Description
Some guns are just old. Others are timeless. This one? It’s a story in steel.
This Colt Rimless Smokeless .38 Auto has been masterfully brought back to life by Turnbull Restorations—the gold standard in firearm restoration. But don’t let the polished finish fool you into thinking this is just a pretty face. Beneath that mirror-sheen lies a piece of firearm history that helped redefine what a pistol could be.
Back in the early 1900s, black powder was on its way out. It was messy, smoky, and frankly, unreliable. Enter Colt’s Rimless Smokeless series—sleek, modern, and chambered for the cleaner-burning .38 Auto cartridge. It was a leap forward, both in performance and design, and this model was part of that wave. Think of it as the iPhone moment of early semi-automatic pistols.
Turnbull didn’t just refinish this Colt—they respected it. Every surface, from the gleaming blued steel to the gently curved grips, was treated with reverence. It’s not overdone. It’s not flashy. It’s just… right. The kind of craftsmanship that whispers instead of shouts.
And here’s the kicker: it comes with its original documentation and packaging. That’s the kind of bonus that turns a great piece into a museum-worthy treasure. You’re not just buying a pistol—you’re preserving a story, down to the last detail.
Sure, this Colt can still shoot. But let’s be honest—you’re probably not buying it for range day. You’re buying it because it represents something bigger—a moment when firearms were shifting from clunky workhorses to precision tools. When American innovation was humming along, Colt was leading the charge.
For collectors, historians, or anyone who appreciates when form meets function with purpose, this restored .38 Auto is a rare opportunity—not mass-produced, not modernized. Just a beautifully preserved piece of progress, frozen in time and polished to perfection.
