Colt 1903

[Hugger-4641]

Ok, just curious for opinions. I have dropped out of bidding on this one from a local online auction. From past experience watching these auctions , with seven days to go, I'm sure the final winng bid is going to be much higher. So, educate me why this one is going so high when I've seen others go for less?

 

[mm93]

Makes no sense for a gun that letters as blued, and somebody nickel plated it later. If anything it should go cheaper than any original SAA Colt in similar configuration.

 

[Hugger-4641]

Makes no sense for a gun that letters as blued, and somebody nickel plated it later. If anything it should go cheaper than any original SAA Colt in similar configuration.

That was also my first thought, there must be something I'm missing about this one...

 

[silicosys4]

Lol people are stupid. I sold a near mint factory nickel .44spcl 3rd gen for just a bit more than that last year.

 

[PistoleroWadcutterGANG]

That's a shooter special all day. that pushed collector value is nonsense. P.T. Barnum "sucker special".

 

[jar]

"Oh! Shiny!"

 

[bangswitch]

What makes the revolver in the picture a "1903", other than when it was sold new? Looks identical to the 1873 SAA (Peacemaker). When I saw the thread title, I immediately thought of the Model M .32 semiauto.

 

[Hugger-4641]

What makes the revolver in the picture a "1903", other than when it was sold new? Looks identical to the 1873 SAA (Peacemaker). When I saw the thread title, I immediately thought of the Model M .32 semiauto.

Well that was another question I had: is it mis-labeled?
I'm not a revolver officianado so there's a lot I'm not familiar with.
Is this actually something else that someone who knows what they're looking at is willing to pay $3k or more for?

 

[Heir Kommt Die Sonne]

Is this actually something else that someone who knows what they're looking at is willing to pay $3k or more for?

People will pay that much for it, yes. 1900s era Colt single actions seem to demand quite a premium, and there's a cult following of that era. Personally knowing what they are, I wouldn't pay that much for one of them. 1500 at most if it includes factory letter.
I dont mind the nickel plating with the letter saying it was blued, as it's clear it was blued originally just nickel plated later on. But because it being not from the factory, it should not have a premium to it.
Walk away from this one. Some sucker is going to end up buying it. Refinished originals should be cheaper than that.
And yes it's mislabeled, the model of 1903 was a Semi auto. That's just a 'frontier' model, also known as SAA

 

[Y-T71]

....When I saw the thread title, I immediately thought of the Model M .32 semiauto.

Same here, and, since we're in "General" and not "Revolver" I didn't think twice.

A looonggg time ago, I helped a friend plant 2000 "Christmas" trees on a plot of land he had purchased.

Took a couple days and we used hand, rather than power" tools to do it.

He came to my house shortly afterwards (when I wasn't home) and gave my dad a 4" stainless Ruger Security Six to give to me as partial payment for the work I had done.

I found out later that it was between the Ruger and a Colt 1903 .32acp with a bulged barrel.

Sometimes I think about that Colt (back then, I could've bought an inexpensive spare barrel fairly easily)

Oh well....

I absolutely LOVE my Security Six!

 

[JTHunter]

IIRC, a "Colt 1903" is a semiauto pistol, not a revolver.

Colt “Smokeless Automatic” .32 ACP, 3.25” barrel, double action only (DAO) semiauto, mfg. ~1911

 

[Hugger-4641]

IIRC, a "Colt 1903" is a semiauto pistol, not a revolver.

Well, I thought so too, but evidently there was a 1903 revolver also.
I copied this from a Colt forum:

"The Model 1903 Revolver was an an evolution of the M1892 DA revolver. It would eventually be replaced by the M1909 DA New Service revolver. It is reported that 12,500 were delivered to Springfield Armory."

 

[Heir Kommt Die Sonne]

IIRC, a "Colt 1903" is a semiauto pistol, not a revolver.

Thats not "DAO" thats single action, it just has a covered hammer so you can't decock it.

 

[reddog81]

Gun in OP shipped in 1903. It’s not a 1903 model. Caliber, condition and year made/shipped are usually top things a buyer wants to know.

 

[Mosin77]

It’s a typical poor auction house description. The gun dates to 1903 but that’s merely incidental. It’s a model 1873, Single Action Army. As made famous in plenty of Western movies and cloned by numerous outfits over the years.

