Hi I am new to the site. I can't find anything about my issue. I bought a 1903 hammer less colt 32 rimless. When I bought it the guy gave three boxes of ammo all 380. I said its a 32 but don't mind the ammo, he said no it shoots 380. The magazine says 380 the slide says 32 rimless. The gun looks brand new and I am happy either way. I just can't find any evidence of someone making a 32 into a 380 I've heard it could be done going 380 to 32. Any info I would appreciate thank you.
1903 colt
- Thread starter Stitchy
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News to me and I own more than one 1903 and 1908. The firearms are of different sizes and the chambers and barrels are too different.
I don't see how you'd fit a .380 barrel into a .32ACP frame/slide.
I don't see how you'd fit a .380 barrel into a .32ACP frame/slide.
AlexanderA
Member
The magazines are very similar (the easy way to tell the difference is that the .380 magazine has 6 holes while the .32 has 7). But I just checked the guns that I have, and the .380 magazine is a hair too wide to go into the .32 frame, while the .32 magazine goes easily into the .380.
If you have a magazine that's marked .380, that probably means that the frame is .380. Maybe someone swapped a .32 slide/barrel onto a .380 frame, although I'm not sure that can even be done. You need to measure the chamber and bore.
If you have a magazine that's marked .380, that probably means that the frame is .380. Maybe someone swapped a .32 slide/barrel onto a .380 frame, although I'm not sure that can even be done. You need to measure the chamber and bore.
WardenWolf
member
Well, it would certainly be theoretically possible for the .380 and .32 pistols to be exactly the same except for the barrel, bushing, and minor magazine changes. After all, the Tokarev, a gun based on the 1903, manages it with both its original .30 caliber round and the 9mm Luger round. I don't know if Colt did this, but I do know it's technically possible they made it with completely interchangeable parts, even keeping the slide the same and just stamping it differently.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Go here and see if your serial number corresponds to a 1903 .32 or a 1908 .380.
http://www.coltautos.com/mmpd.htm
rc
http://www.coltautos.com/mmpd.htm
rc
[email protected]
Member
All good answers
The quickest way you can fit one .32 in a .32 magazine but you can't get a second in. Also look around the online stores and get a little tin teardrop shape bore gauge. Put it in the end, wallah (sp) the magazine tells all without a gauge.
The quickest way you can fit one .32 in a .32 magazine but you can't get a second in. Also look around the online stores and get a little tin teardrop shape bore gauge. Put it in the end, wallah (sp) the magazine tells all without a gauge.
The magazines are not interchangeable, which is why Colt marked them with the caliber. The earlier guns had different frames so a .380 mag wouldn't fit in a .32 frame, but Colt later made the mag wells the same, so the .32 mag is a little loose in the frame even for a .32 pistol. The extractors are also different.
Jim
Jim
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