I Have to Celebrate!

[ZigZagZeke]

I've been looking for original, vintage grips for my Type I Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless (mfr 1915) for several years. The one's on it when I inherited it were pretty chewed up, and every time I found some for sale they weren't much better, not enough better to pay the asking price, anyway. In the meantime, I put the old grips in the safe and installed some aftermarket "ivory" grips that make it look decent.

Today on eBay I found nearly pristine Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless grips with the bidding at $82.50. I doubled the bid and waited until there were 25 seconds to go, then submitted my bid. I got them for a little under $130. I'm overjoyed. A years long quest is ended.

Read More

 

[Blackcobra]

Nice score, and sweet gun!

 

[ZigZagZeke]

What makes these really difficult to find is that my 1903 is a Type I. The Type II and later 1903s use a different grip without the scallops around "Colt". These have very little wear for being 100 years old:

 

[willseeker]

Love the original britches on your Colt! Good on ya!
Will

 

[deadeye]

Nice score on originals.

I would have went the cheap route with these...... <broken link removed>

 

[ZigZagZeke]

Nice score on originals.

I would have went the cheap route with these...... <broken link removed>

Yep, and you can get an aftermarket magazine for it for about $40, but the originals are about triple the price or more. When you have something 100 years old that has sentimental value you really want to have original furnishings on it.

 

[hermiston]

Wow

 

[Kruel J]

Nice find. I get it.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Beautiful grips and pistol! By golly, I'm going to go and have a nip in your honor! Here's to you and your colt!

 

[orygun]

I understand why you wanted the original grips. But those Ivory ones look pretty darn nice, too!
Sweet gun.

 

[RicInOR]

The 1903 and 1908 are nice pistols. Look at how much modern design takes from from them.
Clean lines, little to catch, ergonomic. Compare the Kahr's, Shields, BodyGuards, Mustangs to these.

They could use a better sight, and we could argue caliber.

But they are classic, beautiful, functional.



I personally like the 'ivory' grips. But I do understand why you would hunt up the originals.

Congratulations.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

The 1903 and 1908 are nice pistols. Look at how much modern design takes from from them.
Clean lines, little to catch, ergonomic. Compare the Kahr's, Shields, BodyGuards, Mustangs to these.

They could use a better sight, and we could argue caliber.

But they are classic, beautiful, functional.



I personally like the 'ivory' grips. But I do understand why you would hunt up the originals.

Congratulations.

Yeah, it could use better sights, but it's a classic with a long standing reputation. It doesn't hurt that characters like Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) in "Casablanca" carry a 1903 Pocket Hammerless in .32 APC:



Bogart carried a 1903 in most of his movies as Sam Spade or Phillip Marlowe too.