And it’s typical auction frenzy. There is no reason for that gun to be above $1750. It’s not factory original, not from the “western” era, and in a less desirable chambering. These factors make it a great candidate as a shooter, but not a gun that should in any universe bring ~$3000 plus auction premium. I’ve seen a similar gun for sale for $1500 in a shop within the last year.

 

[Hugger-4641]

It’s a typical poor auction house description. The gun dates to 1903 but that’s merely incidental. It’s a model 1873, Single Action Army. As made famous in plenty of Western movies and cloned by numerous outfits over the years.

And it’s typical auction frenzy. There is no reason for that gun to be above $1750. It’s not factory original, not from the “western” era, and in a less desirable chambering. These factors make it a great candidate as a shooter, but not a gun that should in any universe bring ~$3000 plus auction premium. I’ve seen a similar gun for sale for $1500 in a shop within the last year.

Ok, so you're saying this article is wrong also?
I'm asking because I really don't know but I clipped this from a Colt forum:

The Model 1903 Revolver was an an evolution of the M1892 DA revolver. It would eventually be replaced by the M1909 DA New Service revolver. It is reported that 12,500 were delivered to Springfield Armory."

 

[Heir Kommt Die Sonne]

The Model 1903 Revolver was an an evolution of the M1892 DA revolver. It would eventually be replaced by the M1909 DA New Service revolver. It is reported that 12,500 were delivered to Springfield Armory."

Yes there was a model of 1903 revolver, but the most common 1903 model most will be referring to when mentioning Colt will be the .32 Semi auto.
The 1892 spawned an entire series of revolvers after it, alot of which appeared in the first decade of the 1900s. The most common variants are the 1909 New Service, and the 1917 US contract model chambered in .45 acp.

 

[Mosin77]

Ok, so you're saying this article is wrong also?
I'm asking because I really don't know but I clipped this from a Colt forum:

The Model 1903 Revolver was an an evolution of the M1892 DA revolver. It would eventually be replaced by the M1909 DA New Service revolver. It is reported that 12,500 were delivered to Springfield Armory."

Not wrong, just not this gun. This gun is a SAA (“Peacemaker”) made in 1903 (presumably.) Or maybe they just made up the 1903 part completely. But probably they call it that because that’s the year this particular gun was made. One could type the serial number into Colt’s website -if you have it- to determine for certain, or maybe there is a photo of the factory letter. . The SAA was made between approx. 1873 and 1941 if memory serves. Then in subsequent “generations” after WW2 to the present day.

The M1903 revolver and M1903 pistols were both entirely different Colt models that look nothing like this gun. The M1903 revolver is a double action and resembles a S&W frame (compared to this one.)

 

[JTHunter]

Thats not "DAO" thats single action, it just has a covered hammer so you can't decock it.

Interesting point that I hadn't considered. Thanks for pointing out my mistake!

 

[Hugger-4641]

Well, only an hour or so left. I won't get to check again before auction ends but I bet it goes up some more in the last minutes.

 

[bangswitch]

This is what the Colt 1903 revolver looks like:

US ARMY 1903 COLT (DA 38 NEW ARMY) DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVER

US ARMY 1903 COLT (DA 38 NEW ARMY) DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVER for sale online.

www.gunsinternational.com

Slightly different from the 1873 SAA (the Uberti clone below is an exact copy of the 1873 SAA)


This is what the Colt 1903 Model M looks like, which is what most people immediately think of when you hear "Colt 1903":

 

[entropy]

If you're not a revolver aficionado, bidding on SAAs on GunBroker probably isn't a wise move. Definitely something you want to do a lot of research before delving into.

 

[Hugger-4641]

If you're not a revolver aficionado, bidding on SAAs on GunBroker probably isn't a wise move. Definitely something you want to do a lot of research before delving into.

Yeah I don't do much with GB, but I have picked up some good stuff at local auctions. This one was stupid.
That revolver ended up going for $4600. I went to $400 on a beat up, barely recognizably Model 11 12ga with broken stock that I wanted as as a restore project, it went for $650.
A few items like an M&P 22, TX22, and a G21 I went to within $100 of what a new one cost and still didn’t win anything in this one, but you never know what the next one will have.
I did notice that there was one bidder that bid on almost every single item near the end of auction, even some that were already at the new price. Makes me wonder if there's some funny business going on.