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I just picked up an 1903 colt pocket, and it looks like original blue. but is there a way to tell on antique guns if the blue is original?

Ed,
Can you post some good clear photos? There are ways to tell, but hard to discribe to someone not atuned to notice. It's a matter of experience,and knowing what to look for.
The original blue on old Colts would appear to have a satin hue. The color is a deep rich blue. The roll marks on the slide should be deep and crisp. All sharp edges should be sharp and straight. Hold the pistol so that you can sight down the flat sides of the slide. The light should reflect a glass smooth plane, with no waves or ripples.
Also on a pistol that old. The sharp edges should show some slight wear. The grip straps may show slight patina (turning brown), or show some thinning of the blue.

Ron

Colt switched finishes several years after introduction of the 1903. The blue that Ron refers to sounds like the "later" finish. Early blue was brighter but not as durable.

It's very common to see those colt pocket pistols that have been refinished. Mine was made in 1918 and I think it was factory refinished at some point. It was beautifully done but it took it's toll on the crispness of the markings. In particular, the markings on the side that show the caliber, being relatively lightly struck, are the ones to most dramatically show the signs of refinshing.

Enjoy your little Colt. I love 'em but I sure don't enjoy field stripping them....it's a real pain in the rear to disassemble them :-)

Greg

Ed, Both Ron and Greg have given excellent advice. These pistols made by Colt have a beautiful blue and it should be evident if you are familiar with Colt finishes. If it is anything less than beautiful it may be a refinish.

Greg, I don't understand;
Enjoy your little Colt. I love 'em but I sure don't enjoy field stripping them....it's a real pain in the rear to disassemble them :-)

These fall apart as easily as the Luger....John Browning was a genius and he made these extreamly easy to disasemble. Jerry Burney

I guess it's just me. I had the same problem with the Browning designed FN Model 1910 .380. It disassembled the same way and I always found it awkward but being a big fan of John Browning pistols I'm quick to admit all his pistols are beautifully engineered and field strip without tools. I've detailed stripped the Colt 1911 and in my opinion, this was his best design.

My Colt 1903 .32ACP has a beautiful blue finish but it's not the original.

Greg

Greg, I have about a half dozen or more of the 1903-1908 pocket auto's. Have one that is 98% and it has a beautiful Colt blue.

Do you have the instruction sheet that came in the box? It has a really simple instructions for disasembly and shows how to hold the slide back to line up the arrow.
Jerry Burney

Jerry

Yeah...I got it and it seems simple enough but the two times I've field stripped my Colt it's managed to hang up while either disassembling or assembling. One problem I have is the spring kinks and locks the slide from coming off the frame. Like I said, it's probably just me. I've field stripped the M1911A1 blindfolded but I'd sure hate to do that with my Colt .32.

Greg

the front grip and back strap have thinning of the blueing, the finish is mirror like when looked at an angle.the sharp edges in some places have worn some of the blueing but many are very nice yet.on the slid there is some very minor freckling.you really need to be looking for it. the mag looks original but not two tone, has cal 32 colt on bottom of clip
how do I post pictures?

Here's a pic of mine. The grips are too early for a 1918 pistol but they're original factory and not easy to replace. I got lucky and found an original spare mag at a good price. Later version than my pistol but I can live with that. And I found a copy of Brunner's book. Excellent reference on these pistols.

http://forums.lugerforum.com/lfupload/colt_1903.jpg

Edwood

What's that serial number? If I have it I can provide some info on your pistol. From the pics the magazine looks like the one made fully blued without the "two tone". Those were made between 1938 and 1940.

Greg

<a href="http://img160.exs.cx/img160/2813/co3lq.jpg" target="_fullview"><img src="http://img160.exs.cx/img160/2813/co3lq.jpg" width="400" alt="Click for fullsize image" /></a>

thanks serail no is 283512

one other thing the left side grip looks to have a brown cast to it where the right side has a black cast, the inside looks the same on both, can time in a drware or box do this to the grips? the serial no is 283512

Edwood

OK...yours was made in 1920 and it has the correct style grips. There were several variations of these. But you do need the "two tone" magazine with the early feedlips and large font (3/32" instead of 1/8")CAL 32 COLT markings on the base plate. The grips were hard rubber and I suppose they could get discolored but have never seen that before.

Greg

Ed,
My vote would be that it's the original blue.
Cameras make patina(browning) stand out. The grip strap in your photo, bears this out. Looks like a nice honest 1903. Neat little pistols.And getting harder to find in nice condition.

The grip fading is caused by exposure to sunlight. Or some other source of UV rays. Which leached the pigment of the early plastic material.

Ron

Yeah....I agree re the blue finish. And since those grips were made of hard natural rubber it's not hard to imagine them being affected by sunlight. BTW...those original grips are near impossible to find and replicas are all over the place, many sold as "originals". My pistol came with staghorn grips which are beautiful but impractical and I had a heck of a time finding originals.

