View source for Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless

{{distinguish|Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer|M1903 Springfield}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name               = Colt Pocket Hammerless
| image              = [[Image:Frederic Laboureur Colt 1903 Pocket pistol-2013.19.1-IMG 7577-white.jpg|300px|Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless]]
| caption            = Pocket Hammerless worn by [[French Resistance|French Resistant]] Frédéric "Alain" Laboureur at the [[Maquis du Mont Mouchet|Battle of Mont Mouchet]]. On display at [[Musée de l'Armée]], [[Les Invalides]], [[Paris]].
| origin             = United States
| type               = [[Semi-automatic pistol]]
| is_ranged          = yes
| designer           = [[John Browning]]
| design_date        = 
| manufacturer       = [[Colt's Manufacturing Company|Colt]] Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut
| production_date    = 1903–1945
| number             = ~570,000
| variants           = M1903, M1908 (Types 1-5)
| weight             = {{convert|24|oz|abbr=on}}
| height             = {{convert|5.5|in|mm|abbr=on}}<ref name="mw">{{cite web | url=https://usarmamentmfg.com/colt-1903-pocket-hammerless-pistol-parkerized/ | title=COLT 1903 Pocket "Hammerless" Pistol - Parkerized }}</ref>{{fact|date=November 2024|reason=This site seems to describe a replica rather than the original 1903}}
| width              = {{convert|1.2|in|mm|abbr=on}}<ref name="mw"/>
| length             = {{convert|7|in|mm|abbr=on}} (Type I)<br>{{convert|6.75|in|mm|abbr=on}} (Types 2 - 5)
| part_length        = {{convert|4|in|mm|abbr=on}} (Type I)<br>{{convert|3.75|in|mm|abbr=on}} (Types 2 - 5)
| cartridge          = [[.32 ACP|.32 ACP (7.65mm Browning]] (M1903)<br/> [[.380 ACP|.380 ACP (9mm Short)]] (M1908)
| action             = [[Blowback (arms)|Blowback]], single-action
| feed               = 8-round detachable box [[Magazine (firearm)|magazine]] (M1903)<br/> 7-round detachable box magazine (M1908)
| sights             = fixed front, rear drift-adjustable for [[windage]]
}}

The '''Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless''' is a [[.32 ACP|.32 ACP (7.65mm Browning)]] caliber, self-loading, [[semi-automatic pistol]] designed by [[John Browning]] and built by [[Colt's Manufacturing Company|Colt]] Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company of [[Hartford, Connecticut]]. 

The '''Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless''' is a variant introduced five years later in [[.380 ACP|.380 ACP (9mm Short)]] caliber. Despite the title "hammerless", the Model 1908 does have a hammer. The hammer is covered and hidden from view under the rear of the slide, which allows the pistol to be carried in and withdrawn from a pocket quickly and smoothly without snagging.

==History==
Approximately 570,000 Colt Pocket Hammerless pistols were produced from 1903 to 1945, in five different types.  Some were issued to [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] and [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] general officers from World War II through the 1970s; these were replaced in 1972 with the [[Rock Island Arsenal|RIA]] [[M15 pistol|Colt M15 general officer's model]], a compact version of the M1911A1.

The [[Shanghai Municipal Police]] issued the M1908 to its officers in the 1920s and 1930s and it was a popular model with police in the U.S. such as the [[Boston Police Department]].

In addition to lawful owners, many gangsters of the pre-World War II era favored the Model 1903 and Model 1908 because they were relatively small and easily concealed. It is said that [[Al Capone]] kept one in his coat pocket and [[Bonnie and Clyde#Bonnie Parker|Bonnie Parker]] used one to break [[Bonnie and Clyde#Clyde Barrow|Clyde Barrow]] out of jail after smuggling it into the jail by taping it to her thigh. [[Bank robbery|Bank robber]] [[John Dillinger]] was carrying this model of pistol when he was shot by [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agents outside the Biograph theater on July 22, 1934, and another famous bank robber, [[Willie Sutton]], had one when he was captured by police in Brooklyn on February 18, 1952.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ayoob|first=Massad|author-link=Massad Ayoob|title=Massad Ayoob's Greatest Handguns of the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F6Yd2aU3uc8C&pg=PA128|year=2012|publisher=Gun Digest Books|location=Iola, Wisconsin|isbn=978-1-4402-2869-8|page=128}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

There was also a [[Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer]] pistol in [[.38 ACP]], but this design is unrelated. The [[FN Model 1903]] pistol design is related to the Colt Pocket Hammerless, but it is physically larger due to its chambering in the [[9mm Browning Long|9×20mm SR Browning Long cartridge]].

