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Work order — Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless

Taking the firearm apart for a job such as refinishing, and putting it back together to specification. Generated from the Pew-Takedown entry last updated 2026-10-29. Confidence: high.

Shop difficulty: Tier 3 of 3

Only about 43 listed parts, but reassembly needs the grip safety, trigger, sear and disconnector all held at once while the hammer is pressed onto the mainspring leaf and the safety/hammer pin is worked in over a slave pin in a vise; the grip safety hooks must catch the sear lobes correctly. Owners call it worse than a Ruger .22 auto: a few-parts gun with a notorious reassembly trap. 43 parts (Complete pistol incl. magazine and stocks; keys 1-41 (no 11 or 23) plus 4a, two extractor variants (8-1/8-2) and three recoil spring guide types (27-1/2/3); 'Magazine Complete' (31) and 'Safety Discon). Pew-Takedown's rating, not the manufacturer's.

Bench time: strip ~40 min, rebuild ~75 min (estimate). Actual: strip ______ rebuild ______

Special tools:

• Undersized slave pins (hammer pin and magazine catch pin) — Aligning hammer, ejector and frame holes
• Bench vise with bronze-lined jaws — Holding the slave pin while the frame is fitted over it
• Rubber band or thin slave pin — Holding the grip safety

Watch for:

• Reassembly past the field strip is the hard part; the factory says only 'reverse of disassembly', which a gunsmith says is not so. (reassembly; Smith & Wesson Forum)
• The hammer has to be pressed onto the mainspring leaf while grip safety, trigger, sear and disconnector are all held in position, then the frame fitted over a slave pin held in a vise. (reassembly; Smith & Wesson Forum)
• The grip safety looks installed when its hooks have ridden over the sear lobes; it has to come out and go back with the sear tipped rearward. (reassembly; Smith & Wesson Forum)
• Gunsmiths compare it unfavourably with the Ruger .22 auto, the usual benchmark for a miserable reassembly. (reassembly; Smith & Wesson Forum)

1. Clear and make safe

1. Point the muzzle in a safe direction and keep your finger off the trigger.
2. Remove the magazine.
3. Press in the grip safety and cock the arm by drawing back the slide.
   Tip: Colt's procedure starts here: without the grip safety pressed the pistol will not cock.
4. Look and see that no cartridge remains in the chamber.
   Warning: Colt puts this in bold in their own text. There is no external hammer to indicate the pistol's state — the chamber check is the only check.
5. Remove all live ammunition from the work area.

2. Disassemble

Field Strip — Barrel and Slide

1. Complete the Clear and Make Safe procedure.
2. Holding the pistol as Colt illustrates, move the slide to the rear until the arrow indicator reaches the marked position.
   Tip: The perpendicular line on the slide at the arrow point should coincide with the front edge of the frame. That alignment, not a notch, is what frees the barrel.
3. Turn the barrel to the LEFT as far as it will go.
   Warning: Left to release. If it will not turn, the slide is not at the indicator position.
4. Draw the slide, with the barrel still in it, forward off the receiver.
5. The retractor spring and guide are now free. Remove them.
   Warning: Under compression.
6. To take the barrel out of the slide, turn the barrel back to its first position, then draw it forward and out.

Removing the Barrel Without Removing the Slide

1. Complete the Clear and Make Safe procedure, then bring the slide back to the indicator position as above.
2. Turn the barrel to the left.
3. Release the slide slowly to its normal position.
   Warning: Slowly. The slide is under retractor spring tension.
4. Turn the barrel to the right, back to its original position, and pull it out.
5. To replace it, push the barrel in until the front end of the centre guide band is slightly to the rear of the front end of the slide, then twist it left one quarter revolution, and proceed as for replacing barrel and slide.

3. Refinish

The components the procedures above separate. Coating, masking and cure are outside this database; follow your coating system's instructions. A part the manufacturer marks "factory fit" should not be swapped or reworked.

No manufacturer statement of materials or finish is recorded. Identify each part's material before choosing prep and cure.

4. Reassemble

Reassembly

1. Insert the barrel into the slide with the locking ribs downward — in sight as you look into the slide.
2. Give the barrel more than a quarter turn so the ribs fit into the recess in the upper part of the slide.
3. Fit the slide and receiver together so the guides in the receiver engage the slide grooves.
   Warning: Take care that the forward end of the retractor spring enters the recess made to receive it in the lower part of the slide. This is the step that is usually missed.
4. Draw the slide back to the position shown by the indicators, moving the barrel very slightly so that it will engage.
5. Turn the barrel as far as possible to the RIGHT. The arm is then fully locked.
   Warning: Right to lock. If the barrel will not turn fully right, the pistol is not assembled and must not be fired.
6. Let the slide move forward to its closed position, insert the magazine, and perform the function check.

5. Torque

No manufacturer torque values are recorded for this firearm.

Fit or check on rebuild

• Grip safety in the 'cocked' position engaging the sear lobes — If its hooks ride over the sear lobes it ends hammer-down and must be redone
• Single-round test fire — Confirms the sear catches the hammer and the pistol will not double
• Full function check (trigger reset, safeties, slide lock-back, drop of striker/hammer only on trigger) — Standard after any fire-control strip; confirms springs and sears went back correctly

6. Function check

• Verify the pistol is unloaded with no magazine inserted before each check.
• Without depressing the grip safety, press the trigger. The hammer must not release.
• Depress the grip safety and press the trigger. The hammer should release.
• Engage the manual safety and press the trigger with the grip safety depressed. The hammer must not release.
• Confirm the barrel is fully rotated into its locked position.
• Confirm the slide locks open on an empty magazine.

If any check fails, the firearm is not safe to fire. Stop and see a licensed gunsmith.

If it won't go back together

Sources

1. Colt Automatic Pistol, Pocket Model, Hammerless, Calibers .32 and .380 — factory instructions — Colt's Manufacturing Company primary
   https://www.colt.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/automaticpistolpocketmodelcalibers.32.380hammerless.pdf
2. Colt M 1903/1908 pistol Exploded Views (Colt 'M' Pocket Model, Hammerless, models 1903 & 1908) — LeeRoy's Ramblings (reproducing an original Colt parts list) primary
   https://www.leeroysramblings.com/Gun%20parts%20illustrations/Colt_M_illustrated.htm
3. Colt 1903 Detailed Reassembly - The Difficult Parts — Smith & Wesson Forum anecdotal
   https://smith-wessonforum.com/threads/colt-1903-detailed-reassembly-the-difficult-parts.220830/

Educational guide only. Some information comes from non-authoritative sources. Always consult your manufacturer's manual and a licensed gunsmith. Verify your firearm is unloaded before every procedure. Full disclaimer: https://github.com/Fundamental-build-LLC/Pew-Takedown

Legal notice: this material is third-party information compiled from sources of varying reliability and is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not gunsmithing, technical, safety or legal advice, it is not verified or endorsed by any manufacturer, and it must not be taken as fact. Any work on a firearm beyond the routine field stripping described in its own owner's manual should be performed only by a licensed and insured gunsmith. You use this material entirely at your own risk. Fundamental Build LLC and the project's contributors make no warranty of any kind and accept no liability for death, injury, damage or loss arising from its use. Full terms: LEGAL.md.