Colt's Model 1903 US Army .38 Long Colt

[Doug Bowser]

THE COLT’S MODEL 1903 US ARMY REVOLVER

By Doug Bowser

I recently had a Colt’s 1903 US Army revolver. It was the last in a series of revolvers that started in 1894. The early Colt revolvers were not a smooth as the Police Positive or Official Police versions. This handgun was chambered for the .38 Long Colt cartridge. I found the single action trigger pull very hard and gritty. It was inspected by Rinaldo Carr and Colonel Hoffer of the US Ordnance Corps. The .38 Long Colt round was woefully underpowered. During the Philippine Insurrection, the Moro Indians were known to absorb 6 rounds of .38 ammo and still kill their intended victim with their bolo knives. The US Army went back into inventory and rebuilt their 1873 Colt Cavalry revolvers. The 7.5” barrels were shortened to 5.5” and they were reissued. This solved the problem of our officers being killed by the Moros and their Bolo knives.

The revolver I had was in very good condition. It was in time, mint bore and chambers and 85% of the original blue was intact. The Walnut grips were original with RAC (Carr’s) initials. The top of front sight was bent slightly to the left. This was often done by shooters in the old days, to correct windage on the fixed sights. I also have a Colt’s Police Positive (.38 NP) with the front sight slightly bent.

I really enjoy handling older firearms. The quality of workmanship is amazing.

Along with the revolver, I received several .38 Long Colt cartridges. Some of them were REM-UMC made for the US Government in 1918. The old revolvers were put back in service for US Mainland guard duty. The other cartridges were REM-UMC with a commercial headstamp. I did not try to fire this ammo because it was very old and could have had Mercuric Priming.

When bought my first .38 Special revolver, my gunsmith friend Charles Demport, gave me a case of USGI .38 LC ammo. It was corrosive but I cleaned my S&W Military & Police .38 Special Target Revolver and I was able to practice handgun shooting at the Elbridge Rod and Gun Club in New York.



Colt’s Model 1903 US Army Revolver



.38 Special on the left .38 Long Colt on the right



Remington 1918 .38 LC Cartridge



Remington Commercial .38 LC Cartridge

 

[Monac]

Thanks for the post and the photos, Doug Bowser. I've never seen the military headstamp 38 Long Colt before. I'd heard of the front sight bending in article by that famous Border patrolman - Askins? Jordan? He sighted in Colt New Services for the Patrol that way.

The other day, a friend gave me a mixed box of 38 S&W, 38 Long Colt, and one 38 Short Colt cartridge. The 38 Short Colt looks like an oversized 22 Short, because it has a heeled, bright copper plated bullet. The Long Colt are all inside-lubricated with dark copper colored bullets.

 

[bannockburn]

Nice historical write-up of the Colt Model 1903 Army revolver Doug.

 

[Clark]

I have some old style cylinder release Colts, but none of them say "1903" on them.

New Army 1901 38
New Service 1920 38-40
New Navy 1901 41 Colt
New Service 1917 45 Webley
New Army 1907 32 WCF
New Police 1907 32 New Police

 

[Panzerschwein]

Very nice Colt's!

I've always wondered why people refer to Colt's in the possessive term. Why no Smith's & Wesson's, Ruger's, Browning's, etc. etc.

So why Colt's?

 

[Doug Bowser]

I have some old style cylinder release Colts, but none of them say "1903" on them.

New Army 1901 38
New Service 1920 38-40
New Navy 1901 41 Colt
New Service 1917 45 Webley
New Army 1907 32 WCF
New Police 1907 32 New Police

The butt of the revolver in the post

 

[Clark]

I ordered 5 Colt Police Positive 38 Specials that were 60s vintage police surplus for $80 each in May of 2000.
I wanted them for destructive testing.
When i got them I was shocked at the quality of the design and workmanship.
After reading some of his other books, I am suspicious that Kuhnhausen's Double Action Colt book Vol 1 and 2 were based on info given to him from the Colt factory.
I bought a couple more Three weeks ago.
My collection is the worst... rusty, worn, and not original.
Go to the Colt forum and there lots of like new Colts in display cases.

When I see Doug Bowser go to the trouble to type up this thread, I am happy to see others that appreciate what great revolvers these are.

 

[Col. Harrumph]

Very nice Colt's!
So why Colt's?

Colt's patent, I imagine.

 

[Doug Bowser]

Very nice Colt's!

I've always wondered why people refer to Colt's in the possessive term. Why no Smith's & Wesson's, Ruger's, Browning's, etc. etc.

