Make: Colt

Model: 1902 Sporting

Serial Number: 7224

Year of Manufacture: 1904 (https://www.colt.com/serial-lookup)

Caliber: .38 ACP (.38 Rimless Smokeless)

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

Barrel Length: 6”

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

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are checkered hard rubber with “COLT” in a banner across their tops and a circled Rampant Colt logo in their centers. The grips have minor handling wear with some scattered light scuffing and a few small marks. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good to Fine Condition.

Type of Finish: Blued

Finish Originality: The frame's finish is Original. The slide has been Refinished with cold blue. This pistol was produced after slide serial markings were discontinued.

Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is infrequent faint erosion and a little stubborn fouling in the bore. There is a bulge in the bore about 2" from the muzzle. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates about 6 out of 10, and would rate 8 or 9 but for the bulge.

Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 40% of its current metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. There are tool marks in the right frame rail. The frame retains some original finish with handling wear in the grip areas and some scattered minor surface oxidation. The slide's cold-blue has evenly thinned. The slide has some scattered spots of minor surface erosion. There are fairly evenly scattered minor nicks, scuffs, and scratches. The barrel retains a strong amount of blue finish, but does have a bulge in the bore. Some small parts retain areas of strong fire-blue. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in Good Condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The slide has very minor play to the frame. This pistol has a bronze firing pin and the slide serrations are plunge-cut at the front of the slide. The slide was not designed to lock back on an empty magazine. 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 unmarked though factory original Colt Model 1902 Sporting blued 7-round magazine. At around S/N 8000, Colt switched to this style of mag with an unmarked floorplate. Thus, this mag likely postdates the pistol by about one year.

Our Assessment: The Colt Model 1900 semi-automatic pistol was the first of John Browning’s pistol designs to reach full production. Such was Browning's genius that he developed many innovations which are considered commonplace today, not least of which is the concept of "the slide". As with any new design, there were small tweaks needed along the way, and towards the end of 1901, Colt started changing the Model 1900's sight safety, which only offered a fixed sight, to a sight that was dovetailed into the slide to offer windage adjustment. With a few other minor changes, the pistol transitioned into the Model 1902 Sporting and Military Models and eventually into the Model 1903 Pocket Hammer model, the beginnings of over a century of pistol manufacturing dominance in the US market.

This Colt Model 1902 Sporting Model Semi-Auto Pistol was made in 1904 and is in Good Condition. It boasts the proper features for its serial number of “7224”, which is in the middle of Model 1902 Sporting production, which began at serial number 4274. The pistol features a 6” barrel, 40% of its current finish (the frame's finish is Original, the slide has been Refinished with cold blue), plunge-cut slide serrations at the front of the slide, a three-line patent marking on the left side of the slide, a rounded hammer, elegant, original checkered hard rubber grips with “COLT” in a banner across their tops and a circled Rampant Colt logo in their centers, one unmarked though factory original Colt Model 1902 Sporting blued 7-round mag (which likely postdates the pistol by about one year), strong mechanics, and a mostly bright bore with sharp rifling (there’s infrequent faint erosion and a little stubborn fouling). There is also a bulge in the bore about 2" from the muzzle. There were only 6,900 Colt Model 1902 Sporting pistols made before they were discontinued in late 1907; highly prized and heavily used, even fewer survive today. All of the early Colt autos are collectible, and this example will make a fine addition to any collection. Lastly, this pistol comes from the personal collection of inventor, founder, and President of Universal Firearms, Abe Seiderman, and should be of additional interest to collectors for that ownership lineage. A signed Certificate Of Authenticity from the Seiderman family will be included with this piece.