A 1908 .380 mystery pistol

American Handgunner, May-June, 2009 by Frank Karl

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I've never been to a gun show where a Colt .380 pocket hammerless pistol, the M1908 (or as some call it, the 1903), wasn't picked up and handled. I simply can't resist them. So when I came across one with the back-strap safety stamped "L.P.D. No. 77" I bought it. The seller claimed the gun originated with the Lorain Police Department. This Ohio city, located on the southern shore of Lake Erie, is just two hours from my home. Could L.P.D. signify Lorain Police Department?

A Short History

A prolific designer and inventor, John Browning sometimes found it difficult to find American manufacturers. Both Colt and Fabrique Nationale (FN) were approached with his design for a small pocket-sized semi-auto. Colt took a pass but FN signed the dotted line and bought the rights.

FN introduced a blowback pistol that was lightweight, striker-fired and most importantly, dependable. Chambered for a 7.65mm round, the FN Model 1900 took Europe by storm.

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Colt realized America stood in the path of a tidal wave of demand for the FN model 1900 and took steps to reclaim their markets. A partnership was formed with Brownin for an improved handgun. The 7.65mm cartridge was renamed the .32 ACP and Colt introduced America to the Model 1903. Despite being an under-powdered cartridge, it was very successful.

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Colt later asked Browning to beef up the pistol so it could handle a more powerful cartridge. Browning convinced the Union Metallic Cartridge Company to develop the .380 ACP for his new semiauto. In 1908 Colt released the M1908 in .380 ACE It too was a success.

My L.P.D. No. 77

The Colt Pocket Hammerless Automatic Pistols, by John W. Brunner, is by far the most comprehensive reference on these pistols ever published. Buried in the back of the book I found a listing of roll-marked pistols issued to police departments. Three different entries for Colts stamped with "LPD" were found. The summary of the findings from Brunner's book are interesting, but still left me in the dark.

They show that in 1910, Colt sent one .25 ACP and and 19 in .32 ACP to "LPD." Then, in 1912, they sent another 100 in .380 ACP to the same agency. Unfortunately, which "LPD" isn't known, and Brunner says the department that purchased these handguns isn't known.

Could these guns have been retirement gifts from a grateful department to retiring officers? Perhaps a retiring chief might be given a little .25 ACP while the men might receive a slightly more useful .32 or .380 ACP? There are two problems with this theory. First, the guns were roll-stamped, not engraved. A gun commemorating years of loyal service in a dangerous job would be engraved, especially to the chief. And how large would a department have to be to have 20 men retire between 1910 and 1912 so that new guns would have to be ordered? Hardly seems feasible.

A closer look at the left side of the hard rubber grip shows three shiny spots were the diamond pattern is worn down. The two lower spots almost match the shooting position of my middle and ring finger of my right hand. The highest spot matches a little callus just beyond the first joint of my right thumb. The checkering on the bottom of the right grip is worn smooth. The muzzle end shows the same slide wear found on holster-carried blued weapons. So, who carried it?

And The Answer?

The Colt historian was very helpful. She confirmed the year of manufacturing and that "L.P.D. No. 77" was factory-stamped and not done after-market. She also provided another lead. The gun was shipped to the Iver Johnson Sporting Goods Company of Boston, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, Colt didn't know its final destination.

Iver Johnson Sporting Goods sold other firearms in addition to their line of revolvers. The company went out of business in 1999 and most references deal with their revolver line. The early records, if they still exist, are most likely hidden way in someone's attic. A dead end.

The Lorain Public Library has microfilmed back issues of the Lorain Morning Journal and the Lorain Daily News. I searched them hoping to find a clue about how the Lorain police were armed in 1910. The price of eggs was readily available, as was the crime blotter, but nothing about the department's duty weapon. Another dead end.

I contacted the Lorain Police Department, the Lorain Sheriff's Department and local FOP. One of these three organizations might have a historian, either official or unofficial, who could shed some light on these weapons. Except they didn't.

I asked if there were records I could search. Between moves from one building to another, flooded basements, fires and limited storage space, records from the early 1900s were simply not available. Dead end number three.

Present Tense

There was one question I could answer--how well does it shoot? I selected four brands of .380 ACP to test fire, Winchester 95 gr. BEB, UMC 95 gr. FMJ, American Eagle 95 gr. FMG and Blazer 95 gr. FMJ.

I set targets at 21' and fired five-round groups of each ammunition off a sand bag support. I know 7 yards isn't far, but it's an old timer and so are my eyes. Besides, I doubt you'd want to use these fine old guns much further than that anyway.