Neither Fish nor Fowl: the Colt 1903 Pocket Hammer
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The 1903 Pocket Hammer was an effort by Colt to adapt the Model 1902 pistol for better civilian sales. They cut the barrel down from 6 inches to 4.5, and used the 7-round magazine and rounded grip frame of the 1902 Sporting model. Production began in 1903, and ran until 1929, when the .38 caliber version of the 1911 was introduced to replace both he Model 1902 and the 1903 Pocket Hammer.
This was never a particularly popular model, with just under 31,000 made in the course of 26 years of production. It was a neither-fish-nor-fowl sort of gun that competed against both the Colt 1908 Pocket Hammerless as a concealable pistol and against the Colt 1911 as a service pistol. On top of that, it was based on the obsolete mechanical system from the Model 1900, which had the possibility of the slide coming off the back of the gun if the slide wedge broke, and offered neither a slide stop nor any safeties (neither manual nor magazine).
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"Should that crosspiece break, yeah, the slide can come right off into your face"
I've only recently discovered this channel. I'm not a gun collector (I live in Australia, virtually everything you cover would be illegal here) but as an engineer I find the disassembly bits and background info on the designs fascinating. Thanks Ian
you should watch more of his videos. ian also delves into the disassembling of several bigger, heavier weapons and i think that would get you intrigued to watch
As an Aussie vaguely considering a late career shift toward some version of engineering, I'm sure you're aware but it is possible to own and enjoy quite large collections here, even within the limitations. Mine is only just getting started but it's limited by funding more than availability!
@@EricWulfe I have watched a few of those and they're great. I love the technical detail.
@@jameshealy4594 I know it can be done but it will have to wait until I'm not renting. Can't see my landlord agreeing to a gun safe in the garage.
@@lukewilliams4080 Mechanical engineering is an excellent angle to approach firearms collecting from, too; non-firing replicas and demil'd/deactivated examples are semi-usually more affordable than live firearms, and easier to own in restrictive environments such as Australia or the UK.
"Is that a pocket hammer or are you just happy to see me?"
Both.
So was this gun the reason they invented that phrase? "Is that a gun in your pocket or are you happy to see me?"
No safety of any kind, no slide lock, 0 whistles, 0 bells, it's the Model T of Colt pistols without the crazy production numbers. Though it had a respectable run.
TT33 aka Tokarov had no safety, they probably made millions of them when you add up all the countries who manufactured them.
@@scinto23 Tokarev
If you ever drove a Model T, you’d know the trigger would need to be under the magazine and the slide inside the barrel to be an apt comparison
@@redram5150 henry ford, stubbornly ignored ergonomics, even when he had the dodge brothers who would invent the modern arrangement, on his payroll.
PsychoLucario I’m not disagreeing with you. My point is if the 1903 were to be compared to the Model T, ergonomics of the gun would have to go out the window
That .38 ACP & .38 Super story was really interesting, it explains a lot about all these different .38 pistol cartridges for Browning pistols.
Colt...downloading bullets 90 years before the internet.
I just stick to downloading RAM.
@@E5rael 1 Gigabyte of RAM should do the trick.
*_you wouldn't download a garand_*
@@HellJustFroze Have you checked ammozon?
@@HellJustFroze I would if I could
Colt invents the -P cartridge.
There actually is a 38 super +P caliber loading.
Noice
It's similar power to a standard 9x19. So not too bad.
@@fg42t2 - IIRC, all .38 Super is labeled as +P so one does not put it in these old guns. It's not +P in the sense that it's more powerful than original .38 Super/.38 ACP, but that it IS more powerful than the later down-loaded variety that was safer for the pocket hammer models. I don't think you can find a box of .38 super wherein the brass isn't stamped +P.
@@CeltKnight armscor 38 super is not labled +P
My dad has a 1902, and it's awesome. Such a simple and straight forward design. I would love to see the design resurrected, using modern metallurgy and some minor design adjustments.
They would just use polymers in the barrel lock up.
'Calibre is spelled "RE", which is how they did it back then.'
Every single one of your British viewers just smiled and nodded approvingly.
And for Spanish speakers too it doesn't seem wrong
Yep, Canadian here, I also spell it "re".
As did the Aussies....
@DOUG HEINS haha, nice.
Surely you meant that they _noudded approuvingly._
"...unless the entire slide explodes, and that can't happen."
Did Elmer Keith ever get his hands on one of these?
I don't think he was much into semiauto pistols, but rest assured, he would have blown one to pieces if he had been.
I don't think he was much into semiauto pistols, but rest assured, he would have blown one to pieces if he had been.
