38 Auto is the same size as the 38 Super which followed it. I have a pocket hammer and you only want to use 38 Auto in it.

 

The jacketed bullet used in the .38 ACP was a 130 grain Metal Case Round Nose bullet, .356 diameter.
Actual .38 ACP ammo is hard to come by these days and the couple of companies that make it are out of stock.
The .38 Super has the same dimensions as the .38 Aito but is loaded to a higher pressure for a high velocity round. DO NOT SHOOT .38 SUPER in your Pocket Hammer.

 

Heres pics of the gun. All cleaned up.
Numbers match.
Bore shines like a mirror.
Thanks guys for your info.
Do you mind giving me a ballpark selling price.
I believe I'll sell it.
Guns International has prices all over the place.

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Nice pistol and you are doing well in tracking that correct round down. Buffalo Arms was selling it in new Starline brass back a bit when I needed some.

You'll do well if you note the seller differentiating between the .38 ACP / .38 Auto that you need and all the others; .38 Super, .380, and myriad rimmed revolver cartridges as well as the various 9's marked in the .38 realm.
Remember, don't get caught in the confusion between the terms; "bullet"/"projectile" and "cartridge"/"round"
Too, diggin' the Tropic Lightning 'Electric Strawberry'🪖

 

$1500 +\- $300
Just a guess as you point out

 

Judging by the prices I've observed lately I agree.

We traded for the two Pocket Hammers we have now a few years ago and back then Pocket Hammers were bringing a higher premium than currently, and there were fewer choices.

 

Congrats on a Real Nice Family Heirloom 2horses !!

.

 

I have a 1902 Military that shoots the same cartridge. Bore is a little ratty. I have had good luck handloading the Berry's hollow base 9mm 121 grain for this cartridge. It flares out just enough the somewhat grungy bore seems to work well with it. (I qualified with it last month. The range officer was suitably impressed. The sights to not lend to great precision with old eyes.) Fiocchi still loads it but good luck finding any.

 

Nice 1903 Pocket Hammer! I reload for mine; Berrys makes a bullet for the the 38 super which works perfectly for the 38 auto:
130 Grain 38 Super Bullet | Bullets for Reloading

Here’s some specifics of the reloaded ammo:

A cold morning, a 1903 38 ACP PH and a target

 

Pocket Hammers don't bring as much as they should. That's probably a $1000-1200-ish pistol in that condition on an auction site, less for private sale / I wanna sell it now price IMHO. And less if it doesn't have an original magazine. If you look at Gunbroker completed listings that actually sold, there have been several around this condition that hammered for less than $1k recently (the high-dollar ones are also high-condition). Things can go wild on auctions so you never can tell though. Probably shipped from Colt's in 1922/1923 time frame.

 

I also love the 38 auto long slides (and include the 38 pocket hammer with the shorter 4 1/2" barrel in with these early Colt autos).
Finding 38 acp or 38 auto factory ammo is getting harder and more expensive as is most ammo these days.
I've used 38 super cases, but download them for my 38 autos: .356" diameter bullets (both jacketed and cast lead round nosed) from 100gr to 130 grain.
I try to stay under 23,000 cup (pressure).
100 gr with 3.5 gr Bullseye
125 gr with 3.0 gr Bullseye
130 gr with 3.0 Bullseye

 

If you ever had a chance to shoot yours, you might change you mind. A 130 grain bullet going out at 1050 fps mimics the power of bulk target 9mm ammo in a comfortable shooting gun. It may take some effort and cost to find a correct box of ammo but shooting it may be so well worth it. Now days a gun this size would not be considered a pocket gun by any standards. Like others here, be able to load 38 acp or 38 super cases down loaded to 38 acp levels allows us to shoot these older calibers.

 

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/967435023

 

The value will depend on how quick you want to sell. They are nice guns but demand for them is pretty small of course supply is also small. One in decent condition like yours should be able to sell for around $1,000 to $1,200 with a small amount of effort. Selling to you local gun shop will probably net about half that.

 

I've had pretty good luck finding ammo over the last 3-4 years. Here is what the round looks like as well as the nomenclature on the box:

 

I recently came across 5 boxes of ammo, one of them Remington UMC vintage. After checking prices (high) and availability (low), it seems to be around $4-500 worth.

 

Thanks so much for all the info.
Yea, they must have had really BIG pockets back then, Lol.
And thanks for the clarification on bullets, versus cartridges.
Makes sense!
It's a really Cool pistol.
But I'm really into SAA's.
I've got plenty of 1911's.
Appreciate it very much!
I use the 25th Tropic Lightning Avatar, in memory of my Father in-law who fought heavily in the Korean Conflict.
Came back a Mess.
God Rest his Soul!
The patch is still on his OD Army shirt that I have.

