Make: Colt

Model: 1903 Pocket Hammer

Serial Number: 32702

Year of Manufacture: 1914 (https://colt.com/serial-lookup)

Caliber: .38 ACP

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

Barrel Length: 4 1/2”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a rounded blade fixed to the top 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 “COLT” in a banner across their tops and a Rampant Colt in a circle at their middles. The grips have a few scattered small nicks and some minor scuffing. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in about Fine Condition.

Type of Finish: Blue

Finish Originality: Original to the parts. The slide was not serial-marked in this serial range, but the fit of the slide to the frame may indicate replacement.

Bore Condition: The bore is light gray with well defined rifling. There is scattered erosion and some minor pitting in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates about 6 out of 10.

Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 75% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. Most of the balance is in finish wear along the slide. Much of this wear appears to be from oxidation which was cleaned away. The frame has some scattered minor oxidation. There are some light nicks and scratches, mostly on the slide. There is more notable scratching on the right slide flat behind the ejection port. There are tool marks at the recoil plug pin and on the front face of the recoil plug. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in about Very Good Condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The slide has notable play to the frame. 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 7-round magazine stamped “PAT'D SEPT. 9. 1884" on the bottom floorplate. This is the earliest type of magazine, and though it’s of earlier vintage than the serial range of this pistol, it’s a real bonus.

Our Assessment: The success of the Model 1902 Sporting and Military semi-auto pistols led Colt to believe that a smaller “pocket” version would also sell well, and that spawned the 1903 “Pocket Hammer”, which was essentially a shortened version of the Model 1902 and made with much of the existing tooling. The 1903 Pocket Hammer had a short 4 1/2” barrel, but like its big brother, lacked an external safety, featured a 7-shot mag with bottom release, and like the later Model 1902, the slide serrations were placed at the rear. Introduced in December 1903, Colt made about 31,250 of the 1903 Pocket Hammer until production ceased in December 1927. Although the 1903 Pocket Hammer was the best selling of the .38 ACP pistols, its success paled in comparison to the .32 ACP Model 1903 and .380 ACP Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless pistols that followed. Production of the 1903 Pocket Hammer slowed during WW1 and surged in the early post-war era, but then dissipated considerably as folks gravitated to the larger Model 1911 for knockdown power or to the hammerless pistols for concealability.

This Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer .38 ACP Semi-Auto Pistol was made in 1914 and is in Very Good Condition. It features a 4.5” barrel, 75% of its original commercial “high polish” blued finish, classic two-piece checkered black hard rubber grips with "COLT" in a banner across their tops and a Rampant Colt in a circle at their middles, a rare early Colt fully blued 7-round mag stamped “PAT'D SEPT. 9. 1884" on the bottom floorplate, strong mechanics, clear markings, and a light gray bore with well defined rifling (there’s scattered erosion and some minor pitting). The slide has notable play to the frame, which may indicate replacement. 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. A fine example of the scarcely encountered Colt 1903 Pocket Hammer.