@@massimothetrog7111 You could say that again.
I think he already did.
Gun manufacturers: why can’t you just not blow up our guns?!
Elmer Keith: *Screaming*
It indeed does fit in to the pockets of an overcoat perfectly, then you can go around selling fire insurances to local business owners or import refreshments from Canada.
sometimes those speak easys just dont like to pay up for the product
or cover up independent local brewers and winemakers
Forget overcoats, most jackets and even vests from the period had inside pockets that were big enough.
He was referring to the original military model I believe, not the one he is doing the video about. The military model was supposed to not fit.
Nice profile pic, I hope you have a nice day 😉😂
Was the person who determined the Colt serial number range at this time French? Because they clearly hate the idea of a rational counting system.
lots of small-time manufacturers struggle to get more than one thousand guns made (and sold), while Colt worries about not having enough serial numbers for their guns.
The French invented the metric system 🙄
They clearly can do it when they choose to
@@AlexBobowski I assume Aidan was referring to "80" in French being "4 20s"
@@AlexBobowski And it's a small miracle of providence that they didn't build it on Base 20 like they did their counting system.
Hearing Ian describe the failure mode of that disassembly bar, I can't help but think of the scene from "Sin City" where Jackie Boy attempts to fire his pistol after Miho blocks the barrel and instead the slide flies off the back of the gun and wedges itself into his forehead. Same gun or just Hollywood/comic book silliness?
"Don't pull the trigger. She blocked the barrel. It'll backfire."
7:38 "... the pistol can fail catastrophically" Which in this case means "It will launch the slide straight at your face". =)
Ever been to the BROWNING Museum in Utah. They have enough High Powers to drive a man to drink.
Can't afford to drink when there's so many Hi-Powers to buy!
Driving people into drinking? _In Utah no less?_ Must be a truly massive collection.
It's Utah. "Driving to drink" is a much longer distance than you may expect.
Joe Claffey Jr whatever you do, if you visit the John Browning museum in Ogden don’t drink and drive. Utah made their BAC .O5, one drink can get you a DUI....
love this pistol
My next 1920s roleplay character will surely have one
FW is a great resource for COC games
Making a 1920s character on easy mode; just go with a M1911 (or A1 if you're in the later half of the century) or a Government Model if they're... ...not part of the Government. Naming conventions are kind of amusing.
@@mauricewalshe8339 yeah I love it😅
@@stevenbobbybills 1911 would also be cool yeah but I like the concealability
I want one of these. They are one of my favorite prohibition era pistols. I wish I could afford one
I want one because Sal Mineo had one of these in Rebel Without a Cause. "I got the bullets! Look!"
I'd take one with the spur type hammer in a literal heart beat. Simple examination of the locking bar and slide after each disassemble and cleaning would ensure safety for both. Loaded down to1100 fps with a 130 half-jacket soft-tip hollow point would be devastating to get hit with.
I have one left to me by my grandfather, who was an officer in the Greek gendarmerie during WWII and the Greek civil war that followed. He was (unsuccessfully) shot at by that pistol and eventually confiscated it when he arrested the communist dissident that used it against him. It wasted away in a barn for a few decades, absolutely ruining its blueing, and is now proudly kept in my safe. I am told that he fired it once or twice for the last time in the early 80s. I love to ponder what its journey was.
Is that arrested arrested, or arrested twice in the head? 😜
@@nichevo1 I like to believe the former (politics aside)!
@@brostelio ah well, for your grandfather's sake I suppose so. For the communist's sake I was hoping he was made into a good communist.
@@nichevo1 haha! I hear you. It was actually a woman and a couple of guys tagging along. She apparently fought like stink in fairness to her! Brainwashed I guess.
That beautifully engraved hammerless that RIA is auctioning, is stunning!
Thank you for what you do. I hope you are being well rewarded for your great contribution to gun history. My sons and I are huge fans.
Very interesting. My family is in possession of the 1903 pocket hammerless issued to my great grandfather who was an officer in WW1. Cool gun, and still shoots well.
I love old Colts. These seem way slicker than a 1911, though I get the down sides.
Even the down-graded ammunition is reasonably hot. The full-fat round is pretty stout; it'll bash a frame pretty hard.
I'm a big fan of .38 Super; I use it in all my competition pistols. But if you're loading hot, you really need a heavy spring, and a solid pistol.
Also, headspacing off of a semi-rimmed case is kinda problematic, accuracy-wise. My pistols all headspace off the mouth of the case; much better.
