About The 1908 Colt .380
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Gun collectors would commonly refer to these as "safe queens" because they would spend most of their time in the safe. You wouldn't fire these guns or routinely carry them. These were the last guns that I owned that stayed in the safe all of the time.
The Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless is a .380 variant of the 1903 .32 caliber gun introduced five years earlier. This was the gun that introduced the .380 ACP pistol cartridge (designed by John Browning), still popular 100 years later.
ACP is an acronym for Automatic Colt Pistol. The .380 ACP is also known as the 9mm Short. The name "Pocket Hammerless" is misleading in that the gun is not truly hammerless, but features a concealed hammer to prevent snagging on clothing.
John Browning (1855-1926) is perhaps best known for creating the 1911 and his other contributions to autoloading firearms with at least 128 patents to his credit.
A Pair of Colts:This pair of Colts were difficult to photograph, especially for a novice with a cheap camera.
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The serial number tables for this line are listed here. If you own an old 1908 Colt pistol, I encourage you to call the Colt Archive at 1-800-962-COLT to order an authentication letter.Serial NumberTable
| Year of DOM |
Begin Serial Number | End Serial Number | Yearly Prod. Totals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | 1 | 2299 | 2,299 |
| 1909 | 2300 | 4349 | 2,050 |
| 1910 | 4350 | 6899 | 2,450 |
| 1911 | 6900 | 9499 | 2,600 |
| 1912 | 9500 | 12699 | 3,200 |
| 1913 | 12700 | 16499 | 3,700 |
| 1914 | 16500 | 20999 | 4,500 |
| 1915 | 21000 | 27499 | 6,500 |
| 1916 | 27500 | 30899 | 3,400 |
| 1917 | 30900 | 32999 | 2,100 |
| 1918 | 33000 | 33499 | 500 |
| 1919 | 33500 | 33999 | 500 |
| 1920 | 34000 | 39999 | 5,000 |
| 1921 | 40000 | 52999 | 13,000 |
| 1922 | 53000 | 60999 | 8,000 |
| 1923 | 61000 | 69499 | 8,500 |
| 1924 | 69500 | 71999 | 2,500 |
| 1925 | 72000 | 77499 | 5,500 |
| 1926 | 77500 | 84999 | 7,500 |
| 1927 | 85000 | 85999 | 1,000 |
| 1928 | 86000 | 94999 | 9,000 |
| 1929 | 95000 | 99999 | 5,000 |
| 1930 | 100000 | 104999 | 5,000 |
| 1931 | 105000 | 108999 | 4,000 |
| 1932 | 109000 | 111999 | 2,000 |
| 1933 | 112000 | 113999 | 2,000 |
| 1934 | 114000 | 115999 | 2,000 |
| 1935 | 116000 | 118999 | 3,000 |
| 1936 | 119000 | 122999 | 4,000 |
| 1937 | 123000 | 127999 | 5,000 |
| 1938 | 128000 | 128999 | 1,000 |
| 1939 | 129000 | 131999 | 2,000 |
| 1940 | 132000 | 132599 | 600 |
| 1941 | 132600 | 132600 | 1 |
| Total | 129,400 |