So why Colt's?

It is the way the Colt Company referred the name of their revolvers and pistols.

 

[JONWILL]

I had one of those. Chambered in 38 Long Colt

I think mine was the earlier Gun made before 1900

I found out Colt bored the cylinder straight through. No chamber to fit the 38 Long Colt cartridge
It would accept a 38 Special round and if I remember correctly it would also take a 357 round. Very dangerous combination

 

[murf]

Colt's patent, I imagine.

colt's patent firearms manufacturing company

murf

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

My neighbor (elderly lady) gave me a 1909 Colt as she didn't want it in her house. It belonged to her late husband. I paid her for it (not enough when I found out what it was I cut her grass for years. I lost my job & had to sell it. It too was inspected by R.A.C. I thought something was wrong the the extractor as it would slip some of the rims. Wasn't until many years later that I found out that it too a special Army Colt ctg. with a bigger head.

 

[Doug Bowser]

I had one of those. Chambered in 38 Long Colt

I think mine was the earlier Gun made before 1900

I found out Colt bored the cylinder straight through. No chamber to fit the 38 Long Colt cartridge
It would accept a 38 Special round and if I remember correctly it would also take a 357 round. Very dangerous combination

The 1903 was bored straight through as well.

 

[Clark]

My neighbor (elderly lady) gave me a 1909 Colt as she didn't want it in her house. It belonged to her late husband.

I quit low balling offers to widows about a year ago.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I quit low balling offers to widows about a year ago.

Not sure if you are being smart or not, but I did her a favor. She would have thrown it away. I paid her back by cutting her grass (huge backyard), taking her shopping, helping with general chores for years.

 

[.455_Hunter]

I like the 1903 as it was the first in the series with a proper bore diameter, and didn't require the inside lubed .357" bullet to bump up to .375" in the barrel.

 

[Jim K]

The original model 1892 .38 revolver was set up for the old cartridge with its ..38 caliber bullet and hollow base. When the Army adopted the .38 (long) Colt, they changed the bullet diameter to .357, apparently under the impression that Colt was going to change the guns. They didn't, and inaccurate revolvers remained a problem for the service as long as that revolver was in service. Finally, Colt did change and the Model 1903 was the first to be changed, in two important ways. They first changed the barrel groove diameter to .357 to match the bullet diameter of the ammunition being made by the Army. Then they changed the chamber reamers to cut a longer chamber with a shoulder rather than a straight hole as in previous models. Needless to say, accuracy improved considerably.

Later, when S&W became interested in a government contract, they made their new M&P revolver so it would accept both the Army cartridge and a new longer and more powerful round developed by S&W specifically for the new revolver, the .38 S&W Special. Colt shortly began to use the same cartridge calling it the .38 Colt Special, the only difference being the flat point bullet in the "Colt" rounds. The later government contract revolvers will accept and fire in perfect safety (though the markings were not changed) the standard .38 Special. (Later, the ammunition makers dropped the names and just called the round the .38 Special.)

Jim.

 

[The Evangelist Cowboy]

I have some old style cylinder release Colts, but none of them say "1903" on them.

New Army 1901 38
New Service 1920 38-40
New Navy 1901 41 Colt
New Service 1917 45 Webley
New Army 1907 32 WCF
New Police 1907 32 New Police

nice collection, I seriously need to get into the old colt game only colt revolver I have is a second generation cobra.

 

[Clark]

In collecting old Colts, if they lock up tight, they don't last long in the pawn shop.
Taking a Colt double action apart is to see a perfect design. They don't make them like that any more, and I not sure CNC can replace all the tricks at the old Colt factory.
There are lots of other guys who have figured this out or for other reasons are looking for Colts the same pawn shop you do.
So you have to carry money and search all year to find an old colt.

 

[Tallball]

I got a Colt Army Special a year or so ago. I paid... don't remember for sure... something like $300 for it. The finish is kind of worn, but it's a very good shooter. It was made in 1921, IIRC. I have a similar S&W from 1915 or 1916. The Colt has a much smoother trigger and slightly superior sights. Keep your eyes open. You might get lucky and stumble across an affordable one.

 

[.455_Hunter]

It's important to remember that the Colt New Army and Colt Army Special are really completely different guns. The New Army, introduced in the 1888-1892 timeframe, soldiered on until 1908 under various improvements until the appearance of the Army Special. This new design had extensive lockwork changes (including cylinder rotation from counter to clockwise) and proved to be a winner for Colt. The Army Special changed names to Official Police in 1927 and was produced until 1969.