Make: Colt

Model: 1902 Sporting

Serial Number: 4672

Year of Manufacture: 1902

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 brass beaded blade fixed to the top of the slide, the blade is not original to the gun. The rear sight is a rounded "U"-notch dovetailed into the slide.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are checkered black hard rubber with "COLT" in a banner across the tops of the grips and a circled Rampant Colt logo in the center of the grips. The grips have fairly even handling wear with some smoothed checkers, mostly on the left panel. There are some light nicks and scuffs. The checkering ranges from smoothed to well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good condition.

Type of Finish: Blued

Finish Originality: Original, slide is serial-matching.

Bore Condition: The bore is gray with well defined rifling. There is scattered light erosion and minor pitting in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 5+/10.

Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 10% of its metal finish. There is infrequent remaining finish on exposed surfaces, mostly around raised features. Most exposed surfaces have worn to white or gone to a light patina. There are scattered nicks and scratches. There is scattered light surface oxidation and minor erosion. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The wedge retains its indexing stud. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in 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 blue 7-round magazine marked "CAL. 38 / COLT" on the floorplate.

Our Assessment: Colt's Model 1900 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 hiccups along the way and towards the end of 1901, Colt started changing the 1900 Model'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 into the M1903 Pocket Hammer model, the beginnings of over a century of pistol manufacturing dominance in the U.S. market.

This Model 1902 Sporting pistol was made in the first year 1902, quite early in production. Despite its serial number of 4672, it is one of the first few hundred which began with serial 4275, continuing the Model 1900 range. It has proper features for this serial range including plunge-milled front slide serrations, spur hammer, and "Browning's Patent" marking with only one patent date on the left slide legend. The pistol is in Good overall condition with about 10% of its original metal finish remaining. The bore is in decent shape, especially given the age of the pistol, and the mechanics are strong. All of the early Colt autos are collectible, and the low volume of Model 1902 Sporting pistols produced adds to their collector value with fewer than 7,000 made. This example, so early in production, will make a great addition to any collection. Please see our photos and good luck!