Image: Restored Colt Model 1900 from 1902, chambered in .38 ACP. Explore our gallery to see additional Colt Model 1900 restoration examples.
The Colt Model 1900: Browning’s Breakthrough and America’s First Semi-Auto Service Pistol
Long before the Colt Model 1911 became the storied sidearm of American soldiers, sailors, and Marines, there was another pistol quietly laying the groundwork. It was innovative, temperamental, and, to collectors today, downright fascinating. That pistol was the Colt Model 1900 — the first semi-automatic handgun produced by Colt, the first semi-auto adopted in any capacity by the U.S. military, and the very first American semi-automatic pistol designed by none other than John Moses Browning.
In This Article:
- A Browning Original: The Birth of an American Semi-Auto
- The Colt Model 1900 is Born
- The .38 ACP: Designed for the Model 1900
- Military Interest: A Trial Run, Not a Full Adoption
- Mechanics and Evolution: Swinging-Link and Beyond
- Production Totals and Variants
- Rarity and Collectibility Today
- Legacy: The Road to the Model 1911
- Final Thoughts: A First Step Worth Remembering
- More from this Series
- Share Your Stories
- Subscribe to Our Newsletter
As with most of Browning’s designs, this pistol wasn’t just a product of mechanical brilliance. It was a stepping stone, a proof-of-concept, and in some ways, a harbinger of the sidearms that would go on to define the American military throughout the 20th century. The Colt Model 1900 is many things: an engineering milestone, a military experiment, and, nowadays, a collector’s prize. Let’s take a walk back through time and explore the story of this uniquely American invention.
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Image: John Moses Browning United States Semi Auto Pistol Patent No. 580,924 from 1897.
By the late 1890s, John Moses Browning was already a known name in firearm design circles. He had given Winchester some of its most iconic lever-actions, including the Model 1885, 1886, 1892, and 1895. But by the time 1896 rolled around, Browning was ready to tackle a new frontier: the semi-automatic pistol.
In 1897, Browning was awarded U.S. Patent 580,924 for a recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol. But contrary to a common misconception, this early patent did not include the short-recoil, swinging-link barrel system that would later appear in the Model 1911. Instead, the 1897 design featured a rotating-barrel lockup system, where barrel rotation was induced by cam grooves to unlock the mechanism after the initial recoil movement.
Nevertheless, it was from these early concepts that Browning’s designs evolved, and by 1900, Colt had manufactured its very first batch of Browning’s new pistol, based on later refinements to those early patents.
Colt began production of the Model 1900 — fittingly — in the year 1900. The pistol marked the start of a new chapter in American firearm design. It was the first semi-automatic pistol produced by Colt, and the first American-made semi-automatic handgun to be purchased by the U.S. military in any official capacity.
Built around Browning’s evolving design concepts, the Model 1900 featured a locked-breech action and initially included a rather novel feature: a combined rear sight and manual safety device, known as the “sight safety”. When engaged, the sight doubled as a safety mechanism that blocked the firing pin. In practice, the system was not especially practical, and many Model 1900s had the sight safety later removed or converted to a simpler configuration, akin to the later Model 1902.
Why wasn’t the sight safety practical? Soldiers found it confusing and awkward, especially in high-stress situations. You had to disengage the safety to aim and shoot, which was a two-step process just to be combat-ready. It was also fragile, prone to breakage, and offered a poor sight picture, particularly when compared to later fixed or adjustable rear sights.
The Colt Model 1900 wasn’t just a new kind of handgun—it needed a new kind of cartridge to match. Enter the .38 ACP, another brainchild of John Moses Browning. Introduced alongside the pistol, the .38 Automatic Colt Pistol was one of the first centerfire cartridges in the world designed specifically for a semi-automatic handgun. With a 130-grain bullet zipping along at over 1,000 feet per second, it was fast, flat-shooting, and offered performance far beyond the black powder revolver rounds still in common use at the time.
While the cartridge impressed with its velocity and modern feel, it also had its drawbacks—namely in terms of stopping power and overpenetration, especially by military standards. Nonetheless, the .38 ACP paved the way for future innovations like the .38 Super and the better-known .45 ACP. It played a crucial role in Browning’s early semi-auto designs and remained in use for decades beyond the Model 1900.
We’ll take a deeper dive into the fascinating story of the .38 ACP—its development, evolution, and legacy—in an upcoming article. Stay tuned.
