Colt Mustang PocketLite, 380 mm, 2 3/4' bbl, fixed sights. This item ships NIB.This item can be removed from sale at any time as it is also posted for sale at our retail locatio. (read more) Gun #: 964844719. Seller: Accurate Sports. Accurate Sports. Finding the Blue Book value of your new and used firearms, including pistols, rifles, shotguns, airguns, and blackpowder guns is easy with the number one source of gun pricing. Colt Model M.380 ACP Serial Number 1 - shipped to J.R. Hegeman in 1908. Hegeman, a vice president of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, of New York, was very active between 1885 and 1925, and was interested in Colt arms only. Hegeman was truly a pioneer in Colt collecting and presumably had some fantastic connections within the Colt. Handguns Shipping $25 Flat rate Long Guns $35 Flat Rate For Lower 48 States Ins. Payment Methods: Cash, Bank Check, USPS Money Order, Wire Transfer, Visa,Mastercard, Discover, American Express. COLT GOVERNMENT POCKETLITE 380 ACP PISTOL. Description: Description: MAKE - COLT. MODEL - POCKETLITE.

The Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless (not to be confused with the Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer or the M1903 Springfield rifle) is a .32 ACP caliber, self-loading, semi-automatic pistol designed by John Browning and built by Colt Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut. The Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless is a variant introduced five years later in .380 ACP caliber. Despite the title 'hammerless', the Model 1903 does have a hammer. The hammer is covered and hidden from view under the rear of the slide, this allows the pistol to be carried in and withdrawn from a pocket quickly and smoothly without snagging.

History[edit]

Approximately 570,000 Colt Pocket Hammerless pistols were produced from 1903 to 1945, in five different types. Some were issued to US Army and US Air Force general officers from World War II through the 1970s; these were replaced in 1972 with the RIAColt M15 general officer's model, a compact version of the M1911A1.The Shanghai Municipal Police issued the M1908 to its officers in the 1920s and 1930s and it was a popular model with police in the United States such as the Boston Police Department.In addition to lawful owners, many gangsters of the pre-World War II era favored the Model 1903 and Model 1908 because they were relatively small and easily concealed. It is said that Al Capone kept one in his coat pocket and Bonnie Parker used one to break Clyde Barrow out of jail after smuggling it into the jail by taping it to her thigh. Bank robber John Dillinger was carrying this model of pistol when he was shot by FBI agents outside the Biograph theater on July 22, 1934, and another famous bank robber, Willie Sutton, had one when he was captured by police in Brooklyn on February 18, 1952.^[1]

This pistol was also used by an Indian revolutionary named Chandrashekhar Azad in 1931, when he shot himself dead to avoid capture by the British police in a park at United Provinces in British India.

Note: There was also a Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer pistol in .38 ACP, but this design is unrelated. The FN Model 1903 pistol design is related to the Colt Pocket Hammerless, but it is physically larger due to its chambering in the 9×20mm SR Browning Long cartridge.

General officer models[edit]

General officer models were often engraved with the officer's name. Recipients include generals Eisenhower, Bradley, Marshall, and Patton. Patton's Model 1908 was embellished with three (later four) stars on the grip panels to denote his rank. They were issued with a fine-grade leather holster, leather pistol belt with gold-metal clasp, rope pistol lanyard with gold-metal fittings, and leather two-pocket ammunition pouch with gold-metal fasteners. They came in russet or black leather (depending on service and regulations) and were made by Atchison Leather Products or Hickock. A cleaning rod and two spare magazines were also included.^[2] Generals were issued the Model M in .380 ACP, until 1950, when supplies ran out. At that point, they were substituted with .32 models until their replacement in 1972. The Pocket Hammerless was replaced by the M15 pistol made by Rock Island Arsenal in .45 ACP. Today, the Pocket Hammerless is manufactured by U.S. Armament, and is licensed by Colt.^[3]

Design[edit]

This pistol is actually fired by action of a hammer striking and driving a firing pin into a center-fire cartridge's primer. The hammer is covered by the rear of the slide. The 'hammerless' designation was merely an advertising designation pointing out the pistol's particular suitability for concealed carry. Special features include a serrated slide to prevent slippage during manual cycling of the slide and two safety mechanisms (a grip safety and a manual safety). The grip safety is a spring-loaded piece making up the back strap of the pistol. The grip safety, though not solely restricted to them, was a typical feature of Colt automatic pistols. A magazine safety was added on later models; this feature prevents the pistol from being fired with a round in the chamber and the magazine removed.^[2]

In 1908, a .380 ACP version of this gun was introduced. Called the Model 1908, it is nearly identical to the Model 1903 except for the bore diameter and the magazine, which hold seven rounds (one less than the Model 1903).^[2]

Grip panels are black checked hard rubber, checked walnut, or special order materials (ivory, mother of pearl, inset medallion).^[2]

