Make: Colt

Model: 1903, Type III Pocket Hammerless

Serial Number: 105599

Year of Manufacture: 1910

Caliber: .32 ACP

Action Type: Single Action Semi-Automatic Pistol with Removable Magazine

Barrel Length: 3 3/4”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a rounded blade fixed to the top front of the slide. The rear sight is a round-top “U”-notch dovetailed into the top rear of the slide.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered black hard rubber with early "COLT" batwing banners across their tops and Rampant Colts in small circles at their bottoms. The grips show a few light nicks. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Excellent Condition.

Type of Finish: Blued

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is bright. The rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 9/10.

Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 97% of its metal finish. The fire blue accents are very pleasing to the eye. The finish is generally strong throughout, with some scattered spots of faint oxidation. There is thinning on the left side of the slide near the muzzle. The action shows light operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in Excellent Condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this handgun. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with one vintage original Colt fully blued 8-round magazine, which is correctly unmarked with a pinned base, dating manufacture to ca. 1903-1913.

Our Assessment: The Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless semi-automatic pistol was designed by legendary firearms inventor John Moses Browning, and was the first of the Colt concealed hammer models, followed by the M-1908 in .380 ACP. Despite the “hammerless” title, the M-1903 and M-1908 pistols do have a hammer, which is covered and hidden from view under the rear of the slide. This allowed the weapon to be carried in and withdrawn from a pocket quickly and smoothly without snagging. A favorite among detectives, everyday civilians, policemen, and gangsters alike, including such famous outlaws as Bonnie Parker and John Dillinger, a total of 572,215 Colt Model 1903s were produced before manufacture ceased in 1945. It served as the US Army’s General Officer pistol from the 1940s until being replaced by the M15 in the 1970s, and was also issued to US Office of Strategic Services (OSS) operatives for their “cloak and dagger” missions in Occupied Europe during WW2.

This Colt Model 1903 Type III Pocket Hammerless Semi-Auto Pistol was made in 1910 and is in Excellent Condition. It features a 3.75” barrel, 97% of its gorgeous, original commercial “high polish” blued finish with pleasing fire blue accents, crisp two-piece checkered black hard rubber grips with early "COLT" batwing banners across their tops and Rampant Colts in small circles at their bottoms, a beautiful original Colt fully blued 8-round mag, strong mechanics, clear markings, and a bright bore with sharp rifling and no erosion. This would make an attractive addition to a collection of Colt automatics.