===General officer models===
[[General officer]] models were often engraved with the officer's name. Recipients include generals [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], [[Omar Bradley]], [[George C. Marshall]], and [[George S. Patton]]. Patton's Model 1908 was embellished with three (later four) stars on the grip panels to denote his rank. They were issued with a fine-grade leather holster, leather pistol belt with gold-metal clasp, rope pistol lanyard with gold-metal fittings, and leather two-pocket ammunition pouch with gold-metal fasteners. They came in russet or black leather (depending on service and regulations) and were made by Atchison Leather Products or Hickok. A cleaning rod and two spare magazines were also included.<ref name="Sapp-2007">{{cite book|last=Sapp|first=Rick|title=Standard Catalog of Colt Firearms|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6eBW-HqX24cC&pg=PA132|date=2007|publisher=Gun Digest Books|location=Iola, Wisconsin|isbn=978-1-4402-2697-7|page=132}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Generals were issued the Model M in .380 ACP, until 1950, when supplies ran out. At that point, they were substituted with .32 models until their replacement in 1972. The Pocket Hammerless was replaced by the M15 pistol made by Rock Island Arsenal in .45 ACP. Today, the Pocket Hammerless is manufactured by U.S. Armament, and is licensed by Colt.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Colt's 1903 Hammerless |last=James |first=Garry  |author-link=Garry James (journalist) |magazine=[[Guns & Ammo]] |date= August 2016 |pages=82–94 }}</ref>

==Design==
[[Image:Hammerless380.jpg|right|thumb|Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless .380 ACP. Its serial number dates manufacture to 1919.]][[File:1903partswiki mod.jpg|thumb|This is a Colt US Armament reprise of the 1903 pocket model. It has all of the major updates except the magazine disconnector that was added in 1926. Dismounting for cleaning resembles the Colt .25 "Vest Pocket " Pistol of 1906 but is considerably easier.|301x301px]]

This pistol is actually fired by action of a hammer striking and driving a firing pin into a center-fire cartridge's primer. The hammer is covered by the rear of the slide. The "hammerless" designation was merely an advertising designation pointing out the pistol's particular suitability for concealed carry. Special features include a serrated slide to prevent slippage during manual cycling of the slide and two safety mechanisms (a grip safety and a manual safety). The grip safety is a spring-loaded piece making up the back strap of the pistol. The grip safety, though not solely restricted to them, was a typical feature of Colt automatic pistols. A magazine safety was added on later models; this feature prevents the pistol from being fired with a round in the chamber and the magazine removed.<ref name="Sapp-2007"/>

In 1908, a .380 ACP version of this gun was introduced. Called the Model 1908, it is nearly identical to the Model 1903 except for the bore diameter and the magazine, which holds seven rounds (one fewer than the Model 1903).<ref name="Sapp-2007"/>

Grip panels are black checked hard rubber, checked walnut, or special order materials (ivory, mother of pearl, inset medallion).<ref name="Sapp-2007"/>

Sights are fixed, although the rear sight is drift-adjustable for [[Sight (device)|windage]].<ref name="Sapp-2007"/>

In October of 1944,  the design was modified with the addition of enlarged sights, an increase in the number of slide serrations from 17 to 19, allowing 1911 tooling to be used. The .32 ACP model also was changed from a blued finish to a [[Phosphate conversion coating|parkerized]] one.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McCollum |first=Ian |title=Small Arms of WWII: United States of America |publisher=Headstamp Publishing, LLC |year=2023 |isbn=979-8-9882175-0-3 |location=Nashville, TN |language=EN}}</ref>

Metal finish is [[bluing (steel)|blued]] or [[nickel]], and some special-order finishes such as engraved, silver- or gold-[[plated]].<ref name="Sapp-2007"/>

==Variants==
* Type I: .32 cal separate barrel bushing, four-inch barrel, no magazine safety, serial numbers 1 through 71,999<ref name="Sapp-2007"/>
* Type II: .32 cal separate barrel bushing, 3{{fraction|3|4}}-inch barrel; 1908–1910, SN 72,000 through 105,050<ref name="Sapp-2007"/>
* Type II: .380 cal separate barrel bushing, 3{{fraction|3|4}}-inch barrel; 1908–1910, SN 001 through 6250 <ref name="Sapp-2007"/>
* Type III: integrated barrel bushing, 3{{fraction|3|4}}-inch barrel; 1910–1926, SN 105,051 through 468,789<ref name="Sapp-2007"/>
* Type IV: integrated barrel bushing, 3{{fraction|3|4}}-inch barrel, magazine safety<ref name="Sapp-2007"/>
* Type V: integrated barrel bushing, 3{{fraction|3|4}}-inch barrel, military sights, magazine safety on both commercial and "U.S. property" variations. SN 468,097 through 554,446.<ref name="Sapp-2007"/>

There was an M1903 version with a military Parkerized finish, which is otherwise the same as the Model IV, SN 554,447 through 572,214.<ref name="Sapp-2007"/>