Greg

Greg,
I'm a sucker for stag grips. Do you still have them? If so would you you consider selling them?
Thanks, Ron

thanks, as long as the mag is original colt, I am not to worried, I have the two tone in my other pocket, it is a shooter so I can trade mags with it,

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Ron Smith:
Greg,
I'm a sucker for stag grips. Do you still have them? If so would you you consider selling them?
Thanks, Ron<hr /></blockquote>Ron,

Cute aren't they? :D I was going to sell them but my wife pitched a fit!!! Said that was HER pistol (of course I paid for it <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> )and I'd best not sell those pretty stag grips. Women!!!! :confused:

Greg http://forums.lugerforum.com/lfuploa...stag_grips.jpg http://forums.lugerforum.com/lfuploa...stag_grips.jpg

No problem. Just thought I would ask.

Thanks, Ron

Howdy, interesting thread! I have used these pistols extensively over the past 15-16 years, and have good news on the faded left grip. Heat and humidity from carrying it next to the body (like, inside the waistband) can cause this to happen in short order.

I have used a .380 Colt M1908 as a licensed concealed carry gun and was horrified when a minty left grip turned that color in just one full day, when carrying it in hot, humid Southern conditions! In desperation, I Armor-alled the grip, which restored it to its original black color. It now matches the other side perfectly once again. These have proven to be extremely reliable, accurate and fun shooters in my experience.

Replica grips are very easy to spot, 2 or 3 ways: 1, they are castings, and even those with good detail on the front will generally show many fine pits on the backs. Original grips are smoothly finished on the back. 2. Original grips fit the frames perfectly whereas all the repros I have seen (several pair) have had slop fore and aft, and relied on being tightened down by the grip screw to keep them from moving around. 3. Repros are supplied without grip screws and escutcheons. There is an art to fitting the grip escutcheons to repro grips. It is very easy to mess this up if you haven't done it before. The best technique I have found is to deepen the hole for the escutcheon slightly with the proper size drill bit, and then insert the escutcheon as deep as it will go. This minimizes the amount of metal you will have to remove from the top of the escutcheon in order to make it fit flush with the face of the grip. Put tape around the hole on the face of the grip to protect it as you very carefully and gently file the soft metal of the escutcheon to match the face and curve of the grip. Stop before you scar the grip, obviously. When properly done, it will be very hard to tell this from a factory job, unless you know to look for the patina of 60+ years on the escutcheon itself. If you know to look for the effect of age, then even the best-fitted escutcheon in a repro grip is easy to spot.

If anyone needs an original, minty set of hard rubber grips for these, I have a spare set of one of the rarest patterns: used only from c. 1911-1914, the one with the pony & elongated, stylized "C" behind the pony. As a species, most repro magazines don't seem to work very well in my experience. Original magazines, while expensive and hard to find, are a good investment if you plan to shoot your Colt. A few years ago I could get them regularly for $20-25; now a minty 2-tone .380 mag is about $80!

Anyone who is interested in learning more about the shooting and practical use of these pistols can obtain a very detailed, 12-page article that appeared in "The Accurate Rifle" magazine in March, 2003. The article is called "100 Years Old, and Still Going Strong: Colt's Classic 1903 Pocket Automatic." Back issues can be ordered by calling 1-860-645-8776.

I am learning every day from you guys about Lugers and greatly appreciate all the knowledge you have shared -- finally, I had something to contribute! :-) Hope this helps!

John

mine does not have the colt emblem on the rear of the slide on the left side, is this normal for my 20 made colt?

Greg,that is a smart move on keeping those grips for your wife. As the old saying goes: If mommy an't happy-an't nobody happy!

Hello,
I just was reading this and went and looked at my 1903(made 1913Sn#)and it has those rarest grips in mint condtion that John F. was speaking of and now am really impressed and glad I bought this gun. It is about 80% orginal finish and all matching and I am pretty sure it spent most of its life as a safe queen. I found it at the pawn shop I go to all the time and only paid $200.00. Are the grips worth that much? Does anyone know where I can find orginal clips, hoster? And should I shoot this gun? Will I damage the grips?(I did buy it as a shooter, not knowing anything about 1903's) I just love this forum as I ALWAYS find GREAT infomation here.

Merry Christmas and God Bless
Michael

Michael, I have shot over a dozen Colt Pocket Autos over the years, most in .380 (more recoil than .32), and most of which had the original hard rubber grips. A few (3-4) had checkered walnut. Many of these I put several hundred rounds through; a couple I've put several thousand through. I've never had any problem with the grips, and have never known any of my friends who own Colt Pocket Autos (CPA, for short) to have problems with them either. I'd say that as long as your grips are not cracked or damaged in some way, you should probably have no problem at all from shooting your pistol.

Original magazines are difficult to find, and expensive when you do find them. In good shape, price is generally anywhere from $50 to $80 depending on type and condition. Usually, you have to find a collector or a person with a gun and spare magazines to get one, in my experience. They pop up on Ebay every now and then; be sure to ask the seller if the feed lips appear to be bent, damaged or to have been monkeyed with in any way. Also, be sure to verify whether it is an actual COLT magazine.

Hope this helps,
John