What can you tell me about these?

P

Prof Young

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My daughter inherited these from her step father.

The 380 colt has "Patented April 20,1897 Dec. 22, 1903" on the side. Does that mean the thing was manufactured in 1903 or earlier? It also has "Colts PT. F. A. MFG CO Hartford. CT USA" on it. "Colt Automatic calibre.380 hammerless" on the other side. Right in front of the ejection port there are two notches filed in metal.
What can you tell me?

The derringers is a 22 LR. "RECK" is stamped on one side with some very small symbols that don't photograph well and "Manufactured in West Germany" stamped on the barrel.
What can you tell me?

Live well, be safe
Prof Young
 

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Colt 1903, I have a couple 1908's, they are nice little guns.. made from 1903 to the mid 50's and they produced over a half million of them little hammerless pocket guns..

The 22 is a derringer reck, not much to say about that, its a 22... I have a mercury which is very similar, I paid $50 for it at a local gunshop years ago, looks similar except it says "mercury" where your says Reck..



As far as values, I would think the dehringer is worth $50 and the colt is worth $500 {depending on era}, I have seen a few 1908 and 1903's go into the $1500 area, but super clean military guns...
 
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Ghosts of the past.

I can speak to the Derringer and when I first saw your picture, it reminded me of and old companion that I use to take hunting way back in my high school days.
It was just a cheap import of very little value. Now that Colt, has to be a different story. .... :)

Be Safe !!!
 
Indeed.

Bill:
Yes, Rifleman (see above) says they were made into the fifties. I suppose there is a way to tell when it was made via the serial number.

Live well, be safe
Prof Young
 
There is a reference on the internet somewhere that can aid you in dating the colt, I just tried to find it but didn't have any luck with my search engine, google will work much better {on anti google cellular tablet right now}...

Good luck...
 
Shot em

I shot them both today. The colt ran like a champ. The derringer only fires from the top barrel. After some research I think the bar that is supposed to like down so the hammer engages the lower firing pin is missing.
Live well, be safe
Prof Young
 
1917

Looks like the colt was made in 1917. Serial # is 32061. We kind of wonder from the notches in the slide and apparently unsuccessful attempt to scratch off the serial number if it wasn't a gang gun as some point.
Live well, be safe
Prof Young
 
While the Colt .32 is a great little gun , please do not carry it chamber loaded.

A policeman who was a gun writer had one in his waistband and it fell out on the floor and shot him... fatally.

It is not drop safe, even with the grip safety.

Deaf
 
The serial number scratching comment worries me, if its anything more severe than holster wear, be careful with it, having a gun with "obliviated identification markings" is a serious offence, successful or not, scratched numbers are an issue if it looks like the damage was done in a way to intentionally disfigure or change the serial number of a firearm to make the identification difficult... Also falls under the federal mandatory minimum statue, so not a good situation to put yourself in...

If its something you are trying to get rid of, take it to a gun shop and see what they say, if its a family heirloom then clean it {gun cleaner and a rough rag}, oil it, install a trigger lock, and throw it in a safe... The 1903/1908s aren't really good for target shooting or defense {better is available for a very small investment}, just an old gun, part of colts history, and a good collector when in appropriate condition, but besides that, not good for much else..
 
Serial number still "fine"

Well, the "scratches" on the serial number are very light. In fact I didn't notice them until I was cleaning it. So . . . .

Thanks for the advice about not being drop safe. This is a 380 not a 32 so does that still apply. Or are 380 and 32 the same gun.

My daughter is working on getting her concealed carry. Would it be a bad idea to make this her CC gun?

Thanks for all the thoughts and advice.

Live well, be safe
Prof Young
 
As long as the serial number is legible, you are fine.
The .32 and .380 are basically the same gun.
While it is a fine gun, something newer would probably be much better for concealed carry.
 
While there are more modern guns that are available for CC, I once carried a 1903 CC. Because it has a concealed hammer, I simply did not carry it with a round in the chamber. Still a nice flat firearm that is well made. However, I now carry a Kel-Tec P32. I do like a visible hammer gun.
 
Bill:
Yes, Rifleman (see above) says they were made into the fifties.
Click to expand...

Both of the Colt "Pocket Hammerless" models were discontinued during WWII. It's not outside the realm of possibility that Colt had enough parts to assemble some small number of guns after 1945, but regular production for commercial sale would have ended in the early '40s.
I've carried both '03 and '08 models for self-defense, but they are fairly limited in that role when carried chamber-empty.
They are reliable, and surprisingly accurate if you can see the sights.
 
I would simply enjoy having two inherited pistols. The derringer just for looking at it, or trying to get it to work.
The Colt for occasional shooting, but not for carrying as a ccw.
There are better, modern firearms for ccw.
 
The terms "Model 1903" for the .32 caliber, and "Model 1908" for the .380 caliber are modern collector terms; Colt just called them Pocket Hammerless Pistols, a bit or a misnomer, as they do have hammers, just not visible ones.

Production of those guns (in both calibers) continued through WWII, with wartime production going to the government. Many went to doctors and nurses, who were allowed to carry "defensive" guns for protection of themselves and their patients, but others went to general officers (Eisenhower reportedly carried one under his "Ike" jacket) and military criminal investigators. The more romantic association is to the OSS, which did obtain some of them.

Production was discontinued when wartime contracts were cancelled (1945-46), and never resumed.

The .32 and .380 guns appear to be identical, but they are not. Early .32 guns will not accept .380 magazines, for instance.

As to being "drop safe", the later pistols have a "shelf" on the hammer that will prevent firing if the gun is jarred. At the moment, I don't recall the serial numbers at which the change was made, but I can find out if necessary.

Jim
 
About the magazines

I have a beater Colt 1908 and have never been able to find a spare magazine for it. I understand that if I did, it would cost 90 or 100 dollars.

That right there would cause me to hesitate in carrying it for CCW.

"A gun without a reload is only a temporary gun." - Mas Ayoob or Clint Smith, sorry, can't remember which.

And those sights are just hopelessly dinky. No wonder the guys in the 1930's gangster movies fired from the hip.

There are much better choices for CCW.

Bart Noir
 
I think the drop safe being referred to is any sort of firing pin safety, which it doesn't have. The grip safety is really robust though.

I don't think I'd carry mine in anything other than a pinch- but they are small and flat. Heavy though.
 
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