Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! The Colt Model 1902 was designed by John Browning, produced by Colt’s Manufacturing Company, and introduced in 1902. It was a modification of the Model 1900 and it was available in three variations: Military Model, Sporting model, and 1903 Pocket Hammer Model. All of them used.38 ACP cartridge. The Military Model had a longer grip, lanyard loop, and slide stopper and it had a production run of about 18,068 units between 1902 and 1928. The Sporting Model which existed from 1902 through 1907 with approximately 6,927 units was smaller and lighter. Nonetheless this gun was not widely accepted by armies due to its weaknesses as well as US forces’ preference for bigger caliber firearms after fighting the Philippine-American War. The greatest order from a military source came from Mexico who purchased eight hundred pistols in the year nineteen hundred and eight. This model contributed to the development of semi-automatic handguns in the USA that resulted in the manufacture of Colt-1911 at later times.
“This is a very fine example of an early production Colt Military Model 1902 commercial contract semi-automatic pistol as manufactured in 1905. This was the next model manufactured after the “sight safety” model that eventually lead to the development/adoption of the Colt Model 1911 pistol. These were manufactured from 1902 to 1929 as they were a very popular, early semi-automatic pistol. Most saw heavy use by law enforcement and gangsters. Since it is the military model it has the square end butt with the lanyard loop on the lower left rear side and sporting style round hammer spur. The slide has the standard factory markings: “BROWNING’S PATENT/ PATENTED APRIL 20.1897. SEPTEMBER 9. 1902” followed by “COLT’S PATENT FIREARMS MFG.CO./HARTFORD, CT.U.S.A.”, with the Colt Rampant Horse logo behind the slide serrations. The right side is marked behind the ejection port “AUTOMATIC COLT/CALIBRE 38 RIMLESS SMOKELESS” and in front of the ejection port “MODEL 1902″.”
Lot 3569: Colt – 1902 Desirable Early Production – Colt Military Model 1902 Semi-Automatic Pistol. (n.d.-ac). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved May 27, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/70/3569/colt-1902.
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