quote:

I just purchased a NIB Colt 1903 Hammerless .32ACP General Officers Pistol.

Now why did you have to post those photos? Damn!

Without question, to me, a blued Colt 1903 Hammerless is THE most beautiful pistol ever made. If I were a collector, or just had more disposable income, that would be the first pistol I'd purchase. That is the one pistol I can see myself owning but never shooting, just admiring it for what it is.

Thanks for posting those, and enjoy that beautiful work of functional art!

I have a Type 3 w/ aftermarket threaded barrel and run a Liberty Centurion on it. Lots of fun to shoot.

Oh man, what a super Pistol!

Some have mentioned not carrying the 1903 with one in the chamber. Early versions only had the single notch sear, and were not drop safe. At the end of production, later models had a double notch sear, (with matching hammer) that Reduced the chance of a discharge if dropped while carried loaded.

I am sure your new release 1903 has the double notch sear upgrade. I installed those parts in the 1903 32 acp I own.

Meet "Walnut"


This is an old family pistol. It was my step father's Uncles Will's Colt , he used it to crack walnuts ! Of course you can imagine what shape it was in when I inherited it.

I sanded out the worst dings, and filled in the pits with JB Weld, then sanded those areas down. No way it could have been blued or plated, I accepted that. After re shaping it as best as possible, I coated it with Norrells Mo,y Resin.

Installed a new barrel from Gun Parts Corp, new springs, and it is a good shooter, and shoots JHP's without any jams.

Of course it had to have some "Walnut" grips from Grips4U!

A beautiful Colt you have, envious!

My 1909 Sears Roebuck catalog shows them new for $ 15.00 and ammo was $ 1.07 for a box of 50 rounds.

That's only $388.75 in 2018 dollars. I'll take two.

(MSRP on these new ones is $1,395, more than three times the inflation-adjusted cost of the originals.)

Congrats! Great gun. I have my late father's 1903 that was made in 1916. Enjoy!

Who is building these for Colt?

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Originally posted by kaschi:
Who is building these for Colt?

US Armament Corp in Ephrata, Pennsylvania


https://www.usarmcorp.com/manu...t-1903-pocket-pistol

Saw one on Facebook today. A guy named Robert Otte reverse engineered a Colt and made his own from scratch, milled out of steel plate.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by kaschi:
Who is building these for Colt?

US Armament Corp in Ephrata, Pennsylvania


https://www.usarmcorp.com/manu...t-1903-pocket-pistol

Good place to buy quality magazines for your old Colts too...but not cheap.

I carried an original 1903 in 32, for a couple decades. Best feeling-natural point carry pistol ever made IMHO.

I have one sitting in the safe from my grandpa. Made in the mid teens in excellent condition.

The Colt 1903 is my favorite pistol I think. Hi power and 1911 very close. Like someone else said they are incredibly accurate and reliable. Almost no recoil. Put it on the x and shoot as fast as you can pull. Just be careful not to drop it. They can go off if dropped.

Sunset, do you know what year they improved the sear making it a little more drop safe?

I have my Grandfather’s 1903 .32 caliber, and it’s just over 100 years old. I still shoot it, and it’s still a great pistol.

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Originally posted by terra:

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Originally posted by Rolan_Kraps:
I'm looking forward to hearing the range report on this. Patton carried one of these. I believe in .380 carried next to his package.

I believe Eisenhower carried one too. Dillinger apparently carried one, as well. Great gun. Have owned 4 and they are great to shoot. Feel quite natural in the hand.

At the West Point Museum they have Eisenhower's 1903 Colt Hammerless on display. Accompanied by a well-worn concealment holster. Judging from the wear on the holster, he must have worn it a great deal. It was neat to see!

quote:

Originally posted by mdj:
Sunset, do you know what year they improved the sear making it a little more drop safe?

There should be a half cock notch on the hammer if the serial number of the pistol is around 420,000.

If converting an older Colt Hammerless to the sear and hammer, both parts have to correspond.
I purchased my set off Gunbroker from a knowleagable parts seller, you don't see both parts very often.

I was having trouble with rounds going off when the slide went into battery, using the old original parts, read about the late model sear/hammer chNges, and lucked up a few days later finding those parts. Both about $50, but well worth the cost.

quote:

Originally posted by kaschi:
Who is building these for Colt?

Im glad you asked this as I knew nothing of the company. Their 03A3 rifles are very nice.

US Armament Corp only shows the parkerized and blue version on their website. I suppose the high polish royal blue version is a very limited edition.
The seller from whom I purchased my pistol has listed another one on gunbroker.com.
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/743458599