Make: Colt

Model: 1903 Pocket Hammer

Serial Number: 42273

Year of Manufacture: 1920

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 “U” notch with a rounded top that is dovetailed into the top rear of the slide.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered black hard rubber with rampant colt in circle in the middle and "COLT" in banner across the top. The grips have light handling wear, slightly more notable on the left panel than the right. The left panel has gone to a slightly brown color while the right has a strong black color. There are a few light nicks and some minor scuffing. The right panel has broken across the top screw hole and been repaired. There is a very small loss at the bottom-front corner of the right panel. The checkering is well defined. Overall, the grips are in about Good condition.

Type of Finish: Blued

Finish Originality: Original, the slide is serial-matched to the frame.

Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright, the rifling is sharp. There is some light erosion in the bore, mostly just in front of the chamber. In this writer's opinion. the bore rates 7 out of 10.

Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 87% of its metal finish. The slide wedge's indexing stud is intact. The finish is thinning at most edges. There is some handling wear in the grip areas, most notable at the bottom of the backstrap. There are some scattered minor nicks and scratches. There are spots of light oxidation and minor surface erosion. 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 Very Good condition.

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

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with one 7-round magazine.

Our Assessment: The Colt Model 1900 was the first automatic pistol manufactured in the United States and marketed in an environment still oriented to revolvers. Self-loading pistols had been manufactured for several years in Europe but were hardly accepted in the year 1900 when Colt began selling this John M. Browning designed pistol. Browning was nothing short of a genius in firearms design and associating with the marketing and manufacturing abilities of Colt’s Firearms insured the eventual acceptance of the automatic pistol design. The 1900 underwent continuing design changes, becoming the 1902 Sporting and Military Models. The success of these pistols led Colt to believe that a smaller version was in order, a pistol that could be carried in a pocket or holster. This spawned the 1903 Pocket Hammer, which was basically just a shortened version of the M1902 and made with much of the existing tooling. The Colt Pocket Hammer has a shortened 4 1/2” barrel but like its big brother lacks an external safety and has a 7 shot magazine with bottom release. One noticeable change from the M1902 pistols was the slide serrations, which were moved to the rear of the slide. Colt’s manufactured about 31,250 of these pistols. Even though the 1903 Pocket Hammer was the most successful of the .38 ACP pistols, its success paled in comparison to the hammerless .32 ACP and .380 ACP models 1903 and 1908 hammerless models that were to follow. Production of the M1903 slowed during WWI and surged in 1920, but then fell off – people were either gravitating to the larger M1911 for knockdown power or to the hammerless pistols for concealability.

This M1903 Pocket Hammer pistol was made in 1920, fairly late in production. The pistol is in quite good condition, especially considering its age, retaining the great majority of its original blued finish, a decent bore and strong mechanics. This model, along with its M1900 and M1902 predecessors, is a must-have amongst Colt collectors as being one of the first of the Colt semi-automatics. Please see our photos and good luck!