Sights are fixed, although the rear sight is drift-adjustable for windage.^[2]

Metal finish is blued or nickel, and some special-order finishes such as engraved, silver- or gold-plated.^[2]

Variants[edit]

• Type I: Integral barrel bushing, four-inch barrel, no magazine safety, serial numbers 1 through 71,999^[2]
• Type II: 32 cal separate barrel bushing, 33⁄4-inch barrel; 1908–1910, SN 72,000 through 105,050^[2]
• Type II: 380 cal separate barrel bushing, 33⁄4-inch barrel; 1908–1910, SN 001 through 6250 ^[2]
• Type III: integrated barrel bushing, 33⁄4-inch barrel; 1910–1926, SN 105,051 through 468,789^[2]
• Type IV: integrated barrel bushing, 33⁄4-inch barrel, magazine safety^[2]
• Type V: integrated barrel bushing, 33⁄4-inch barrel, military sights, magazine safety on both commercial and 'U.S. property' variations. SN 468,097 through 554,446.^[2]

There was an M1903 version with a military Parkerized finish, which is otherwise the same as the Model IV, SN 554,447 through 572,214.^[2]

Trivia[edit]

Former Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo used a Colt Model 1903 to attempt suicide shortly before his arrest for war crimes on September 11, 1945. Tojo was convicted at trial and was executed on December 23, 1948. Tojo's pistol is on display at the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Ayoob, Massad (2012). Massad Ayoob's Greatest Handguns of the World. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 128. ISBN1-4402-2869-8.
2. ^ ^{abcdefghijklm}Sapp, Rick (2007). Standard Catalog of Colt Firearms. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 132. ISBN1-4402-2697-0.
3. ^James, Garry (August 2016), 'Colt's 1903 Hammerless', Guns & Ammo, pp. 82–94

External links[edit]

• 'Colt 1903 .32 ACP Pocket Hammerless Pistol'. Coltautos.com. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
• '1903 Colt Model M'. Unblinkingeye.com. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
• 'Colt Licensed 1903 'Hammerless' General Officer's Pocket Pistol'. U.S. Armament Corp. Archived from the original on September 16, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2016.

SOLD FOR: $1980

LSB#: 201106MW82

Make: Colt

Model: 1908 Type IV Pocket Hammerless

Serial Number: 113415

Colt 380 Lookup Parts

Year of Manufacture: 1933 (https://colt.com/serial-lookup)

Caliber: .380 A.C.P.

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

Markings: The left side of the slide is marked “COLT’S PT. F.A. MFG. CO. HARTFORD, CONN. U.S.A. / PATENTED APR. 20. 1897. DEC. 22. 1903.”, and at the rear with a Rampant Colt logo. The left side of the frame is marked “113415”. The right side of the slide is marked “COLT AUTOMATIC / CALIBRE .380 HAMMERLESS”. The left front of the trigger guard is marked with a “VP” in a triangle and “1”, the right is marked “75”. The bottom of the slide is marked “113415”.

Barrel Length: 3 3/4”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a short rounded bladed fixed to the top of the slide. The rear sight is a round-top square notch dovetailed into the rear of the slide.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are checkered walnut with a forward facing silver Colt medallion on the left panel, rear facing medallion on the right. The grips show minor handling wear. There is some verdigris at the medallions and screw escutcheons. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in about Fine condition.

Type of Finish: Blued

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore.

Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 93% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at most edges, most notable at the leading edges of the slide. There are some scattered minor nicks, scuffs, scratches and spots of surface oxidation. The action shows minor operational wear. The screw head is sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this handgun rates in about Very Good-Fine condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly and the slide is tight to the frame. It has a grip safety, magazine disconnect and a manual safety. The safety can be used to lock the slide back. We did not fire this handgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Colt 380 Wikipedia

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with one 7-round magazine marked “CAL.380 / COLT” on the floorplate and the top portion of the body finished “in the white”. The magazine has minor operational wear, intact feed lips and a strong spring, in about Fine condition

Colt 380 Serial Number Lookup

Our Assessment: The Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless is a semi-automatic pistol designed by John Browning, and was the 2nd of the Colt concealed hammer models, following the Model 1903. Despite the title ‘Hammerless’, the M1903 and M1908 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. These pistols were popular civilian firearms for much of their life, and also served as United States General Officer pistols from the 1940s until their replacement by the M15 General Officers pistol in the 1970s. The Office of Strategic Services issued the Model 1903 to its officers during World War II and it was a popular back-up/off-duty model with police officers in the United States. Gangsters also favored this pistol, including Bonnie Parker and John Dillinger. This is a Colt 1908 Type IV Pocket Hammerless semi-auto made in 1933. It is in about Very Good-Fine condition with about 93% of its blued finish remaining. The bore is great, the grips show minor handling wear and the mechanics are strong. This model is highly collected and should be of interest to the Colt collectors. Please see our photos and good luck!