1st Year Pre-War Colt Super .38 Automatic 5″ 1911 .38 Super Pistol 1929 C&R
SOLD FOR: $5,175.00
LSB#: 240315EV001
Make: Colt
Model: Super .38 Automatic Pistol
Serial#: 2561
Year of Manufacture: 1929, 1st Year Production
Caliber: .38 Super
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto with Removable Magazine
Barrel Length: 5”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a rounded bladed fixed to the top of the slide. The thickness of the blade (0.10″) indicates that it is a later replacement. The rear sight is a square notch dovetailed into the top of the slide.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered walnut. The grips show even handling wear with a few nicks and scratches. There is some discoloration from age and oil. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. The grips rate in Very Good overall condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Most remaining finish appears Original, the right slide flat has been touched-up with cold blue. The slide is serial-matched to the frame.
Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is infrequent minor erosion and some stubborn copper fouling in the bore. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates an 8 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 80% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. There are scattered light nicks, scuffs and scratches. There are some scattered spots of light surface oxidation. There is some light wear, including in the frontstrap. Most notable is the right slide flat which has wear and also a strip of recessed material where it appears some sort of marking was removed. This area has been treated with cold blue. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The trigger pull is crisp. The slide has minor play to the frame. We have not fired this pistol. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with a total of two 9-round magazines, one two-tone and one full-blue. Both magazines have a later-style floorplate marking.
Our Assessment: The .38 Super cartridge was first introduced by Colt in 1929 as a higher pressure loading of the .38 ACP. It is capable of driving a 115 gr. bullet to nearly 1400 fps., producing almost 500 ft-lbs. of energy. This is not quite up to the .357 Magnum, but was still capable of penetrating body armor and automobile bodies. Today, the cartridge is favored by many top pistol match competitors for its ability to make “Major” category with a lighter bullet offering less felt recoil than that produced from a .45 ACP round. Colt first introduced the round in its 1911A1 frame, making it basically the same as the Government Model except for the caliber. The 1911 pistol had already gained a reputation as a highly reliable pistol during WWI, Colt saw no reason not to capitalize on that reputation with a new caliber offering.
This Super .38 pistol was made in 1929, the first year of production. This pistol is in Very Good condition, showing wear consistent with its age, but also having had something milled off the right of the slide. This area has been treated with cold blue, while the remaining finish is original. The pistol is in good shape mechanically, retaining a good bore. The Super .38 pistols are highly prized by collectors and one from this early in production will be no different. Please see our photos and good luck!
