.32 Pocket Hammerless as a Concealed Carry Pistol

Jon G.

I have a 1903 Pocket Hammerless .32. I find that it is a very accurate firearm, and by and large, fairly reliable. With Proper cartidges, it reliably feeds. It is about the same size as a Walther PPK/S.I am considering using this as my concealed carry pistol. My big concern is safety; it has a grip safety and a side safety that locks the slide, along with a magazine drop safety. I am not sure if it has a firing pin safety, i.e., like on the S&W 4006, where the firing pin can only move if the trigger is pulled. Any thoughts or imput?

ref44

The firing pin safety concept came along recently...that was the primary difference between the 70 Series and 80 Series 1911 Colts. Your gun was long before that.My only concern with your gun for concealed carry would be the thumb safety. Much like the Browning Hi-Power, the safety is small and not easy to disengage in one stroke, especially under stress.

interstatepawnllc

My biggest concern for you and you handgun is will it handle a +P cartridge such as a Corbon? If you carry a .32 as a defense weapon you really need to be able to discharge this hot load. Standard .32 loads are pathetic man stoppers, you get better results with a .22LR Just my 2 cents.If your gonna be stupid you better be tough!

JudgeColt

While the M1903 Colt is one of my favorite pistols, I would not carry one for defense. As already pointed out, the safety is nearly impossible to work rapidly. While I believe the pistol would handle +P loads, I doubt that it would feed anything reliably except FMJ bulleted loads.If you want to carry a .32ACP pistol, buy a Kel-Tec P32, and you will have a much smaller and lighter pistol designed for modern self-defense loads. If the Colt is in good condition, it should cover a couple of Kel-Tecs, or at least one and change.