Turnbull Colt Model 1902 Sporting .38 Rimless Smokeless

Look past the modern restoration work for a moment and read what's rolled into the slide. Automatic Colt, Calibre 38 Rimless Smokeless, with patent dates of April 20 1897 and September 9 1902 stamped along the frame. This is one of Colt's earliest production automatics, built on John Browning's pioneering work and sold as the Sporting Model. The squared slide, the front-of-frame slide serrations, and that long graceful grip with the lanyard swivel at the heel are all hallmarks of the type. These pistols predate the 1911 by a full decade, and they're where the whole American automatic story really begins.

This one wears the work of Turnbull Restoration, and the difference shows the moment light hits it. The metalwork carries a deep, period-correct charcoal blue with a soft liquid sheen, and the small parts pick up the colors you'd expect. The hammer spur and the safety carry that mottled case-hardened look, a warm contrast against the dark slide and frame. The rollmarks stayed crisp through the process, and the original contours of the slide and frame remain sharp and true.

The grips are the detail that holds your eye. Smooth ivory-style panels, one side showing natural figuring and a soft grain that runs the length of the panel. They sit warm against the blued steel. A lanyard ring hangs from the butt, correct for the period.

The package is what lifts this beyond a single pistol. It comes in a period-style box labeled Colt Automatic Pistol .38 Rimless Smokeless, with a reproduction Colt factory label inside the lid, a set of the checkered hard rubber Colt grip panels with the rampant colt medallion, and a takedown tool. For a collector chasing the roots of the Colt automatic, a restored early Sporting Model presented this completely is a chance worth taking seriously.