Colt automatic calibre 25

J

Jasun

New member
A buddy has a pretty rusted up version of this gun. I'm going to try and put it in my electrolysis tank but want to field strip it. How does this thing come apart?

 
Watch a video or two on YouTube. That's easier for both of us. Less typing for me, more understanding for you.
 
Looks like most of the active rust is already long gone.

Electrolysis will remove the rust from the bottom of the pits, but that's about it.
 
In spite of the need to clean well, I strongly recommend against detail stripping that pistol. Unless the springs are shot, I doubt the internal parts will be damaged enough to need replacement. They are pretty rugged guns, and just hosing down the frame with a good penetrant (I like G96 Gun Treatment) then putting on a light coating of oil should be all that needs to be done.

Jim
 
I have an inherited Libia, which is very similar. Like Bill DeShivs said, the barrel rotates about a quarter turn when the slide is locked back, then the slide and barrel come off together.

I hope the Colt version is more accurate than my Libia. The best way to hit the side of a barn with it is to be inside the barn, and even then a bench rest is advisable.
 
Got it stripped. This gun would not have been in firing order otherwise. It was so gunked up. The web safety spring is broke but other then that not too bad. Here are a couple pieces I pulled out of the ultra sonic cleaner. What finish is this? Would electrolysis help with the rest of the rust and not ruin the finish?



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Also where can I get parts for this??
 
To be correct, it is not a 1908 Pocket Hammerless, it is a VestPocket Hammerless. The 1908 Pocket Hammerless would be the the larger pistol in .380 ACP.

I am not sure what that part of the barrel is that looks like a pad of some kind, but it shouldn't be there. The barrel will need replacing. FWIW, the replacement barrels I have used on the small Colt autos did drop right in.

A small note: The slide lockback position on those guns is not the dismount position; the dismount position is with the front for the slide about 1mm in front of the frame. The barrel can then be turned clockwise (as viewed from the front) and the slide can be removed. Unlike many similar guns, the barrel cannot be removed from the slide by pulling forward; with the slide upside down, it is tipped up at the back and pulled out backwards.

Jim
 
My Libia, which I am told is more akin to a 1906 Browning than the Colt, has transverse ribs on the barrel that lock it to the slide when rotated into similar ribs there. The pictured barrel doesn't have those ribs, unless the barrel is carefully balanced with the ribs on the backside. How does the barrel on this pistol lock to the slide?
 
That barrel pictured has the lugs turned away from the camera; they are there, and turn up into the slide to get out of the way so the slide can move forward and off the frame. (The Colt VP and the FN 1906 are basically the same except for markings and the dismount notch for the safety.)

Jim
 
A small note: The slide lockback position on those guns is not the dismount position; the dismount position is with the front for the slide about 1mm in front of the frame. The barrel can then be turned clockwise (as viewed from the front) and the slide can be removed. Unlike many similar guns, the barrel cannot be removed from the slide by pulling forward; with the slide upside down, it is tipped up at the back and pulled out backwards.
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+1. You got yours apart but it can be tricky to get them back together.

Anyway, I have a Vest Pocket made in 1919. It's a fantastic shooting gun. I hope you can bring this one back to life. It would be worth the effort.
 
Replacement grips in hard rubber or walnut are available, no matter what you do with this pistol (short of sending it to Turnbull restorations) you will never return it to collectable status, however, you can end up with a neat shooter, mine is a lot of fun to fire.
 
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