a cousin gave me the pistol, was able to research on it, that it was made on 1925 basing on the serial numb..now the problem is stupid!?i don't have a magazine yet..just ordered 1 at brownells..another problem is that i dont know anyting yet about guns!how to clean it and stuff!my 1st one!and i don't know what to do with it..don't even know what ammo to use!hahaha!pathetic but please i need help and advice!please help this dumb ass..:banghead:
.380 colt automatic 1925 pocket acp!
- Thread starter dee074
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Yo Mama
Member
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2008
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First off, I wouldn't shoot it. I'm sure it's safe, but it's also a bit valuable.
I'd try this site for more info: http://www.coltautos.com/
Actually, right now I can find .25 around my area.
I'd try this site for more info: http://www.coltautos.com/
Actually, right now I can find .25 around my area.
1908 Colt Pocket Auto. Unless it's military marked or new in box it's worth only $3-500 depending on condition. I have two and shoot them all the time. Great carry gun, slim compact and easy to shoot. HAd someone look it over to make sure it's not been bubbied and have fun with it.
Good luck finding ammo !
Good luck finding ammo !
Coyote3855
Member
Any ammunition you can find that is marked ".380 ACP." There is currently a nationwide shortage of this particular ammunition, so it may be very difficult to find depending on where you are. Might try Google for on-line vendors. No need to beat yourself up over not being familiar with firearms, we all had to start somewhere. I have one of these fine little pistols, but haven't worked with it much. Google is your friend again. Try, as old gold suggests, "1908 Colt Pocket Auto." I think there are manuals on the internet. Since you are new to firearms, it might be wise to check around for a basic pistol safety class, maybe through the National Rifle Association or a local gun club. Safety should be your first priority. Be wary of advice you get in gun stores, there are some who work in them who know less than you do but will not hesitate to tell you what to do.
SwampWolf
Member
I personally would not shoot Plus (+) P .380 ammunition in your pistol.
Coyote3855
Member
I personally would not shoot Plus (+) P .380 ammunition in your pistol.
Oops, neither would I. Good catch.
Oops, neither would I. Good catch.
Ammunition is marked very specifically. If you go to a gun shop (maybe even wally-world, but be extra careful there), ask for "Three Eighty A. C. P.". If they ask, "+P Three Eighty?" You will reply, "No, plain ol' three eighty A.C.P. I have a 1925 Pocket Colt and I need three eighty A.C.P. to feed it. No 9x18, no .38 Special, no 9mm, just Three Eighty A.C.P."
It will likely be hard to find and very expensive. Around here, average price is 20-25 bucks for a box of 50.
It will likely be hard to find and very expensive. Around here, average price is 20-25 bucks for a box of 50.
Gun Geezer
Member
"+P" ammo is loaded to maximum allowable pressure. Some older guns could be damaged and you hurt by firing +P ammo in them.
There is also +P+ ammo in some calibers. I don't understand that, as I would think that +P is already the most pressure (therefore the most powder, highest velocity, etc) that could be in that caliber. But, it's out there.
As many have sad:
- Check the gun to be sure it is safe to shoot,
- Use on .380 ACP in your pistol.
Have fun. Be safe!
There is also +P+ ammo in some calibers. I don't understand that, as I would think that +P is already the most pressure (therefore the most powder, highest velocity, etc) that could be in that caliber. But, it's out there.
As many have sad:
- Check the gun to be sure it is safe to shoot,
- Use on .380 ACP in your pistol.
Have fun. Be safe!
gwnorth
Member
http://www.saami.org/ (look under "publications" and click on the link "ANSI/SAAMI Centerfire Pistol & Revolver Item #205 Z.299.3 1993")
+p loads by reputable manufacturers adhere to the SAAMI guidelines, which are purely voluntary. However, SAAMI does not include any specifications for anything beyond "+p". So some ammo makers do offer "+p+" loads, which are loaded to their own private pressure specs - basically you do not know what you are getting. That's why many gun makers will say in their manual or warranty that they do NOT recommend using +P+ loads, since you have no idea just how hot those really are.