==In popular culture==
[[Bank robbery|Bank robber]] [[John Dillinger]] was carrying this model of pistol when he was shot by [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agents outside the Biograph theater on July 22, 1934, and another famous bank robber, [[Willie Sutton]], had one when he was captured by police in Brooklyn on February 18, 1952.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ayoob |first=Massad |author-link=Massad Ayoob |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F6Yd2aU3uc8C&pg=PA128 |title=Massad Ayoob's Greatest Handguns of the World |publisher=Gun Digest Books |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-4402-2869-8 |location=Iola, Wisconsin |page=128}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

In [[Warlord Era]] China, some cottage artisans created pistols that were visually similar to the Colt Model 1903, but dissimilar in mechanics (such as the lack of a grip safety and a heel magazine release).<ref>{{cite book |last=McCollum |first=Ian |author-link=Forgotten Weapons |title=Pistols of the Warlords: Chinese Domestic Handguns, 1911 - 1949 |date=2021 |publisher=Headstamp Publishing |isbn=9781733424639 |pages=474-479 |chapter=Other Chinese Copies}}</ref>

==Users==
* {{flag|Belgium}}<ref name="Small Arms of WWI Primer 057">{{Citation |title=Small Arms of WWI Primer 057: Belgian Contract Colt 1903 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joxgsIueUr0 |access-date=2023-11-28 |language=en}}</ref>
* {{flag|Free France}}
* {{flag|Empire of Japan}}: Purchased by officers.<ref name="thefreelibrary">{{Cite web |title=Colt's 1903 hammerless: John Browning's superb .32/.380 Model M pistol was a big hit with filmmakers, civilians, the military and desperados--just about anyone who ever used it, in fact. - Free Online Library |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Colt's+1903+hammerless:+John+Browning's+superb+.32/.380+Model+M+pistol...-a0458159556 |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=www.thefreelibrary.com}}</ref>
* {{flag|United Kingdom}}: Purchased during WWI; another batch was purchased in 1921. Thousands received through lend-lease during World War II. Some were issued to the Royal Air Force. <ref name="Small Arms of WWI Primer 057" /><ref name="thefreelibrary" />
* {{flag|United States}}: 200 purchased by the D.C navy yard in 1917 and issued to couriers and intelligence officers<ref name="Small Arms of WWI Primer 057" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Colt |first=Old |title=Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless 32ACP SN:258218 MFG:1917 Navy |url=https://www.oldcolt.com/products/colt-1903-pocket-hammerless-sn-258218-mfg-1917-navy |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=Old Colt |language=en}}</ref>  20,000 1903s and 1908s were issued to specialized personnel (Including the [[Office of Strategic Services|OSS]]) between January 1942 and December 1945.<ref name="thefreelibrary" />
* {{flag|Netherlands}}: Ordered 6,800 between 1940 and 1942. Some sent to [[Dutch East Indies]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless 32ACP SN:552230 MFG:1941 Dutch Contract |url=https://www.oldcolt.com/collections/colt-1903-pocket-hammerless/products/colt-1903-pocket-hammerless-32acp-sn-552230-mfg-1941-dutch-contract |website=Old Colt |access-date=6 March 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Shanghai International Settlement}}

== Conflicts ==
* [[Indonesian National Revolution]]
* [[World War I]]<ref>{{Citation |title=Small Arms of WWI Primer 057: Belgian Contract Colt 1903 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joxgsIueUr0 |access-date=2023-11-28 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[World War II]]

==See also==
*[[List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces]]
*[[Ruby pistol]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.coltautos.com/1903ph.htm |title=Colt 1903 .32 ACP Pocket Hammerless Pistol |publisher=Coltautos.com |access-date=2012-06-01}}
* {{cite web|url=http://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/1903C/1903c.html |title=1903 Colt Model M |publisher=Unblinkingeye.com |access-date=2012-06-01}}
*[http://hlebooks.com/pinterest/co1903b.jpg Colt pistol hammerless model 1903 (infographic tech. drawing)]
*{{cite web|url=http://www.usarmamentcorp.com/manufactured-products/colt-1903-pocket-pistol///|title=Colt Licensed 1903 "Hammerless" General Officer's Pocket Pistol|publisher=U.S. Armament Corp|access-date=August 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916130226/http://www.usarmamentcorp.com/manufactured-products/colt-1903-pocket-pistol///|archive-date=September 16, 2018|url-status=dead}}

{{John Browning}}
{{.38 Calibre}}
{{Colt's Manufacturing Company}}

[[Category:Colt semi-automatic pistols]]
[[Category:.32 ACP semi-automatic pistols]]
[[Category:.380 ACP semi-automatic pistols]]
[[Category:Semi-automatic pistols of the United States]]
[[Category:World War II firearms of the United States]]
[[Category:Semi-automatic pistols 1901–1909]]
[[Category:Simple blowback firearms]]
[[Category:Firearms by John Browning]]
[[Category:Weapons of the Philippine Army]]