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I understand how a person needs to make decisions on what to keep and what to move on. Regarding the ammo prices, I pick it up when I find it locally, in the $20-$50 range per box. My last box I purchased was $35 two months ago.
The 25th must have had a rough time in Korea.
"Chick" can attest to that as he added his profound sentiments about his experience in Korea to his belt buckle. I also picked the buckle up at a small local gun show.
Kim

 

For an estimate of what those things typically get, assuming the thing is mechanically sound and has a shootable bore, and acknowledging the slightly worldly appearance of it, you would be in fair territory at around $900. If I was to haggle, I would hope to get in at ~$850-$875. I secured two Pocket Hammers in similar condition recently, each under $900. High condition ones naturally are higher cost.
If you decide to sell, post it in the WTS section.

 

Hi everyone,
I've just inherited a 1903 Pocket Hammer (38 Rimless)
Can you help me on what bullet it shoots.
I've looked them up on GI.
They advertise as 38 AUTO
Or 38 ACP.
I mistook it as 380 AUTO.
Well I know now, that's not correct!
Is this round, like the size of a 38 special?
I don't mean to shoot 38 specials in it.
Just the size of it.
Bullet diameter? Or BORE DIA.
PS the gun Is apart right now.
So pics will come later.
Thanks for your help!
Pics of the pistol added
View attachment 836812

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View attachment 836828 View attachment 836829

I would add that if you use .38 Super you face the risk of death or serious bodily injury. The .38 Super is much higher pressure than the 1903 was designed for. Additionally, in the Model 1903 the slide removes from the rear of the frame, not the front like a 1911. The only thing protecting you from the slide coming back into your face is the disassembly pin. I have seen a 1903 that blew apart when fired with .38 Super. I don’t know what happened to the shooter, but I’ll bet it wasn’t pretty.

 

This warning cannot be overstated. The pistol as it is, runs at performance and pressure levels very similar to 9mm. This is plenty. The early .38 acp was a stout round to start with, and was downloaded and numbed up a little sometime before the development of the .38 super. The .38 super picked up where the .38 acp left off, and is a powerful round when compared to the .38 acp. or the 9mm. It operates at a high enough pressure to break the frame and /or the little takedown piece of the earlier pistol. There have been many 1903 pocket hammers bent and busted , and some have come apart completely. This may, in part anyway, explain the relative scarcity of these pistols. We just don't see as many as we would like to. All the nice ones are in collections or museums, and the beaters have run the risk of being blown up, many of which did get wrecked. Kinda sad, really.

 

Check your PM

 

This one might be a contender
ttps://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/pistols/colt-pistols-1903/colt-1903-pocket-hammer-pistol-38-acp.cfm?gun_id=102252380

 

Mine is in pretty nice condition. Fired it in the past and loaded for it, but it has been a long while. Have to take it out when the weather improves.

 

Anytime I'm at a gun show where there are ammo collectors or others who have ammo for sale, I check to see if they have any .38 ACP. Never have run across any at a gun show, but did acquire a single box elsewhere a few years ago. I load .38 Super, Super Comp, etc., have plenty of components, etc., so it was no problem to tailor light .38 ACP loads for the old Pocket Hammer.

I thought about shooting some of the factory .38 ACP in the old gun, but the box doesn't mention that the ammo is non-corrosive. The Peters "38 Colt Automatic" ammo I have looks about as old as the gun. I suspect the old ammo probably is corrosive, and don't think I'll shoot it.

 

Anytime I'm at a gun show where there are ammo collectors or others who have ammo for sale, I check to see if they have any .38 ACP. Never have run across any at a gun show, but did acquire a single box elsewhere a few years ago. I load .38 Super, Super Comp, etc., have plenty of components, etc., so it was no problem to tailor light .38 ACP loads for the old Pocket Hammer.

I thought about shooting some of the factory .38 ACP in the old gun, but the box doesn't mention that the ammo is non-corrosive. The Peters "38 Colt Automatic" ammo I have looks about as old as the gun. I suspect the old ammo probably is corrosive, and don't think I'll shoot it.
View attachment 837519

Great picture! That world map backdrop just works great with that old Colt.

 

I, too, like the old map background rock185. This one is from my home State. It and the ammo are from the same period as the .38 Auto which is 99%.

 

I've shot most of these 1903 38acp over the years without incident. Guesstimate over 20,000 rounds, mostly reloads.