I remember that people had to get a replacement barrel to get better accuracy out of the Colt 1911s chambered in 38super. Think the company was called Bar-Sto. Always wanted a nice Colt 1911A1 38super to target practice with, heard that they are fun to shoot.
@@invisibletosociety8338 I have a Colt 38 Super in 1911 in the Commander. They are fun, accurate and I use it as my CCW.
Interesting barrel pivot. I wonder if Browning was inspired by the large coastal guns of the time as a lot of them had a similar recoil pivoting system.
That's interesting, I wonder if they are more accurate with that system.
I've really been looking into this model over the past few weeks...and now you cover it today. Perfect.
Does it come with pants with large enough pockets to pocket carry?
If you are wearing a coat as they were common in 1903 you probably would have large inside pockets.
*laughs in cargo pants*
A non-issue when you would've been wearing overcoats like these in autumn and winter.
i.pinimg.com/originals/75/2c/7b/752c7b6ae793eabe5cad070b81e917db.jpg
@@Waldemarvonanhalt people knew how to dress back then, and how to pack heat
@Brian Troisi But the '49 Pocket fits in my pocket easily how small are your pockets?
In the early 1900's the Prince Albert style coat was still being worn along with longer pockets in most trousers. So the pocket pistol name was still viable at that time. A lot of men also preferred to carry revolvers in the waist band of their pants either with or without a holster, I would guess these semi-autos were carried in the same fashion.
You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for you to do the early colt 1900 line especially the 1908 just over here patiently waiting. Keep up the great content this is my favorite firearms channel!
It's nice to see you back at RIA, Ian.
Last time I was this early, Prussia was still a thing.
those old style colt markings have a lovely font
Way better than today's billboards.
@@turbografx16 "please read all instructions available for FREE from..." All permanently engraved on the barrel -_-
Colt and FN definitely had the best markings through out their respective histories. In fact, silly as it may seem, I just don't care for the S&W M&P Read Safety Manual Before..., etc., therefore I have no interest in buying any of their stuff. The markings are just too "busy". But a bunch 'Patent Dates' on a Colt slide is beautiful to me; just as the lack of markings on my Sig Pistols is.
You make a lovely comment
I recently acquired one of these pistols. Condition is fair to good. Shoots well, just have to work up a load that is not too hot. Great video.
If you can tell me how to do that please respond to this comment with a how to. I’m buying one myself and want it to be something other than a display piece.
I enjoy the history and mechanics of Colt’s auto pistols! John M Browning was America’s greatest gun designer! And the vast knowledge of the gun jesus. Thank you
Fantastic video essay, as always. Thank-you!
Basically kind of an early Tokarev T33. Hot round for the time, no external safety, should only carry it with empty chamber
Safety notch. It's on M1903 and on Tokarev, both can be carried with cartridge in chamber on half-cock if needed. Not so safe as 1911 cocked and locked, but just FYI
Interested in the Military version of the .38 ACP pistols. My father was an MP in WW2 and said Marine officers carried .38 automatics and they were "highly prized." They were preferred to .45s because they were easier to shoot -- less recoil. I'm curious if they ever saw service, possibly on Guadalcanal, or -- ?
I was shooting a rather nice example when I was a fair bit younger with .38 Super 😬 Long story short, the energy from the round managed to crack the old grips, and I still cringe having to sit here thinking about it.
I own both a long slide square but 1903 with a slide stop along with a 1903 pocket hammer. Design is beyond a mere mortals ability. Get real people JB was ahead of most gun engineers of his time.
.38 ACP sounds like an interesting round.
Whata chaos that thing of the serial numbers... interesting history.
It cracks me up when he starts scolding himself for getting off point.
Ian is to John wick what Q was to James Bond.
that would be a great scene
Ian: "details, history, details, details, details, details fun facts detail..."
John Wick: "o.k., now it's kinda confusing. I'll kill 'em all with a pencil. With a F* pencil."
Yet another great video. Thank you. As a collector myself its great to learn about the history and origins of various guns.
Last time I was this early I was watching the assassination of archduke Franz Ferdinand
Damn.
How the f
Never occurred to you to punch ol' Gavrilo in the junk and maybe save a few tens of millions of lives? 😉
@@jameshealy4594 The war would have started anyway, just a few weeks later: Europe was at a boiling point.
@@RiderOftheNorth1968 The wink was intended to encompass the idea that I do understand history enough to make the joke and simultaneously know it isn't accurate.
Ian was pretty pumped up for that one,
I love the look of that spur hammered one.
The pocket hammerless is one of my favorite COLTS but every time I run across one in a pawn shop they want too much $$ for the poor condition that they're in.
