Colt 1908 WWII Issue with Pictures

M

mhuegerich

New member
I thought I would share an interesting story and some pictures on a pristine Colt Model 1908 issued to a medic in World War 2, who turned out to be a somewhat famous person.

The story goes that he was issued the Colt 1908 during the war, but rarely carried it because he was a medic. He brought the pistol and holster back from the war with him and put it away in the closest for the next 70 years, where it sat untouched in the holster in the humid St. Louis summers.

He recently passed away, and his son (a friend of mine) took possession of it. He gave it to me for a cleaning and inspection before taking it out to the range to shoot.

The gentleman's name is Frank Borghi.

You can read about him here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Borghi

It seems pretty amazing the pistol is in such good condition. There's a blemish on the left side of the frame above the grip, but other than that the bluing looks like it came out of the tank yesterday.

A cool an unexpected family heirloom.











 
:eek:

PRETTY PONY!!!!!!

LOVE me some M1908s! Awesome gun, with a great history. Just an incredible piece, and a prize to be sure.
 
That is a beautiful 1908 pocket hamerless with an interesting story. Sorry for your friend's loss. You and he will find that to be a great shooter.

As I am sure you know the 1903 and 1908s have a very unique sequence of steps for disassembly. Make sure your friend understands that nothing is to be forced if he decides to strip it in the future. There are lots of examples of these fine pistols that show evidence of improper use of pliers etc in effort to get them apart.
 
1908

I would love to purchase a 1908 as my next pistol. I have read that Colt is coming out with both 1903 and 1908 , so I am confused if it's both or just 1903 which I read first?
 
The blemish is from the brass snap on the holster. I suggest the gun be stored in another way or something be used to keep it away from the brass.

In spite of stories about generals and the OSS, most of those guns were issued to medical corpsmen, nurses, and doctors. International agreements banned those people from carrying "offensive" weapons (and the .45 pistol was considered "offensive") but allowed them to carry "defensive" weapons for the protection of themselves and their patients. Medical personnel could decline to accept the offer of a pistol. AFAIK, there is no record of how many medical personnel actually carried or ever used their pistols, or how many, like your friend's father, declined the offer or simply stowed the guns away for the duration. Technically, of course, they were not allowed to bring the guns home, since they were government property, but (like other issue weapons) many undoubtedly did so.

Added note: On looking closer at the pictures, I don't see any "U.S. Property" mark, indicating that the gun was NOT purchased by the Army on contract. So it might have been the personal property of Mr. Borghi, either taken into the service by him or obtained by him after the war with the story of wartime use a family misunderstanding.

Jim
 
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James K, thanks for the information.

The blemish above the grip is from the brass rivet, but oddly enough the backing of the rivet in that area doesn't come in contact with the frame, but has a layer of leather covering it. That rivet area does create some pressure against the frame at that point. So I'm guessing pressure, humidity, and 70 years created the blemish.

No more holster storage.

j357, disassembly took about a minute. Reassembley took about 20 minutes. Makes me appreciate every other modern handgun I own. Finding the correct slide to frame position along with the correct barrel to frame position that would allow the barrel to turn back in to place was tough. Especially with a lubed gun and nitrile gloves. :)
 
I do have to warn, as I always do with those guns, against doing a full disassembly. Many folks just sort of assume that, because the Browning-designed 1911 is easy to take apart and reasseble, other Browning pistols are just as easy. Not true. The pocket hammerless guns are difficult to disassemble and more difficult to re-assemble, even if you know a "trick" or two. The best takedown procedure is to not take them down.

Jim
 
James K, I also noticed the lack of "US Property" mark. What are the chances that a pistol could have been issued without a mark?

I also have a question about the serial number. The 110xxx range puts it as being produced in 1928, at least according to a chart that I saw. That seems like a long time before WWII.

But... The story seems to make sense. They aren't a gun family, in fact this was the only gun in the house and there wasn't even a box of ammo. No one really knew much about it other than Frank saying it was issued to him during the warr and he had no desire to carry it.

The odds seem pretty slim that he would have picked up a gun after the war that just happened to match something he would have been issued, and then store it in a closet.

Maybe he brought it with him?
 
I am sorry to hear about his passing.

What a fabulous old gun! My grandma turned my grandpa's in during one of those police propaganda gun grabs. :(

I messed up the spring on my 1903 the first time I field stripped it. Note to self: The barrel ALWAYS goes back in beforehand!
 
According to the serial number (101151) that you have pictured, you have what I believe is a 1928, possibly 1930, (depending on who you believe) production Type IV Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless .380 ACP. I also believe that if it was truly an issued sidearm then it would be stamped with U.S. PROPERTY on the right side of the frame as well as have an ordnance wheel on the rear left side of the frame.

