Colt 1908 Pocket Hammerless .380

The Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless, also known as the Model M, was a semi-automatic pistol designed by legendary firearms innovator John Moses Browning and manufactured by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company in Hartford, Connecticut. Introduced in 1908, it was essentially a scaled-up version of the earlier Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless (chambered in .32 ACP), featuring a slightly larger frame to accommodate the more powerful .380 ACP cartridge—also developed by Browning and known as the 9mm Short. Despite its "hammerless" name, the pistol actually had an internal, concealed hammer to prevent snagging on clothing during concealed carry, making it ideal for personal defense.

Design and Features

Caliber and Capacity: Chambered in .380 ACP, with a 7-round single-stack magazine.

Dimensions: Compact at about 6.75 inches long, 4.5 inches high, and weighing around 24 ounces unloaded, with a 3.75-inch barrel.

Operation: Blowback-operated, single-action mechanism with fixed sights, a grip safety, slide safety, and (from 1916 onward) a magazine safety to prevent firing without a magazine inserted.

Finish: Typically blued steel, with checkered wood or hard rubber grips; special engraved versions existed for high-profile users.

The pistol's slim profile and reliable design quickly made it a favorite for concealed carry, earning it nicknames like the "Vest Pocket" model (though that's more commonly applied to the smaller .25 ACP Colt 1908 Vest Pocket).

Production and Popularity

Production ran from 1908 to 1945, with approximately 984,000 units made, mostly for commercial sales but also exported to foreign governments and police forces. It gained widespread popularity among law enforcement, including the Boston Police Department and Shanghai Municipal Police in the 1920s–1930s. Notorious gangsters of the Prohibition era, such as those in organized crime syndicates, favored it for its concealability.

Military Service

During World War I, it saw limited use as a sidearm. In World War II, the U.S. military procured around 3,100–3,700 units (serial numbers roughly 134,500–138,000), stamping them "U.S. Property." It served as a compact alternate to the heavier M1911A1 .45 ACP, issued to officers, medics, and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Post-war, it remained a general officer's pistol into the 1970s, with notable owners including Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, George C. Marshall, and George S. Patton (whose example featured engraved stars denoting his rank).

Legacy

The Model 1908 helped popularize the .380 ACP cartridge, which endures today in modern concealed-carry pistols due to advances in ammunition. Production ceased in 1945 amid post-war shifts, but its influence persists!

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