They are really cool indeed. I don't see a lot of these pistols here in Europe (actually, I've never seen anyone with a Colt Hammerless at the range). Browning FN pistols are everywhere but not these Colts.
@@AxLWake Just a byproduct of the Colt/FN distribution agreements.
@@zacharyrollick6169 Yes I know. But still, I'd love to get my hands on a Colt Hammerless... And I probably never will.
@@AxLWake Sorry about that. I'm sure very few were imported into Europe even when that was possible. I can't imagine the price tag on one there.
@@zacharyrollick6169 The price wouldn't be so high because the demand is not really there but the problem is to find one.
But I can't complain too much, here in Belgium we can get all the nice FN made Browning firearms for really cheap.
Wow another Colt Pistol that I would love to add to my former collection. Ah well, days gone by I guess, I shall never have the funding to purchase such a wonderful little pistol so it must remain a pipe dream. Now where did I put my pipe?
If you would stop losing those pipes and save you could buy one.
Ian is a mountain of information regarding the gun he’s reviewing, as I always say when he says if you like it an want to buy it, I say your darn right I want to !
The logo depicts a "Rampant" Colt
Thank you , Ian .
"This thing thing has no safety!"
Weird, since the one I inherited from my dad has a half cock on the hammer that disables the trigger, just like the original 1911. The fact that you didn't even bother to show that has me scratching my head, Ian....
Ian, that's worth a comment from you, I think.
A lot of people don't consider half cock safeties to be real safeties. Too easily snagged and put into full cock, maybe?
I'd buy them both if I could...beautiful guns....to quote Hoot in black hawk down...this is my safety ☝️
Pocket pistols are relative. using my wintercoat a 1911 is a pocket pistol.
Everyone needs to remember john browning genius. The original design was late 1890's. The design was of its time, it evolved into the 1911. The us army requested a 38 cl. Then the philippines happened and they decided they wanted a 45 cal. John Browning developed the 25acp, the 32 acp, the 380 acp, the 45 acp and the 50 cal machine gun round
Apparently colt doesn’t want you carrying anything else in your pockets 💀
I’m bidding on one of these pocket hammers and have been trying to find 38 acp ammo. The only option I see is getting 38 super casings and loading them at a lower pressure.
I have one. Its mint so i would never want to shoot it. I searched once and i think some company named big bear armory or ammo makes them but they’re expensive.
I once had a mint colt pocket hammerless a very nice carry pistol even by todays standards . a pistol far ahead of its time .. Ive always dreamed of having a colt 1900 military pistol .. But then again i always dreamed of having a flatside c96 and now i do . so there is still hope ..
I had one of the 1900 Sporting Models once upon a time. Very sweet gun, it had no finish left but was sharp as a tack in all other areas. Shot and functioned perfect, I wish I had kept it sometimes.
nickel-plated Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer used by Sal in the movie 1955 Rebel witout a cause
Hey! It's that pistol John Marston receives near endgame in RDR1.
I feel like this would make a nice 22lr type of model. I know a lot of people aren't fans of 22 stuff, but if this action/ pistol design was in 22lr/ 22wmr, or even something as fun as a 5.7, I think it would be fun to use.
The 1911 slide "can't" explode? Challenge accepted!
Is that locking design more inherently accurate than the more common Browning system?
Am I right in suspecting fowl play?
This gun was insanely popular on Hogan's Heroes, they had a pretty limited budget and you saw this gun constantly in the hands of Hogan and his fellow heroes while they sabotaged the Nazi war effort.
I have to wonder how strong the pins are that let the barrel drop and rise without tilting, but that strikes me as a more reliable mechanism for feeding--until the pins shear off.
I was thinking the same, same locking lugs as the 1911 but two points of rotation is somehow weaker? 🤔 I wonder if it was a steel quality and spring rate difference making them less capable of handling the hotter .38ACP.
Thanks for the knowledge an showing this Colt 1903 Pocket Hammer Pistols , Gun Jesus !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've always wanted a 1903 . Not easy gun to find .
Hi Ian. I randomly started getting a bunch of TH-cam surveys regarding the channel vids I watched recently. Maybe their stance on gun content is changing?
I saw one of these at a gun show once, an early hammer model, I do believe, for a ridiculously low price (under $250, IIRC). At that price (and that it was being sold by a guy who primarily deals in parts) it was probably not much more than a paperweight. But still, I wish I'd snagged it up when I got the chance. By the time I finished up buying whatever it was I came to buy, unsurprisingly that Colt .38 Pocket Hammer was gone.
