Make: Colt

Model: 1903 Pocket Hammerless, Type I

Serial Number: 35374

Year of Manufacture: 1906 (COLT Serial Number Lookup)

Caliber: .32 ACP (7.65mm Browning)

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

Barrel Length: 4”

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

Stock Configuration and Condition: The grips are checkered black hard rubber with early "COLT" batwing banners across their tops and Rampant Colts in small circles at their bottoms. The grips have minor handling wear with a few scattered tiny marks. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Fine Plus Condition.

Type of Finish: Blued

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is light gray with sharp rifling. There is minor erosion scattered through the bore with some minor pitting. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 6 or 7 out of 10.

Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 85% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. There are some scattered spots of minor surface erosion, mostly on the right of the slide and frame. There are scattered small nicks, scuffs, and scratches. The action shows light operational wear. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol rates in Very Good 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, and 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 This allowed the weapon to be carried in and withdrawn from a pocket quickly and smoothly without snagging.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 I Pocket Hammerless Semi-Auto Pistol was made in 1906 and is in Very Good Condition. It’s the rare, early “Type I”, with a separate barrel bushing, a slightly longer 4" barrel, early-style slide markings, and a screw-secured safety lever. This pistol features 85% of its lustrous, original blued finish, with some good “fire-blue” on the trigger and safety lever, classic early "COLT" batwing banner and Rampant Colt checkered black hard rubber grips, strong mechanics, and a light gray bore with sharp rifling (there’s minor erosion with some minor pitting scattered throughout). This Type I Pocket Hammerless would make a fine addition to a collection of Colt automatics missing one of the early variants.