CODE – 01-132-908

NAME – Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket Pistol

COMMON NAMES – Colt .25, Colt Auto Pocket

TYPE – Semiautomatic pistol

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – USA

DATE OF MANUFACTURE – 1908

CALIBER – 6.35×15.5mmSR (.25 ACP)

OVERALL LENGTH – 11.4 cm (4.5 in)

BARREL LENGTH – 5.1 cm (2 in)

RIFLING (TYPE & TWIST) – 6-groove, left-hand twist, 1 turn in 41.9 cm (16.5 in)

BULLET DIAMETER – 6.38 mm (0.251 in)

BULLET WEIGHT – 3.24 g (50 grains)

MUZZLE VELOCITY – 250 m/s (820 fps)

MUZZLE ENERGY – 101 j (75 ft/lb)

WEIGHT (EMPTY) – 0.34 kg (12 oz)

WEIGHT (LOADED) – 0.395 kg (13.9 oz)

SIGHTS – None (conventional), Longitudinal groove along top of slide

EFFECTIVE RANGE – 10 m (11 yards)

OPERATION – Blowback

TYPE OF FIRE – Semiautomatic, single-action

RATE OF FIRE – 12 rpm

FEED DEVICE – 6 round removable box magazine

FEED DEVICE WEIGHT (EMPTY) – 0.025 kg (0.88 oz)

FEED DEVICE WEIGHT (LOADED) – 0.055 kg (1.9 oz)

BASIC AMMUNITION LOAD – Two magazines (12 rounds)

LOAD WEIGHT – 0.11 kg (3.8 oz)

MANUFACTURER – Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company (Colt Manufacturing Co., LLC), Hartford, Connecticut

STATUS – Obsolescent

SERVICE – Commercial sales

      Another of John Browning’s designed, this small semiautomatic was first submitted to Colt by Browning in 1904. When Colt turned down the design, Browning went on to Belgium and the FN company who eagerly picked up the small pistol. FN produced the Browning design as the FN 1906 and patented the weapon in Europe. In five years, the Belgian gunmakers produced approximately 100,000 specimens of Browning’s design. Colt had reconsidered the small automatic and took the option to produce the weapon under their name for the North American market. With some technical assistance from FN, Colt started production of their weapon, nearly identical to the Belgian version, in 1908.

     The simple blowback Browning design underwent several changed during its production from 1908 to 1948 at Colt. In 1926, a magazine safety was added to the design. The safety prevented the weapon from firing when the trigger was pulled if the magazine wasn’t seated in the weapon. The magazine safety disconnector from serial number 141,000 and greater. Again in 1916, from about serial number 90,000 forwards, the triangular slide serrations were reduced from 16 to 14. At that time, the Colt insignia of a rampant horse was added to the rear flat on the left hand of the slide. The production of the pistol was ended in 1942 as Colt committed itself to wartime production. After the war, remaining weapons, produced from available parts, were marketed from 1945 and 1946. After 1946, Colt ceased marketing the Model 1908 Vest Pocket Pistol after around 500,000 units had been made over the life of the design.