I could write a book about gun deals I WISH I'd taken, even a few that weren't really "deals" at the time if only for the value now, or at least the cool factor of owning said item.
While I don't have a Pocket Hammer, I LOVE my 1903 Pocket Hammerless! It shoots like pointing my finger.
My tongue feel so weird saying "pocket hammer" without "less",idk it just weird saying something you know but has a changes on it
Love the description... I have two of the pocket's and even a 1905 Colt. Is the hammer supposed to rest on the loaded chamber because the firing pin is not completely long enough???? OR just keep it on half cock for safety? I'd really appreciate the answer.. you can't really find it.
Richard
Like a real colt, it will kick you in the face if you mishandle it.
Just like I was told about real horses. The front end bites, and the back end kicks. If a horse turns his back on you, he's aiming.
I know everyone talks about how much better Polymer framed handguns are for carry. But, those older carry guns are so svelte. Yeah they weigh more than a G17 with it's massive ammo capacity. Scratch that, just double checked and it looks like they both weigh 25oz. So, viable. Not a great round (.32acp or .380). A viable carry option though.
It's interesting to me that any man would consider a safety on a pistol to be a desirable feature.
front slide serrations ONLY
“Is gun! Is not safe!”
These guns are so nice it is a crime.
God made men, Mr. Colt made them equal.
All that knowledge in one Jesus 🤜🏽
Unless the slide explodes
Que Bubba‘s pissin hot handloads
I liked mine wish I hadn't sold mine.
Interesting video. I have one that must have been shot lots with the full power ammo as it has a slight crack in the slide at the notch where the locking bar goes. I'm thinking that was a more common failure as the squareish notch has sharp corners that are known stress risers.
please do the Dimaco c8 carbine. The one the SAS use
They must have had some pretty big pockets in 1903.
Think of those heavy coats they wore back then...big pockets.
The pants pockets were larger and stronger, than today.
I wear alot of vintage jackets, and honestly in most of them you could fit a full size with very minimal issue
I am wondering if you will ever get access to India's Ashani pistols, Mk 1, Mk 2 or Mk 3. I have been trying to lay my hands on one, but no success yet. Their Mk 1 seems to be a fairly close copy of the 1903, with subsequent models being attempts to modernize the design. Noting the extension of a hammer spur through the slide so the gun can be cocked and decocked without working the slide, better fiber optic sights, grip variations, 10 round magazine, etc.
Pockets were bigger in 1903.
So Colt had a long-slide back in 1902. Also the caliber that evolved to become the .38 Super
"...Colt had a long-slide back in 1902..."
Terminator 2.5: They send the T-800 after John Connor's great-great-great-grandmother
I think that Colt made an error (20/20 hindsight) when they didn't think of using conical mating of the barrel to the slide/barrel bushing, as they were already doing it to the barrel, anyway. It would have conserved any extant rigidity in point of aim lost to the lack of parallelism in the new system's barrel drop/ loose bearing fit. This really isn't criticism but a notation that they wound up doing it to many models more recently. The military's use of the 1911 as a target arm might have made it well nigh unbeatable in it's time.
The gun that made colt realize butts are better round and not square
The lack of safety and hold open is rationalized as these items were not used on the extant revolvers of the era. To operate most handguns, one had to manually cock the arm, then fire. And one had to lower the hammer on a live round when done. Which seems insane in 2023 (now) but was rather common at the time of introduction of this pistol.
One should also note the original 'hot' loading of the cartridge rather beat the European (German) Luger 9(x19)mm round in both mass of projectile and muzzle velocity. Then it was downloaded as you report. Then made a comeback in 1927 as the Super .38, which was loaded to the full potential. This was in the Government Model option.
I still think Super .38 is a better round for defense than the 9mm Luger. Obviously I'm a minority.
Calibre like it should be!
yes it comes from french calibre
Calibre is the correct way. Just like how it is armour not armor or realise not realize.
Or colour, rather than color.
@@johnkelinske1449 yes that too. There is so many.
If your ever in ct heartford has a huge museum for colt v cool .
Can anyone even find .38 Auto anymore? I havent seen that caliber in probably 30 years.
There are several smaller companies that make and sell .38 ACP/Auto.....Reeds Ammunition and Colorado Custom Cartridge Company LLC are two right off the top of my head!
One was able to download ammuntion in the early 20th century?!?!?
Am I the only one who generally prefers the more rounded hammers - in any pistol design in general - to the conventional spur type?
I have one of these. It's called a tokarev.
I have the 1903 pocket hamerrless