Historical Resources for Colt Commercial Variations

Colt Archive Properties, LLC in Bloomfield, Connecticut has most of the historical production and shipping information for Colt firearms. The Archive Letter 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:

Beverly Haynes
Colt Historian
Colt Archive Properties, LLC
1295 Blue Hills Ave.
Bloomfield, CT 06002
Phone: 1-800-554-8088

 

 

 

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

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

Colt's Manufacturing Company, Inc. - See address above.

National Archives - Genealogy/ Personal History: Military Personnel

U.S. General Officer Pistols - a quick link to an index of pages on Coltautos.com dedicated to picturing and describing pistols issued to US General Officers along with history about the officers to whom they were issued.

Office of Strategic Service Society - with links to declassified list of 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. 

Military Times Hall of Valor - The HALL OF VALOR now contains 97,731 valor award citations of heroes from the U.S. armed services.

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 US Martial Arms Collector (formerly 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. Wayne will only look up serial numbers for subscribers to his US Martial Arms Collector Newsletter, and then will reply with "listed" or "not listed".  For more specifics about the listing, you will have to order one of his letters.  For more information, you can write to:

Wayne Gagner
US Martial Arms Collector
Box 126
Cabin John, MD 20818

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 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. Emails should be addressed to:

TACOM-LCMC, ACC-WRN/DTA
Point of Contact: Shelley Pantalone
Office Symbol: AMSTA-LB/Division 2
Phone: (586) 282-8099
Email: [email protected]

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. 

USMA Howitzer Yearbook Digital Collection - Scanned copies of yearbooks, most years available.

Submarine Force Museum - The Submarine Force Museum, located on the Thames River in Groton, Connecticut, maintains the world's finest collection of submarine artifacts. It is the only submarine museum operated by the United States Navy, and as such is the primary repository for artifacts, documents and photographs relating to U.S. Submarine Force history. The museum traces the development of the "Silent Service" from David Bushnell's Turtle, used in the Revolutionary War, to the Ohio and Virginia class submarines.

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.