Picked up this 1914 production Colt Model N 1908 Vest Pocket Hammerless the other day.
I can't seem to find any definitive sources on which bluing process was used. One source says that Colt changed from the high polish finish with charcoal bluing they used at the turn of the century to a more subdued and more durable brushed finish with salt bluing sometime in 1914, but another says any serial number before 135,000 (which was early 1916) should have the early bluing process. As the pistol is just shy of 119,000 SN, neither of these pieces of information precludes it from being charcoal blue, but I don't have a known charcoal blue example to compare it to to confirm if it was before or after the change and, like all Colts, the camera doesn't really do it justice. I would describe the reflective properties of the 1908 as a "clouded mirror". Whether this is due to simple wear or a less intensive polishing process is a mystery at this time.
When compared to my Series 80, the old 1908 isn't nearly as vibrant...
... but my Series 80 doesn't have a century of wear and tear, so the comparison is limited at best in its usefulness.
Still, I couldn't be happier with it.
I can't seem to find any definitive sources on which bluing process was used. One source says that Colt changed from the high polish finish with charcoal bluing they used at the turn of the century to a more subdued and more durable brushed finish with salt bluing sometime in 1914, but another says any serial number before 135,000 (which was early 1916) should have the early bluing process. As the pistol is just shy of 119,000 SN, neither of these pieces of information precludes it from being charcoal blue, but I don't have a known charcoal blue example to compare it to to confirm if it was before or after the change and, like all Colts, the camera doesn't really do it justice. I would describe the reflective properties of the 1908 as a "clouded mirror". Whether this is due to simple wear or a less intensive polishing process is a mystery at this time.
When compared to my Series 80, the old 1908 isn't nearly as vibrant...
... but my Series 80 doesn't have a century of wear and tear, so the comparison is limited at best in its usefulness.
Still, I couldn't be happier with it.