Colt Model 1902

About the Colt Model 1902

The Colt Model 1902 was an early John Browning short-recoil semi-automatic pistol chambered in .38 ACP, made by Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company. It used a twin parallel-link tilting barrel that draws the barrel straight down to unlock the breech before the slide recoils. Offered in Sporting and Military patterns, the Military version added a longer grip for an 8-round magazine and a rear slide-stop lever that locked the slide back on an empty magazine, an innovation that became universal on later automatic pistols. A direct mechanical ancestor of the M1911.

The 1902 Military predates the M1911 by nearly a decade and introduced Browning's slide-stop lever that holds the action open on an empty magazine. Combat experience in the Philippines pushed the U.S. Army away from the .38 toward a larger .45 caliber, which ultimately produced the M1911 and left the 1902 as a commercial product.

Colt Model 1902 specifications

Two variants: Sporting (7 rounds, ~1,010 g) and Military (8 rounds, ~1,050 g). The standard 1902 had no manual or grip safety, only a half-cock notch. .38 ACP muzzle velocity varied widely by era and maker (300-380 m/s); figures here are mid-range. The 1902 Military's slide-stop lever became standard on virtually all later semi-autos.