Image: Semi-auto handguns undergoing military trials.
In the spring of 1900, the U.S. Army Ordnance Board tested Browning’s pistol design and found it promising enough to order 100 units for further evaluation. These were delivered with the “sight safety” configuration and standard blued finish, marked “U.S.” and issued for field trials.
Feedback from the field was a mixed bag, but it gave the Army plenty to chew on. Soldiers appreciated the Colt Model 1900’s relatively high velocity and its easy handling, especially for a pistol that was still something of a novelty in the ranks. But it wasn’t all roses—durability and reliability came under scrutiny, and that peculiar “sight safety” feature, which doubled as both rear sight and manual safety, left many scratching their heads. It was tricky to operate in a hurry and awkward in real-world conditions. Still, the pistol showed enough promise for the Ordnance Department to press forward. The Army followed up its initial order with another 200 units for extended field trials, bringing the total military procurement of Colt Model 1900s to 300. These further evaluations would help shape the evolution of Browning’s semi-auto pistol designs in the years to come.
The U.S. Navy also saw fit to give the newfangled semi-auto a try. On September 5, 1900, the Navy placed an order for 250 pistols, delivered later that same year. These were similarly configured but included specific U.S. Navy markings that distinguish them today in the eyes of collectors.
It’s important to note that neither branch of the U.S. military adopted the Colt Model 1900 as a standard-issue sidearm. Instead, these purchases were strictly for field testing and evaluation, which helped shape the direction of future semi-automatic handgun development — a path that would ultimately lead to the adoption of the Colt Model 1911 more than a decade later.
Although the Colt Model 1900 is often associated with the later short-recoil, swinging-link barrel system that Browning would refine for the Model 1911, this particular pistol still represents an earlier stage of development. The action on the Model 1900 featured a short-recoil system, but it was different in operation than what collectors recognize from the M1911.
By the time Browning reached the Colt Model 1905 and eventually the Model 1911, the swinging-link system would become fully realized. It allowed the barrel and slide to travel rearward together after firing, before the barrel pivoted down to unlock from the slide. The Model 1900 was a key stepping stone toward this eventual design but lacked the robust refinements that would make the 1911 so enduring.
Image: Restored Colt Model 1900 without sight safety and with wood grips.
Between 1900 and roughly 1902, Colt produced a total of approximately 4,274 Model 1900 pistols, based on serial number ranges and shipping records. The sight safety was eventually phased out, and many pistols were converted to the Model 1902-style rear sight, a more practical and durable configuration. These conversions, while common, have a significant impact on a pistol’s collectibility.
With fewer than 4,300 ever produced, and many lost, scrapped, or converted over the decades, original Colt Model 1900s are highly collectible today, especially those with intact, unaltered sight safeties.
Military-marked versions — particularly the “U.S. Navy” marked pistols — are rarer still. The survival rate of Navy-issued pistols is extremely low, making them a particular treasure among advanced collectors.
Those in high condition, with matching serial numbers and original finish, command a significant premium. And if you happen to find one still sporting its sight safety? Well, you’ve found yourself a genuine piece of American firearms history, and the collecting world will sit up and take notice.
Image: Restored Colt Model 1911 U.S. Army.
While the Model 1900 never became a mainstay sidearm of the U.S. military, its importance lies in its influence. It provided a real-world testing ground for semi-automatic handgun concepts in military settings. The feedback collected during these trials would inform Browning’s later designs, culminating in the Colt Model 1911 — a sidearm that would go on to serve U.S. forces for over 70 years.
The Model 1900 also marked the beginning of Colt’s long and storied partnership with Browning on semi-automatic pistols. It was the first in a lineage that included the Model 1902, the Model 1905, and eventually the legendary 1911.
The Colt Model 1900 may not have been perfect, but that’s part of its charm. It was the first of its kind: bold, experimental, and innovative. It emerged from the hands of a genius, and while it didn’t see widespread adoption, it helped lay the foundation for everything that followed.
For collectors, it represents the dawn of a new age in American sidearms. For Browning admirers, it’s the opening chapter of a legendary story. And for military historians, it’s an artifact of a time when American ingenuity was shifting from revolvers to recoil.
Today, when you see a Colt Model 1900 tucked into a velvet-lined display case, or lovingly restored to its former blued glory, you’re not just looking at an old pistol. You’re looking at the first step on a path that changed American military sidearms forever.
And that, friends, is a story worth telling.
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