Today’s firearm market is awash with pistols designed and marketed for concealed carry.
However, when semi-automatic (known then as automatic), self-loading pistols first came on the scene at the turn of the 20th century, one carry pistol stood out and remained an issued Army sidearm until the 1970s. Of course, John Moses Browning designed it.
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Known for such legendary firearms as the 1911 handgun and the M2 .50-cal machine gun, Browning did not design the first commercial semi-automatic pistol. That honor went to Hugo Borchardt’s C93 of 1893. However, Browning’s simple blowback operating system and reciprocating slide design are still in use today. These pioneering features were first seen on the FN 1900 pistol, which exploded in popularity across Europe and around the world.
In fact, the name “Browning” became synonymous in Europe with any semi-automatic pistol with a slide for a time.
Seeing FN’s success, Colt wanted to get into the market and asked Browning to design a semi-auto carry pistol for them.
At the time, an agreement existed allowing Colt to sell Browning designs in North America, Great Britain, and Ireland while FN could sell them in most of the rest of Europe; other regions were fair game. Aimed at the civilian concealed carry market, Browning created the Colt Model M 1903 Pocket Hammerless.
Playing both sides and coming out on top, Browning simultaneously designed a 1903 pistol for FN that was basically a scaled-up version of the Colt for the European military market. At the same time, Browning was also developing a military pistol for Colt called the 1903 Pocket Hammer; a compact version of the Colt 1902 and derived from the Colt 1900, the 1903 Pocket Hammer is completely separate from the 1903 Pocket Hammerless and would go on to evolve into the famed Colt 1911.
Despite its name, the 1903 Pocket Hammerless actually uses a shrouded, internal hammer to aid in its pocketability.
To indicate if the hammer is cocked, the thumb-actuated safety lever can only be engaged if the hammer is back. Additionally, the grip safety only protrudes when the hammer is cocked. Despite its connection with 1911, the phrase “cocked and locked” first appeared in the 1903’s patent. The design of a heel magazine release over a side-mounted button also lended to the pistol’s pocketability in an era when genuine pocket carry was common.
The release of the 1903 was a huge success for Colt. With a 4-inch barrel and 8 rounds of .32 ACP onboard, the Type I 1903 was a gamechanger for the concealed carry market. To paraphrase the iconic Eli Duckworth, the Colt 1903 was the SIG Sauer P365 of its time. In an America dominated by revolvers large and small, Colt’s semi-auto pocket pistol was the only gun of its type. Moreover, .32 ACP was as commonplace as 9mm is today.
In 1908, Colt cut down the barrel of the 1903 by a quarter-inch with the 1903 Type II and also introduced a .380 ACP version in the Model M 1908, which had its own serial number range. Just two years later, the bushing barrel was changed to a bushingless design with the Type III. This version ran until 1926 and is the most common of the 1903s.
While the pistol saw limited adoption by the U.S. Navy and the Belgian military during World War I, it was extensively used during the interwar period.
Bonnie Parker had one taped to her thigh when she broke Clyde Barrow out of prison. Al Capone reportedly carried a 1903 in his coat pocket as his personal weapon. When John Dillinger was shot and killed by federal agents in Chicago, he was reportedly reaching for a Colt Model M, supposedly a 1908 in .380 ACP, in his trouser pocket. On the other side of the law, the 1908 was famously issued by the Shanghai Municipal Police under the command of William Fairbairn, the father of modern SWAT who went on to train allied commandos during World War II.
In 1926, Colt introduced a magazine safety with the Type IV variant and military sights with the Type V. The 1903 changed from a blued to a parkerized finish in 1941 and was purchased by the War Department for issuance to intelligence officers and also sent to Britain. From there, 1903s were supplied to resistance fighters and carried by SOE and OSS commandos behind enemy lines. The popularity of .32 ACP made it easy to keep the pistols topped up in occupied Europe.
Notably, a 1903 was carried by SOE-trained Czech agents during their assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, a key architect of the Holocaust, in Prague.
In 1944, the military began issuing Colt 1903s and 1908s with a belt and holster to general officers. This marked the beginning of the General Officers Pistol program that carries on today. Upon their retirement, generals had the opportunity to purchase their General Officers Pistols. As a result, Colt Model Ms with “U.S. Property” marks and serial numbers connected with famous generals have made their way onto the civilian market. Colt Model Ms continued to be issued as General Officers Pistols until supply ran out and the model was replaced with the M15, a modified 1911, in 1972.
Colt produced about 570,000 1903s and 138,000 1908s. As a result, these historically significant, but often overlooked, pistols can be found secondhand with relative ease. Of course, examples in better condition fetch higher prices. New production Model Ms were manufactured by U.S. Armament under license from Colt, and replacement parts are readily available for Type III and newer variants.
While .32 ACP and even .380 ACP are considered underpowered by today’s standards, there’s something special about carrying a Colt 1903 over something like a P365 or other polymer pistol. After all, Humphrey Bogart carried a 1903 in classic films like “Casablanca” and “Key Largo.” You think you’re cooler than Bogie or any of the other legends that carried a Colt Model M?
