Browning partnered with the Colt's Manufacturing Company which was hoping to capitalize on the interest in service pistol modernization by procuring large and profitable government military contracts.

The Mauser tended to be considered the most developed (or mature) in terms of mechanism, featuring a reliable action protected from the elements, manual safety, and a hold open indicating the last shot had been fired and easily convertible to carbine form, however the pistol had reached its developmental peak.

The Colt 1902 sporting model, used in 1904 Swedish tests (lost out to the FN Browning 1903 9MM), was also found to be not quite sufficiently reliable but the Swedes also mentioned the ergonomic drawbacks.

The problematic pivoting rear sight safety of the M1900 which swung back and down to physically block the arc of the pistol's hammer was also removed.

Another shortcoming in the M1900 design was brought out by trials held by the British military, who discovered that the pistol had a tendency to fire when dropped.

On some early production Model 1902s the trigger, pins, and grip screws were set off with a fire or nitre blued finish, giving those parts a beautiful cobalt blue hue.

The 1902 Militaries were slightly heavier than the sporting models due to the extended square frame and lanyard loop.

Offered between 1902 and 1928, the Military Model 1902 differed from the sporting version in that the grip handle was a bit longer and square-shaped so as to house one additional round of ammunition in the magazine.

The Military model featured the mechanical slide stop and had a lanyard loop on the heel of the grip, it was also slightly heavier.

[2] Available from 1902 to 1907, the Sporting Model 1902 variant was slightly lighter and smaller than the military version, with a more rounded grip frame.

Perhaps this contributed to a jump in sales, as demand for the Colt 1911 outstripped supply, and many pistols still went south to the Mexican Army in small lots or individually, and the excitement of World War I on the horizon probably also spurred a re-interest.

Any "extra" sporting models put together from part stocks and shipped after that period probably had low spur hammers.

In 1901, the military, in evaluating its test Model 1900 Colts, suggested a longer grip with an additional round in the magazine and a lanyard loop.

The Model 1902 was never adopted by the U.S. or any other world military organization, probably due to reservations regarding the design's robustness as well as its developmental nature.

The US government purchased 200 1902 Militaries (serials 15000–15201) in 1902 for service evaluation of type (round hammer, checkered front slide).

The U.S. Army's unsatisfactory experiences several years earlier with .38-caliber pistols used against Moro tribesmen during the Philippine–American War may also have been a factor against larger acceptance of the "large frame" automatics.

[1] European militaries generally opted for lighter calibers, with the exception of the British (a policy that may have reflected their extensive experience in colonial warfare).

One can only speculate on the type of commercial customer (excluding the military users) that would have purchased the Colt 1902 Sporting and Military Models: perhaps wealthier hunters, fishermen, and adventurers who visited remote areas of the wilderness; businesses, especially those with Latin American offices and projects in remote areas such as mining interests in the US as they had significant and occasional labor unrest (often with very good cause) in the early 20th century; the more modern leaning police of the era who might have evaluated the pistols (no known significant police sales); perhaps shopkeepers who preferred the flat pistol for the counter shelf plus the imposing long barrel and superior rate of fire over robber's revolvers; perhaps those who just liked the look and selected the pistol for personal defense or the home; and of course the casual owners and shooters who liked the novelty.

Prior to 1905, they were clearly "modern" holster pistols and the public and military already understood the value of about 1.5 seconds of seven/eight shot firepower.

Although mainland European sales are noted, the admittedly excellent and safer Mauser M1896's and Lugers took the lion's share of the large frame automatic market.