Also of note is that both calibers, .32 and .380 as well as both parkerized and blued finishes were issued. Most were issued to officers as presentations of command, but some obviously made it into the hands of others. There are many stories of wartime soldiers receiving sidearms from back home, from a friend or citizen there, or from some other means. The example shown seems to have a very early serial number to have been an issued sidearm, plus it is lacking the usual markings. It is entirely possible that your friends father received this from a higher up in the military and thought of it as issued.

Regardless, it is a fine sidearm that was owned by a fine man that not only served his country with honor, but was a pretty good soccer player.
 
As others have observed, a very nice Model M.

One thing I recommend checking before you shoot your pistol. The Model M uses a two-piece firing pin (no other way to get the pin into the firing pin tunnel), and a very short (and appaarently very weak) firing pin return spring on the forward half of the pin. These springs have a tendency to fossilize and lose their spring force. If that has happened, then when you dry fire the pistol (the only way to store it with the main spring uncocked), the forward half of the firing pin is likely to become wedged into the firing pin hole in the breech face. If that happens, and then you drop the slide on a loaded magazine, you suddenly have a open-bolt firing mechanism.

Test: Clear the pistol. Close the slide on an empty chamber. Pull the trigger to dry fire. Now open the slide and see whether the nose of the firing pin is protruding from the breech face. If so, the firing pin return spring needs to be replaced.

Finding a replacement sprng is not that difficult. Disassembly of the slide, particularly one as pristine as yours, does require some skill. I don't like using a hammer and drift pin on these pistols, so I use an arbor press and some blocks of soft wood to hold the slide. A qualified gunsmith can replace the spring in about 15 minutes.
 
"What are the chances that a pistol could have been issued without a [USP] mark?"

Close to nil. Anything is possible, but that gun would have been made well before the government bought any of that model. While those pistols (with the USP mark] are often said to be general officers' pistols, or issued to the OSS, the fact is that most were issued to medical personnel and a few others. "Officers" in general were not issued Colt Pocket Models; they were issued either carbines or the standard M1911A1 pistol. Some airmen, both Army and Navy/Marines, were issued .38 caliber revolvers, the majority S&W but some Colts.

A common problem with U.S. issue "bringbacks" is that bringing home a GI weapon was illegal*; the gun was stolen government property. Captured ENEMY weapons were brought back by the ton, but bringing home an M1 rifle, or M1 carbine, or .45 pistol was prohibited. That does not mean it was not done, but the weapon was considered stolen government property, and the soldier could have been imprisoned if caught. Of course, few ex-GI's would admit to plain old theft, so fancy stories abound about how it was given them by Patton, or Eisenhower, or some other high-up. Didn't happen.

*Actual general officers pistols were the exception; they were given (not issued) to the general and became his personal property.

Jim
 
Great pistol

Thanks for showing it. Looks to be in perfect shape even with the mark.

Regarding medical personnel carrying, I thought it was done in the Pacific routinely by medics and navy corpsman because the Japanese did not sign the Geneva Convention and had the habit of targeting medical personnel. In fact I remember reading that they did not wear the red cross on their helmet because of that.

Pico
 
Very nice 1908 Colt, but it that Colt was never a military issue. It may well have been a personal weapon but not a issue one, why Mr. Borghi would say it was issue, perhaps he didn't and it is just family lore, People just assume that because so and so was in the Army and he owns a weapon , then it follows that, that weapon was his personal issue from uncle sugar. or perhaps he just didn't want to keep explaining where he got it. There are any number of ways he could have come in possession of the Colt ,it could have been given to him as a gift from another GI, he could have won it in a card game, or it could have been collateral for a loan ( that happens a lot , even in a peace time Army ) Medic's with hand guns. yes, it happens but it doesn't make any difference, anything moving on a active battle field is fair game. The US Army was as guilty as any other country in such matters ( War With Out Mercy , is a long but very good read ).
 
The rule allowing medical personnel to be armed with "defensive" weapons did not come about to protect medics on the battlefield, but because in earlier wars there had been instances of rogue troops or partisans invading military hospitals and killing enemy wounded and/or those treating them.

Left unsaid was the idea that such a gun could also be used by female nurses to defend themselves against soldiers of their own army who might be intent on un-military conduct.

Jim
 
James, RKG, Lurch, Rjay,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and knowledge. One of the reasons I posted the picutures and the story was to better understand the history of the gun. As I was researching it some of the information didn't add up, but I thought I would discuss with those much more knowledgable than me on TFL.

Rjay, I think "family lore" probably sums it up. I don't think the pistol was even mentioned until a few years ago, and we all know that time has a way of changing things.

Regardless of the history of the pistol, Frank Borghi was a truly remarkable individual. Although known more for his soccer World Cup defeat of England in 1950 than is service in the war.

My friend is excited to shoot it. Given it's condition, I don't think there will be any issues, but I'll run it throught the test as RKG noted above.
 
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