Yesterday's Working Pistols

[Jaywalker]

This isn't the typical working pistol post. It's been awhile since these Colt M1903 were in service, most likely, unless they rode in someone's pocket as a backup. The .32 Auto was considered an okay round in those days.

First is a 1927 vintage. It has been carried and handled - a lot. Half the back strap is missing its blue and all of the front strap. The rest is mostly there, except for high points showing holster wear. The trigger's good and it's great to shoot.


The next one is also an M1903, but it's in better shape despite being a 1919 model. There's one little ding on it but otherwise it looks like it's been in an underwear drawer in New Mexico for the last 100 years. I never knew I was a collector before getting this one.


Both are very overbuilt inside by today's terms, made while watchmaking was a precision term, not electronic.

[Joe in PNG]

Ah, an excuse to show my old Colts!


Top is a refinished 1903 .32, and bottom is a refinished 1908 .380.
I sadly broke the pearl grips shooting, and since replaced them with a repo set of hard rubber grips.

I love shooting both.

[LockedBreech]

Nice thread idea. Here’s my grandpa’s 1960s UCLA PD Colt Python, a 1968 Colt Detective Special and a Beretta 85BB. Both of the latter two served as peace officer backup guns at one point. I know I’m pushing the forum envelope since only 1/3 is a semi auto and I hope this is alright.










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[LockedBreech]

Bonus pic: I bought this police surplus Gen 3 G23 for peanuts, 300 or so, two years ago. Replaced all springs, pins, locking blocks, magazines, and night sights for around $160. Not especially a bargain but I just kinda liked it.

I called Glock and the seller for the history of it. Duxbury is a suburb in Massachusetts. To my surprise, this gun sat in the same holster for 16 years. Now 18 years old.

Not as fun to shoot as a G19 and it doesn’t get much range time, but it has run well for me so far. I like it for the long duty history more than any practical application.




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[Bucky]

This isn't the typical working pistol post. It's been awhile since these Colt M1903 were in service, most likely, unless they rode in someone's pocket as a backup. The .32 Auto was considered an okay round in those days.

First is a 1927 vintage. It has been carried and handled - a lot. Half the back strap is missing its blue and all of the front strap. The rest is mostly there, except for high points showing holster wear. The trigger's good and it's great to shoot.


The next one is also an M1903, but it's in better shape despite being a 1919 model. There's one little ding on it but otherwise it looks like it's been in an underwear drawer in New Mexico for the last 100 years. I never knew I was a collector before getting this one.


Both are very overbuilt inside by today's terms, made while watchmaking was a precision term, not electronic.

Would you consider these things safe to carry cocked and locked?

[TGS]

To my surprise, this gun sat in the same holster for 16 years. Now 18 years old.

Sat in the holster, no kidding. Looks like it sat in that holster for 16 years without being removed!

[Jaywalker]

Would you consider these things safe to carry cocked and locked?

Although people have been carrying them cocked and locked for decades, they don't have the redundant designs we're accustomed to today. As I understand it, the M1903 safety only locks the sear into the firing notch and doesn't block the firing pin. In 1922 Colt added a half-cock notch, but these are by definition old machinery and I would be hesitant to trust them to work completely. For the history of it, I have occasionally carried the 1927 without a cartridge in the chamber, though I always did so with the pistol cocked on the empty chamber. It's surprising just how stout the recoil spring is; having pre-cocked makes it easier to strip a cartridge into the chamber.

Still, it's hard to imagine choosing these pieces for their original role, i.e., "the Pocket Hammerless." It's flat enough - the slide is 0.83", and the grips at about 1.08", but it weighs 24 ounces. That soaks up the recoil of the .32 Auto and makes it quite pleasant to shoot and easy to shoot quickly, but a real pocketful to carry. The sights are minuscule, harking back to the days when "aim small" meant small sights. Finally, they were designed for full metal jacket ammunition. For realistic every-day carry I choose the Glock G43.

[M2CattleCo]

Those are still very common in old Mexico.

I have two 1903s and a Winchester '97 that were battlefield in the late '20's pickups from the Cristero war about a mile from the house.

Mine get carried very little but stay loaded for HD.

[alohadoug]

This isn't the typical working pistol post. It's been awhile since these Colt M1903 were in service, most likely, unless they rode in someone's pocket as a backup. The .32 Auto was considered an okay round in those days.

Both are very overbuilt inside by today's terms, made while watchmaking was a precision term, not electronic.

One of my absolute favorite guns. I wasn't as fond of the .380, but the .32 was a low-recoil laser for me.

Funny story about one:
I was at a range in southern AZ boack 2004/2005 timeframe. Had three people pull up in pick-up. Guy in his late 50's and son in his early 30's. Much older woman stayed in the truck. Guys set up three silhouette targets about 5 yards in front of the line (staggered and offset slightly). They bring two folding chairs next to the range table, setting one in front of the other. They put a Bible on the range table. "Go get grandma." The younger one gets the older lady down out of the truck. She sits in one chair and, after the son puts eyes and ears on her, starts to reach for the Bible. "Just like at home," says the older guy. She puts her feet up on the other chair. ("She sits in her recliner" the grandson whispers to me.) The older guy suddenly yells "Give me the money" as he drops a book on the table with loud bang. Little old Grandma flips open the Bible, pulls out a Colt 1903 and proceeds to put two rounds center mass of each target, then one in the head of each target! After they run this string of fire five or six more times, Grandma says she's tired and goes back to the truck to read her romance novel. Turns out the 1903 belonged to her husband. He was a police officer before WWII and carried it in his pocket. After the war, he kept it in their bedside drawer but made her practice every couple of weeks. Talking to the two guys, they said that they'd tried all sorts of more "modern" guns but she loved that 1903.

I've shot with a group of guys (American Zoot Shoot Association) using 1920/30s era guns. A couple of them really dress the part. You'd be amazed the difference in the size of the pockets and with a thicker belt from that time, the 1903 disappears quite nicely. Dilleneger was fond of them when in Chicago in normal clothes.

[BN]

Star PD. The only compact, lightweight .45ACP available back in the day. Jeff Cooper said they were OK as long as you carried them a lot and only shot them a little.

edit:spelling