Colt's Manufacturing Company, Inc. in Hartford, Connecticut has most of the historical production and shipping information for Colt firearms. The 2005 Colt Historical Services Price List is available online in a PDF format. If you would like to receive a factory letter on a specific pistol, you can contact Colt's directly for more information at the address/phone number listed below:

Kathy Hoyt
Colt Historian
P.O. Box 1868
Hartford, CT 06144-1868
Phone: 800-962-2658

 

 

 

Here's an example of the type of information you will see in a Colt Historical Letter:

COLT MODEL 1908 HAMMERLESS AUTOMATIC PISTOL   Serial Number: 420001 Caliber: .25/c Barrel Length: 2" Finish: Blue Type of Stocks: Not Listed Shipped To: Clapp & Treat Address: 4 American Row   Hartford, Connecticut Date of Shipment: December 30, 1946 Number of Same Type   Guns in Shipment: 2

The Connecticut State Library is also a good source for historical information pertaining to Colt firearms and history. Their phone number is (860) 566-3692.

Historical Resources for Colt Military Variations 

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Colt's Manufacturing Company, Inc.  has some information on the martial Pocket Hammerless pistols but usually, a letter concerning one of these guns will indicate a shipment to Springfield Armory. (See address above.)

National Archives - Genealogy/ Personal History: Military Personnel

United States Army Military History Institute - The U.S. Army Military History Institute ( USAMHI) is an institute of the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center. Their mission is to preserve the Army’s history and ensure access to historical research materials. They serve as the primary facility where researchers study Army history.  USAMHI holdings include books, manuscripts, photos, and maps.  Both official and unofficial (or public) patrons are welcome . They give highest priority to Army users. There is no fee to enter the Institute. A fee-for-service is charged for providing copies of holdings to unofficial patrons.

Arlington National Cemetery - A privately maintained site that contains many of the names of those buried there along with their military histories.  This is an excellent source of information when researching a Colt firearm that has been identified with a particular soldier. 

Naval Historical Center - This is an official U.S. Navy web site.  Their mission is to enhance the Navy's effectiveness by preserving, analyzing and interpreting its hard-earned experience and history for the Navy and the American people.

Online Military Indexes & Records - A Genealogy Guide.  This website is a directory of links to online military indexes and records for USA genealogy research. Included are rosters, databases of soldiers, and listings of military and war casualties. Also included are some links to sources for military records in other countries (for World War I & II).

Nationwide Gravesite Locator - Search for burial locations of veterans and their dependents in VA National Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries and various other Department of Interior and military cemeteries.

Springfield Armory (1777 - 1968) - 1 Armory Square, Springfield, MA 01105-1299, (413)734-8551 From 1794 to 1968 the Springfield Armory was a center for the manufacture of U.S. Military small arms and the site of many important technological advances. A large weapons museum is now housed in the original Main Arsenal Building.

The Springfield Research Service (SRS) - offers a variety of information on Martial Colt  pistols. Most of the information comes from primary sources in the National Archives and is available in either printed or magnetic formats. The SRS also has a quarterly news letter which is available by subscription. For more information, you can write to:

Springfield Research Service
P.O. Box 6322
Falls Church, VA 22040

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ARMY ARSENALS - What was the original purpose of Army Arsenals and where did they come from? For the sake of time lets by pass the American Revolutionary War period and the early influences of the Continental Congress’ Board of War. Following the American Revolutionary War, leaders like Alexander Hamilton advocated the development of a domestic armament base. Since the domestic arms industry was still in its infancy, the new government built public ordnance facilities to help satisfy its need for war material. Congress supported the public manufacture of arms and powder by appropriating funds for the establishment of federal arsenals, armories, depots, laboratories, and magazines, so that the United States would become independent of foreign nations for essential military stores. 

Rock Island Arsenal - originally the site from which most Martial Colt Model 1903 & 1908 Pocket Hammerless Pistols were issued to U.S. General Officers, historical information on these models is still maintained here. A letter to RIA requesting information concerning the issue of one of these guns will result in a response which may or may not confirm that a particular pistol was issued from RIA. There is no cost associated with this information. Letters should be addressed to:

Richard C. Neubauer
General Officer Program
Department of the Army
AMSTA-LC-CSL
Tank-Automotive And Armaments Command
1 Rock Island Arsenal
Rock Island, IL 61299-7630

E-mail: amsta-lc-csi@ria.army.mil 
 

Air Force Link - This data base holds biographical information on Air Force leaders -- active duty or retired (since March 1995) general officers, senior civilians and all chief master sergeants of the Air Force.

The Generals of World War II - A utopian project trying to provide biographical data on the army generals of World War II of all participating countries. So on these pages you will find information on many thousands army generals. Taking into account the scope of the project the information on each general will vary in detail.

U.S. Army Military History Institute Photo Database - This database is a catalog of American Civil War (ACW) photographs from the Special Collections Branch of MHI. Usually, patrons are searching for ancestors, researching particular ACW regiments, or looking for examples of items worn or used by soldiers of the period. Ultimately, this database will reflect the full range of MHI's photographic collection, ranging from the periods of the Mexican War in the 1840s to recent operations such as those in Somalia and Bosnia. As our digitization efforts expand, we hope to provide links to scanned images through this database. 

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System - a computerized database containing very basic facts about over 230,000 servicemen who served on both sides during the Civil War; a list of regiments in both the Union and Confederate Armies; identifications and descriptions of 384 significant battles of the war; references that identify the sources of the information in the database; and suggestions for where to find additional information.