Colt Model 1905 The First .45 ACP Pre-1911 Semi-Auto Pistol, MFD 1907 C&R
SOLD FOR: $3,075.00
WOA#: WY240530TP036
Make: Colt
Model: 1905
Serial Number: 2047
Year of Manufacture: 1907 (https://colt.com/serial-lookup)
Caliber: .45 ACP
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto Pistol with Removable Magazine
Markings: The left side of the slide is marked “PATENTED / APR. 20. 1897. SEPT. 9. 1902. DEC. 19. 1905.”, “COLT’S PATENT FIRE ARMS MFG. CO. / HARTFORD, CONN. U.S.A.”, and at the rear with a circled Rampant Colt logo. The left side of the frame is marked “2047”. The right side of the slide is marked “AUTOMATIC COLT / CALIBRE 45 RIMLESS SMOKELESS”. The left front of the trigger guard is marked with a “VP” in a triangle. The right side of the frame rail at the muzzle is marked “K”. The bottom of the slide is marked “W”.
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 two-piece checkered wood with smooth diamonds around the grip screw escutcheons. The grips have light-moderate handling wear with some scattered nicks, scuffs and scratches. The right panel has a few more notable dings. The checkering is generally well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good condition.
Type of Finish: Blue, Fire-Blue & Case Color
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is gray. The rifling is worn, but visible. There is scattered erosion and pitting in the bore. There is a notable bulge in the bore 1 3/4″ from the muzzle. The bulge is visible on the exterior of the barrel. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 3 or 4 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 7% of its metal finish. Externally, finish remains only in well protected areas and around raised features, including a little bit of fire-blue on the sides of the trigger. With the slide removed, there is quite a bit of good blue finish remaining on the barrel, a little on the interior of the slide and frame. Most surfaces have gone to an even patina with scattered minor surface erosion. The slide wedge’s indexing stud is visible, but shows notable wear. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads are tool marked with strong slots. The markings range from clear to worn, but legible. Overall, this pistol is in Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The slide has minor play to the frame. This pistol does not have a safety but does have a half-cock position on the hammer. The magazine release is on the bottom of the butt. 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 refinished or reproduction magazine and a wood stock-holster. The stock-holster has a spring-loaded cap and a belt-clip. It is not a factory 1905 stock, likely a re-purposed Hi-Power stock/holster.
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 Sept.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 1907, in early-mid production. It has a little bit of finish remaining, a frame grooved for a stock/holster, and proper features for its serial number including both the slide markings and the rounded hammer which would later be changed to a spur-type profile. The mechanics are still quite good with good slide-to-frame fit and a crisp trigger, though the indexing stud on the slide wedge is worn, as is common for this model. 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
