The Colt Mustang Pocketlite is Back

My SHOT Show 2012 “better late than never” nominee is Colt. Colt missed out on the record concealed carry market over the last couple years. But now Colt is jumping back into the consumer firearms market with the re-introduction of a longtime favorite, the Mustang Pocketlite.

Their .380 government model was discontinued in the late 1990’s, due to the cost of making small guns with older machinery, as well as hard times in the firearms industry. Concealed carry handgun licenses are available to most law abiding citizens in all but one state (Illinois).

The Mustang Pocketlite has an aluminum frame machined from plate, not cast, and it weighs in at 12 ¾ ounces empty. The slide and barrel are machined from bar stock steel. Modern machines at Colt’s factory should allow for a more accurate pistol with tigher tolerances. But Colt will keep the Mustang true to the original design, allowing for the new gun parts to work in the old guns, and vice versa.

The Comeback Colt Pocketlite suggested retail price is $599. I’m sure there are some “sentimental” old school “made in America” gun enthusiasts who will jump back on the Colt pocket pistol bandwagon. But I wonder about the timing, now that SIG has announced the P938 9mm will ship in the Spring.

The SIG P938 aims to shoot the lights out of the .380 mouse gun market. We’ll have a idea how that’s going to work out when SHOT Show 2013 rolls around in a year.

The SIG is essentially a copy of the Colt. The magazines, and probably some other parts, are interchangeable. There are a few minor differences, including the breech locking methods and the hammer spring assemblies. The SIG has a more squared-off slide.

The Colt has a single lug on the barrel which interfaces with a cut in the top of the slide to lock the breech. The SIG has a shoulder in front of the chamber that locks against the front edge of the ejection port—a feature which first appeared on the French SACM 1935S, the design for which was licensed to SIG in 1937 and has appeared on most of their pistols since.

By the way, Hickok45 weighed in on the SIG P238 yesterday. Enjoy the video. Life is good.

Guns have only two enemies, rust and liberals

Comments

[Hannah]

I love the quote on the last part of your post. I've never really held a gun before. In fact, the thought of carrying a gun is scary for me.