Obviously not (although I might irritate a squirrel considerably if I could sneak up on him while he sleeps). This is a Colt 1908 vest pocket pistol, chambered in the much-despised .25 acp, which I picked up today in my favorite kind-of-local gun store (about 30 miles away in Wilmington). Not a lot of bang, but it looks to be a good close-up plinker.
I looked up the year of manufacture based on the serial number, and this little guy was made in 1915. It obviously has after-market grips, but the gun itself is in very good condition, and reproduction grips identical to the originals are fairly easy to find. The gun store had another one with original grips, but the metal was somewhat pitted.
The Model 1908 was manufactured from 1908 until 1948 (with three years off during the early 1940s for the war effort). It was intended as a concealed-carry pistol - no surprise, there - something to stash, pretty much literally, in one's vest pocket (or in a lady's purse; mine, in fact, has a faint hint of perfume).
I need to buy some cartridges, and when I do, I'll take this pea-shooter out to the gun club for some not-exactly-long-range practice.
Not very long range, indeed! I think .25ACP is a belly gun, for point blank range.
ReplyDeleteBut it quite attractive, looks well made.
That's nice. I like old guns.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, if you shoot someone with it you'd better hope they don't find out or they'll be pretty upset.
It obviously has after-market grips...
ReplyDeleteOr...maybe a previous owner was an amateur wood worker and decided he could make replacement grips himself. Something just doesn't look quite right for them to be professionally made, but I could be wrong about that. Wouldn't be the first time.
Could be. They're certainly thicker than regular grips. I kind of like 'em, though, because they fill my hand a little better.
ReplyDeleteV: I think this is the kind of a gun where you shoot the guy, and then look at the ceiling and whistle a tune, all nonchalant-like, just in case it only irritates him and you want to appear innocent.
ReplyDeleteKeeping with the theme of old firearms, a few were discovered north of Perth in 2017.
ReplyDeletehttps://armamentresearch.com/ww2-machine-gun-recovered-from-cache-in-western-australia/
Keeping with the theme of old firearms, a couple were found north of Perth in 2017.
ReplyDeletehttps://armamentresearch.com/ww2-machine-gun-recovered-from-cache-in-western-australia/
Wow! What great finds!
ReplyDeleteI have my grandfather's, manufactured in 1926. He bought it in 1927 on graduation from Northwester before moving to Seattle (I guess even then they figured you had to pack heat if you were going Out West).
ReplyDeleteAnother JMB design, it was manufactured by Browning for some years before Colt began production. It's pretty European, having a heel magazine release as well as a magazine disconnect safety. I have read that Browning designed the .25 ACP cartridge to replicate the ballistics of .22 LR, but in centerfire format to avoid the reliability issues with rimfire. So that's your baseline - .22.
Huh. That makes sense, Stephen. The .25ACP cartridge is TINY. I never could figure out why anyone would bother designing and building it.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Yeah, I think a similar version was made by FN Herstal, wasn't it?
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