Another long search over: Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless 2nd Type

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  • mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,338
    Catonsville
    -As somd_mustangs can attest to I've been on the search for a Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless 2nd Type for ages. Colt only built this type for about 3 yrs and produced roughly 33k between SNs 72,000 and 105,051, making it hard to find. They sported the original high polish finish with fire-blue on small parts and early style hard rubber grips. The fragile finish makes them hard to find in good, original condition. I was determined to find an original finish example for sub $1k.
    -I found an example in a Philly auction and after getting somd_mustangs to kindly put a second set of eyes on it (I so trust his experience with early Colt autos) I put in an absentee bid. Got it for a price I'm too embarrassed to put up here. Suffice to say I spent well under my $1k budget!
    -The auction description stated that the magazine was a replacement so I scrounged a correct example from Evil Pay for a stupid cheap $55. All good so far!
    -She arrived today and the first thing I noticed was that they were wrong. It's an original magazine. The floor plates on early mags were unmarked and they predate the heat treating of the magazine lips that give them the two tone finish.
    -Finish is original and stunning. The only blemish is a spot on the right front of the slide, near the muzzle. Otherwise it's bang on. Grips are totally intact, no chips or cracks, and sharp. Someone loved this Colt for a very long time.
    -SN puts it in the last month or two of Type II production. Shortly thereafter Colt dropped the barrel bushing used on the Type I (4" barrel) and Type II (3.75" barrel). Barrel bushing, safety lever, extractor, trigger, magazine release and screws all have the original beautiful fire-blued finish.
    -My photos don't come close to doing this finish justice. Just so hard to photograph without professional lighting.
     

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    BradMacc82

    Ultimate Member
    Industry Partner
    Aug 17, 2011
    26,177
    Not going to lie, I just felt something wiggle a little bit.

    That is a gorgeous finish, and the fire-blue is something I hadn't seen before. That's an excellent buy, IMO.
     

    capt14k

    Active Member
    Jul 27, 2015
    221
    Wow now I really want one and after seeing the fire blue only that type will do. Congrats OP.

    Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
     

    mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,338
    Catonsville
    looks good. has it been reblued?

    Nope. Look at the rampant Colt in the 2nd photo. That stamp is sharp and untouched. I have an early Type III with the same finish and it looks just like this one but for some minor differences in the stamp designs (for instance, the rampant Colt changed early in the Type III run). When I saw the auction photos I was skeptical and unsure. Not the greatest but this finish is so hard to photograph. That's when I reached out to somd_mustangs and he took a hard look at them for me. When he gave me the thumbs up I decided to bid on it. Glad I did!
    If you haven't seen early Colt auto and revolver finishes from this time period in person it's hard to believe the level of craftmanship involved. Ditto for early Savage autos. Easy to understand why they dropped that time consuming process/finish.
     

    mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,338
    Catonsville
    very cool Mawkie wish i had your money you come up some nice finds

    Could have gone the easy route and thrown greenbacks at one years ago. But I love the challenge of finding what I want for what I want to pay. Most often this means a loooong road traveled. I've scoured the 'net for years, bidding now and again on nice Type IIs only to lose to someone willing to open their wallet wider (typical price for a VG Type II is north of $1K).
    In the end I got this for the price of Glock 19. Personally a no brainer for me.
     
    Jul 1, 2012
    5,712
    What bluing process. Were they using rust bluing?

    Oil polished, then stuck in an oven at a specific temperature with a secret mix of charcoal and bone, pulled out, rubbed down with oakum (sp?), polished again, repeat until they got the color they wanted. Very labor-intensive and time consuming. But oh so worth it :)
     
    Jul 1, 2012
    5,712
    Could have gone the easy route and thrown greenbacks at one years ago. But I love the challenge of finding what I want for what I want to pay. Most often this means a loooong road traveled. I've scoured the 'net for years, bidding now and again on nice Type IIs only to lose to someone willing to open their wallet wider (typical price for a VG Type II is north of $1K).
    In the end I got this for the price of Glock 19. Personally a no brainer for me.

    Congrats! Getting it at a sub-Mawkie price is even more awesome. Getting the correct mag is a nice bonus too!
    Just noticed it's less than 50 away from mine... which is not nearly as nice.
     

    buellsfurn

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 1, 2015
    5,951
    southern end of Maryland
    Could have gone the easy route and thrown greenbacks at one years ago. But I love the challenge of finding what I want for what I want to pay. Most often this means a loooong road traveled. I've scoured the 'net for years, bidding now and again on nice Type IIs only to lose to someone willing to open their wallet wider (typical price for a VG Type II is north of $1K).
    In the end I got this for the price of Glock 19. Personally a no brainer for me.
    no brainer indeed
     

    teratos

    My hair is amazing
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 22, 2009
    59,775
    Bel Air
    Oil polished, then stuck in an oven at a specific temperature with a secret mix of charcoal and bone, pulled out, rubbed down with oakum (sp?), polished again, repeat until they got the color they wanted. Very labor-intensive and time consuming. But oh so worth it :)

    Wow. Cool. Thanks.
     

    Abulg1972

    Ultimate Member
    This is a beautiful pistol. A nice Colt’s 1903 hammerless is on my short list. I’ve pretty much run out of money to spend on expensive stuff. If I had just not bought 3 $300 rifles, I’d have a decent pistol. Of course, I know nothing about these so that’s also what’s been keeping me back.
     

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