1903 Colt Pocket Hammerless .32 caliber. To say this is a classic is an understatement. This is one of the first automatics that was developed by the legendary John Browning and manufactured by Colt. It’s identical twin, the FN Model 1903 was manufactured by Fabrique Nationale in Belgium.
This particular pistol was made in October 1911, and when I first looked at it, I was surprised to see a lot of the original Carbona bluing was still shiny. Knowing that Colt used a charcoal bluing process, which is something that I cannot reproduce, I decided to rust blue this one. There was a lot of pitting and oxidation that needed to be addressed, and I tried to go slow and do it all by hand.
I think it turned out very well, and was excited seeing it reassembled all spruced up.