+p loads by reputable manufacturers adhere to the SAAMI guidelines, which are purely voluntary. However, SAAMI does not include any specifications for anything beyond "+p". So some ammo makers do offer "+p+" loads, which are loaded to their own private pressure specs - basically you do not know what you are getting. That's why many gun makers will say in their manual or warranty that they do NOT recommend using +P+ loads, since you have no idea just how hot those really are.
Since you're new to guns, and nobody has specifically mentioned this yet, I want to share "the 4 rules" with you, with commentary.
1. All guns are loaded. (Whether they really are or not, you can't go wrong by assuming that they are. Assuming they are not has got a lot of people killed and injured).
2. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target. (The trigger is not where you finger is supposed to permanently go. It's the mechanism you use to discharge the firearm when you want to.)
3. Never point your muzzle at something you don't want to put a hole in. (Don't want a hole in granny? Don't point it at granny. Simple enough.)
4. Know your target and what is beyond it. (Bullets can miss their intended target, or pass all the way through them. You are accountable for every bullet you send out into the world, so you need to where exactly you're sending it.)
Be safe, and HAVE FUN! Oh, and .380 ACP is also called .380 Auto, 9mm Browning, 9mm Corto, 9mm Kurz, 9mm Short, and 9x17mm. If all that is too much to keep track of, just remember .380 ACP or Auto, those names are most common.
1. All guns are loaded. (Whether they really are or not, you can't go wrong by assuming that they are. Assuming they are not has got a lot of people killed and injured).
2. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target. (The trigger is not where you finger is supposed to permanently go. It's the mechanism you use to discharge the firearm when you want to.)
3. Never point your muzzle at something you don't want to put a hole in. (Don't want a hole in granny? Don't point it at granny. Simple enough.)
4. Know your target and what is beyond it. (Bullets can miss their intended target, or pass all the way through them. You are accountable for every bullet you send out into the world, so you need to where exactly you're sending it.)
Be safe, and HAVE FUN! Oh, and .380 ACP is also called .380 Auto, 9mm Browning, 9mm Corto, 9mm Kurz, 9mm Short, and 9x17mm. If all that is too much to keep track of, just remember .380 ACP or Auto, those names are most common.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
You might take note of the fact that there is no SAAMI spec for +P or +P+ .380 ACP ammo.
It is either loaded to standard pressure, or less, which is most often the case.
rc
It is either loaded to standard pressure, or less, which is most often the case.
rc
AJChenMPH
Member
Welcome...I'm also new to the handgun world (though I've had an interest in it for a long, long time) and also recently came into possession of a .380 pistol.
If you live near one of their stores, or live in a state where ammunition can be shipped, Cabela's has PMC Bronze in .380 for the best price (1200 rounds for $369.99, which works out to just under $0.31 per round). At least, I haven't found anything cheaper than that on a per-round basis. Probably best to buy a box of 50 for $16.99 first just to make sure it feeds through your gun without any issues.
Link to Cabela page for PMC Bronze Bulk .380
Good luck!
If you live near one of their stores, or live in a state where ammunition can be shipped, Cabela's has PMC Bronze in .380 for the best price (1200 rounds for $369.99, which works out to just under $0.31 per round). At least, I haven't found anything cheaper than that on a per-round basis. Probably best to buy a box of 50 for $16.99 first just to make sure it feeds through your gun without any issues.
Link to Cabela page for PMC Bronze Bulk .380
Good luck!
I don't think there is a .380 ACP +P factory load. If there is, I would be more inclined to fire it in that tough old Colt than in some of the new plastic guns. For proper feeding, stick to full metal jacket bullets, not the hollow point type.
AFAIK, +P+ was a designation given only to .38 Special; it was a public relations police loading, giving close to .357 Magnum performance but allowing the police spokesperson to assure "the community" that their officer friendlies wouldn't use that nasty "Mangle 'em" cartridge, only the old .38 Special.
