Here’s how to work on Colt’s 1908 .25ACP Vest Pocket pistol.

by Mark R. Hollensen

I must admit, I have had a number of these little gems come into my shop over the years, and most come in with the same issues – either missing parts, or disassembled and brought in a small plastic bag.

Recently, another one made its way to my bench for reassembly and inspection. It is none other than the infamous little Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket, a hammerless pistol chambered in .25ACP. Quite a bit of information has been written on this little pocket pistol that can be readily found in books, magazine articles, and Internet searches, including historical information about the specific years each serial number blocks were manufactured by Colt.

For starters, this little pistol was purportedly and internally at Colt referred to as the Model “N”. According to Colt record keeping, the company manufactured it between 1908 and 1947 with the final ones being shipped out in 1948. Due to the volume of these guns manufactured – approximately 420,000+ – you will more than likely run across these in your shop in need of parts, or for inspection and cleaning, or all three. They are regarded as moderately collectible guns, especially the models with serial numbers that have four or less digits.

This little Colt came with…

Read more in the December 2017 issue.

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