Colt

John Browning designed some of the longest lasting, most iconic, popular firearms of all time.  The Colt M1903 hammerless pistol was a John Browning design that was then produced by Colt.  The "hammerless" term was more of a marketing pitch by Colt to tout the pistol's suitability for concealed carry and ability to draw it without a snag.  The pistol actually is hammer-fired with the hammer concealed underneath the slide.  This model was also popular with the gangsters of the pre-WW II era.  Al Capone allegedly carried one in his coat pocket, Bonnie Parker used one to break Clyde Barrow out of jail and John Dillinger was carrying one when he was shot by FBI agents.

Colt shows that this pistol that we have on consignment was manufactured in 1916.  It's a Type III and has a 3.75" barrel.  Serial number is 229933.  Chambered in 32 ACP, the magazine has an 8 round magazine capacity.  The manual safety on the left side of the frame also functions as the slide lock.  The pistol also has a grip safety, similar to a 1911 design.  The sights are fixed and the grips are checkered, hard rubber.

The grips are in Very Good condition with the Colt pony, Colt name and the checkering all very clear and showing little wear.  The original charcoal blue finish has mostly disappeared with age but the metal is in good condition and we find no active rust.  See all photos for condition of the metal.  The slide spring remains strong and the barrel is bright.  We don't think that the original rifling in the barrel was very deep at the time of manufacture but the rifling remains clear and visible.

Overall, this is a very nice vintage Colt pistol with a great deal of history.  If you're a fan or collector of Vintage Colt models, take a good look at this one!

Purchase includes the pistol, (1) original Colt 8 round magazine and (1) additional 8 round magazine with no brand stamp apparent.

This is a consignment sale and, like all of our consignment firearms, we have not test fired this pistol.  We have performed all function checks and find no issues.  As with all used firearm purchases, please review the photos carefully so that you are fully comfortable with the condition of the pistol.