To field strip the .380 Colt (called the 1908 Colt Pocket Pistol by collectors), remove the magazine and make sure the gun is not loaded. Then retract the slide until the little arrow on the right front of the slide lines up with the front of the frame, and turn the barrel counterclockwise (looking at it from the front) until it stops. Let go of the slide slowly and ease it off the frame. Turn the slide upside down and remove the recoil spring and guide. Note that the flange on the guide goes to the rear.
Now turn the barrel back clockwise until the lugs are down (up if you are looking at the bottom of the slide, and pull the barrel out to the front. That is enough stripping for cleaning. I STRONGLY suggest you NOT, repeat NOT, disassemble the pistol any further.
Reassemble in reverse order.
Jim
AFAIK, +P+ was a designation given only to .38 Special; it was a public relations police loading, giving close to .357 Magnum performance but allowing the police spokesperson to assure "the community" that their officer friendlies wouldn't use that nasty "Mangle 'em" cartridge, only the old .38 Special.
To field strip the .380 Colt (called the 1908 Colt Pocket Pistol by collectors), remove the magazine and make sure the gun is not loaded. Then retract the slide until the little arrow on the right front of the slide lines up with the front of the frame, and turn the barrel counterclockwise (looking at it from the front) until it stops. Let go of the slide slowly and ease it off the frame. Turn the slide upside down and remove the recoil spring and guide. Note that the flange on the guide goes to the rear.
Now turn the barrel back clockwise until the lugs are down (up if you are looking at the bottom of the slide, and pull the barrel out to the front. That is enough stripping for cleaning. I STRONGLY suggest you NOT, repeat NOT, disassemble the pistol any further.
Reassemble in reverse order.
Jim
QUICK_DRAW_McGRAW
Member
best thing i can recommend is to take a gun safety class. you will learn a lot and it will answer a lot of your questions.
jaydubya
Member
You might take note of the fact that there is no SAAMI spec for +P or +P+ .380 ACP ammo. It is either loaded to standard pressure, or less, which is most often the case.
That is how I understand it too. Some forty years ago, I bought a used .380 Colt Pocket Model for my wife as a surrogate husband while I was away on cruises (I'm retired Navy). She had occasion to repel boarders with it. They almost tore the fence down departing the premises. I had that pistol test-fired by a gunsmith about twelve years ago. He said it could load and safely shoot anything out there at the time. Once you have done the same as I did (get your pistol checked by a gunsmith), you should be good to go with anything out there. And there is some good stuff out there now in .380 ACP, especially Speer Gold Dots (at more than a dollar a round -- but how much is your life worth?). Practice ammo has returned to the shelves in the range/gunshop I belong to; a lot cheaper, but more expensive than, say, .38 special. I'm old-fashioned. I clean my weapons with Hoppe's #9. Those above have given good advice on how to do it.
You have one of John Moses Browning's jewels in your possession. Enjoy.
Cordially, Jack
That is how I understand it too. Some forty years ago, I bought a used .380 Colt Pocket Model for my wife as a surrogate husband while I was away on cruises (I'm retired Navy). She had occasion to repel boarders with it. They almost tore the fence down departing the premises. I had that pistol test-fired by a gunsmith about twelve years ago. He said it could load and safely shoot anything out there at the time. Once you have done the same as I did (get your pistol checked by a gunsmith), you should be good to go with anything out there. And there is some good stuff out there now in .380 ACP, especially Speer Gold Dots (at more than a dollar a round -- but how much is your life worth?). Practice ammo has returned to the shelves in the range/gunshop I belong to; a lot cheaper, but more expensive than, say, .38 special. I'm old-fashioned. I clean my weapons with Hoppe's #9. Those above have given good advice on how to do it.
You have one of John Moses Browning's jewels in your possession. Enjoy.
Cordially, Jack
Coyote3855
Member
Yes, they are the same cartridge by different names. However, most ammunition available in the US will be marked .380.
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