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Title:	PISTOL, SEMI-AUTOMATIC -  COLT PISTOL MODEL 1908 HAMMERLESS .380 SN# 93090
Maker/Manufacturer:	BROWNING, JOHN MOSES
Date of Manufacture:	1929
Eminent Figure:
Catalog Number:	SPAR 8760
Measurements:	OL: 6 3/4" BL: 3 3/4"

Object Description:

COLT PISTOL MODEL 1908 HAMMERLESS .380 SN# 93090
Manufactured by Colt, Hartford, Ct. in 1929 - Standard Colt Model 1908 Hammerless blowback-operated semi-automatic pistol. Blued finish, checkered walnut grips. 6-groove rifling; left hand twist. This model is essentially the same as the .32 Pocket Pistol, chambered for the more potent .380 ACP, also known as 9mm Browning short. Other specifications are the same. Colt manufactured approximately 138,000 in this caliber for civilian sales. An unknown number were sold to the military. Magazine missing.

Markings:
Slide - Right side: COLT AUTOMATIC/CALIBRE .380 HAMMERLESS. Left side: COLT'S PT. F.A. MFG. CO. HARTFORD, CT. U.S.A./PATENTED APR. 20, 1897. DEC. 22, 1903. Rampant Colt.
Frame - Right side: I<-- NPS etched on. Left side: 93090. Yosemite number etched on: 410407416.
Grips: Colt emblem in circle.
Yosemite tag attached: NP/27931.

Weapon transferred to the Springfield Armory NHS from Yosemite National Park on 29 January 1998.

Notes: "This model is essentially the same as the .32 Pocket Pistol, chambered for the more potent .380 ACP, also known as the 9mm Browning short. Other specifications are the same. Colt manufactured approximately 138,000 in this caliber for civilian sales. An unknown number were sold to the military." - Schwing.

"Procurement of various types of pistols and revolvers for purposed other than actual combat had been effected sporadically during the current war. The Colt Pocket Automatic, Caliber .380, was procured for issue to General Officers of the Army and was similarly issued by the Navy to authorized officers. Like all commercial weapons, the .380 Colt was inspected without benefit of drawings or gages in the hands of Ordnance inspectors. Weapons which functioned perfectly during Ordnance tests could not be depended upon to stand up under continued use of a normal serviceable life. After correction of defective Magazines and Ejectors, the .380 Colt performed reasonably well however, and was popular because of its light weight, small size, and neat appearance." - Project Support Paper Relating to Miscellaneous Pistols and Revolvers, 15 August 1945.

"A friend showed me a little .32-cal. Colt pocket pistol marked 'U.S. Property' that he said was from World War II. Why would the Army issue a little .32 when we already had the M1911 in .45ACP?
While the U.S. M1911/M1911A1 pistols and the M1917 and Victory Model revolvers met the demands of combat troops, there was still a need for handguns to arm non-combatant personnel. From 1942 through 1945, the government purchased some 17,000 Colt Model 1903 pistols chambered in the .32 ACP cartridge. During the same time period (1942-44), a smaller quantity of 3,700 Colt Model 1908 .380 ACP pistols were acquired. The final .380 pistol contract was granted in 1944 and called for 1,500 guns. These were sufficient to meet the demand for the rest of World War II, and the supply was not exhausted until July of 1950.
The Colt Pocket Model was issued when an officer received promotion to general during World War II. Reportedly, the new general had the choice of either the .32 ACP or .380 ACP when possible. In addition to being the standard sidearm for general officers, Colt Pocket Models were issued to agents of the Army Intelligence, Military Police, CID and Provost Marshalls. It has also been reported that some of these pistols were issued to military doctors and nurses. Substantial numbers were also acquired of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) to arm operatives and other clandestine personnel.
Both models were prominently stamped 'U.S. PROPERTY' on the frame. The M1903s were blued until approximately serial No. 562,000, when the finish was changed to Parkerizing. Most, if not all, of the government-issue Model 1908 .380 ACP pistols were blued. The serial numbers of the government-issue M1903s ranged from 555,001 to 572,000, and the G.I. M1908s had serial numbers ranging from 134,500 to 138,000." - American Rifleman, November 2003.

"MacArthur's Pistol. Concerning the ongoing discSpecifically, the General was issued #135411 Colt Automatic Caliber .380 through the Battalion Quartermaster Supply and brown leather holster and ammunition were requisitioned separately form the 'States.' The pistol was blued, marked U.S. Property and had an extra magazine.
I have looked at this pistol many times and the gun was excellent but used and the holster showed use. The general obviously did wear it in his office or formal functions and professional activities." - W.P.G., Maryland, Man At Arms, August, 1998.

References:
Balderson, Robert H. COLLECTOR HANDGUNS. 5th Ed. House of Collectibles. N.Y., N.Y. 1996.
Flayderman, Norm. FLAYDERMAN'S GUIDE TO ANTIQUE AMERICAN FIREARMS...AND THEIR VALUES. 7th Ed. Krause Publications. Iola, Wi. 1998.
Harrison, J.C. HARRISON'S NOTEBOOK: U.S. MILITARY ARMS. FROM DOUGHBOY TO DOGFACE INDIVIDUAL WEAPONS 1903-1955. The Arms Chest. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 1999.
Schwing, Ned & Herbert Houze. STANDARD CATALOG OF FIREARMS. 6th Ed. Krause Publications. Iola, Wi. 1996.
Schwing, Ned. 1998 STANDARD CATALOG OF FIREARMS. 8th Ed. Krause Publications. Iola, Wi. 1998.
Wilson, R.L. COLT: AN AMERICAN LEGEND. Abbeville Publishing Group. N.Y., N.Y. 1985.