Colt Early Model 1905 The First .45 ACP Pre-1911 Semi-Auto Pistol, 1907 C&R

SOLD FOR: $3,900.00

LSB#: WY250318MM007

Make: Colt

Model: 1905

Serial Number: 2157

Year of Manufacture: 1907

Caliber: .45 ACP

Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto Pistol with Removable Magazine

Barrel Length: 5”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade fixed to the front of the slide. The rear sight is a rounded-top “U” notch dovetailed into the rear of the slide.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are hand-checkered walnut with smooth diamond patterns around the grip screws. The grips have light handling wear with some scattered nicks, compressions and scratches. The most notable marks are on each panel just in front of the bottom diamond. There are no chips or cracks. The checkering is generally well defined. Overall, the grips are in Very Good condition.

Type of Finish: Blue

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright with sharp rifling. There is some scattered light erosion and minor pitting in the bore. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 7 out of 10.

Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 80% of its metal finish. The left of the barrel has been hand-scribed with “VT” in front of the locking lugs and “1917” behind. The finish is thinning at all edges. Most of the balance is handling wear in the grip areas. There is some other scattered more minor wear. Most worn areas have minor surface oxidation. There are scattered light nicks, scuffs and scratches. The action shows light operational wear. The markings are clear. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The wedge still has its indexing stud. The firing pin is still the original bronze. Overall, this pistol is in Very Good condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this handgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with a single 7-round magazine. 

Our Assessment: The Ordnance Department of the U.S. Army convened a board of two men, Capt. John t. Thompson and Maj. Louis A. La Garde to determine a minimum handgun caliber for use by the U.S. Military in 1903. In 1904, a month before the report was released, Union Metallic Cartridge Company (U.M.C.) received “figures for the proposed ctgs.”. UMC began work on cartridges, and shortly thereafter Colt set to work experimenting on a .45 caliber pistol based on their 1902 Military model. U.M.C. came up with a rimless .45 cartridge that they were producing by April 1905. Meanwhile, Colt had John M. Browning try to figure out how to handle the stresses caused by higher powered cartridges using the M1902 pistol as a baseline.

By May 1905, Browning had applied for a patent covering a new barrel design with locking lugs on the bottom to lock it to the frame. In 1907, Army tests began on guns from 8 different manufacturers, which was narrowed down to Colt’s Model 1905 and pistols from Savage and Luger. Changes were requested, and Colt came up with a prototype of the new Model 1907 by September, 1907. Only about 207 of this new model were made, making them some of the most desired collector guns in the world. Further modifications resulted in the Model 1911, which was adopted by the Army and is still in use until this day as the M1911-A1.

Although the M1905 wasn’t adopted by the Army, they were made and sold commercially except for those used in government testing. The oil polished mirror finish Colt put on the pistols, with a fire blue or case-colored finish on the smaller parts, made them very desirable. This M1905 pistol was made in 1906, the second year of production. It has been refinished, so it looks great for its age. This model, along with its M1900 and M1902 predecessors, is a must-have amongst Colt collectors as being the first of the large framed Colt semi-automatics. As only 6,210 of the M1905 pistols were made, they become even more desirable with every passing year. Please see our photos and good luck!

Please forgive any typos, I was educated in California. -Bud