs really are a little old and weak, but it has always shot well. It's a cool gun. A model of 1903 (I think) and made around 1914. Every time I post a photo of this gun, somebody wants to buy it. A LGS here is up to $850, but I kind of like it. I purchased it back in the early 1980's for $85 which was a ton of money for me back then, but I had never seen anything like it out for sale.
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Nice gun, the top of the grip is interesting. It looks like an eye. I've never noticed that on any other Colts.
 
I have several but here's one of my favorites. I bought this off a walkin at a gun show a few years back. It's in essentially brand new condition and I doubt it's had a full box of ammo thru it in its lifetime.
Note: The boxes for these are IMO extremely rare.
Jim

 
Doesn't anyone here have a later one with walnut grips?


I know that at least one member has an engraved blue one with ivory grips.


My father and my uncle owned one each, both the earlier sort seen here, with hard rubber (?) grips. I never got to shoot either.
 
This came today, addressed to my wife. I suspect there will be a heavy little package under the tree for me.

Or maybe she sneaked a .32 of her own into the house.
 

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Texas Star said:
Doesn't anyone here have a later one with walnut grips?


I know that at least one member has an engraved blue one with ivory grips.


My father and my uncle owned one each, both the earlier sort seen here, with hard rubber (?) grips. I never got to shoot either.
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Here's one of mine, a 1903 manufactured in 1924.

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Guevera said:
With a coat this big, this motorist could have concealed a trench mortar, but instead carried his Colt, "a necessary part of an automobile equipment."

ColtFirearms-1917A_zpsfc23ad30.jpg


As much as I love my Pocket Hammerless, I have other, better choices to carry these days. Were it my only pistol, though, I'd be perfectly confident in carrying it. To me the pistol is the essence of technology and design (circa 1930).

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WOW!! Sweet Colt!!
 
Hello forum;

Back when my interests were predominantly Colts (Shame!) before I saw the light and jumped into S & W, everything I came across had to get the whole 9 yards of research and hopefully...I can post this to give back a little to the forum to account for the wealth of knowledge that is presented here every day.

My 1903 was made in 1911, and is known as Type III (1910 to 1926) and was the first with both grip and thumb safeties.

Some unique items discovered during research on this gun were: the magazine is original to the gun and is a Type I identified by being unmarked floor plate, pinned construction, and full blued. The half-tone magazines started in 1913. My type III also has original Type I grips, scalloped banner, Colt in a circle, which were also common to Type II, and were found on early Type III, as Colt used up inventory. In 1920 Colt changed to the checkered walnut grips and continued to end of production in 1945.

Another couple unique points of Colt 1903, also in 1920 with advent of walnut grips, Colt changed the roll stamp on the slide from "Automatic Colt" to "Colt Automatic".

Lastly, the left side slide roll stamp displaying the early patent date of 1897 is considered a "collector extra".

I never though that these pistols would exceed $400 in any condition, but I was shocked when my wife pointed out one (maybe NRA 65%) in a "classic case" at LGS for $899.00!. Had to get on home and revise my Insurance listing.

Anyway.......above maybe nothing new to forum readers, but hopefully someone will get a tidbit or two from it.
 

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JayFramer said:
That antique .32 would be about the last thing I'd want to carry but if it means you'll carry, fine.
I'll stick with my modern single stack 9mm that is no larger than your .32 and is more reliable with hollow points and probably lighter as well, better in all regards. Carrying in defense of your life or those around you is serious business that calls for carrying a serious gun IMHO.
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Well there ya go SIGP220.45. Guess he told you. Yeah, it's serious business. Bet you never thought of any of that. Bet you never had to really carry in defense of your life or others. Or been in any of those real life situations in your former life. (snicker)
 
I have my mother's 1908 .380....
her father was a calvary colonel in WW1 and supposedly carried it in a mantilla on his saddle. He gave it to her when she left San Antonio to attend SMU in the mid '30's and she said it was always in her purse. From the first time I saw it, it has resided in a holster from El Paso Saddlery and is still in that same holster 56 years later. Neither
"are made like that" anymore
 
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First pistol I ever held was an 03, I was about 5 years old, picked it up out of my fathers desk drawer and pointed it at my mother informing her I was going to "hoot you mommy" (had a little trouble with the letter S for a while).
Years later my mother racked a round into the chamber to shoot me sneaking back into the house about 4:00 am. Still have it, have never shot it. It is chromed or plated, still have the origonal box of shells that was purchased with it.

Believe I will shoot it tomorrow.
 
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