Range report added July 25 2014.

Finally a day off and a chance to go to the range. Yay!

My initial impression shooting with 230 gr. ball is it is smooth
and soft shooting.
The action is positive albeit a little long on the trigger pull.

It was a joy to shoot this 96 year old war horse.
And as accurate as I could see the sights, which are almost
invisible to these old eyes.

12 rounds here at 25 feet double action.







Here 24 rounds fired double action at 15 yards.
The group opened up as expected.






The 325 P.D. was easier to shoot accurately with the hi Vis sights
but more of a handful being about 12 ozs. lighter.







I received the gun yesterday. It is mechanically sound and shootable.
Bore is 80% maybe better.
I cleaned it with flitz and a soft cloth.
Serial number is 19083 and is on the butt,cylinder,barrel and yoke.
The hammer has the radial swirl cuts in it as seen on the earlier 1917s.

The assembly number is also stamped on the barrel flat
which I have never seen before.

Finish on the frame is original black with the barrel suffering the worst of wear.

There is a very light inspectors mark on the upper frame GHD.
And all U.S. property markings are present.

I had the old lanyard ring, and the grips are resin that I
bought off Gone Broker long ago.

Here are the pictures. Proper grips, parkerized lanyard loop.

With a 1916 .455 Hand ejector. A 1921 44 second model
And a 2001 model 25-12, the modern Performance center version of the
1917 military.

















Hobbes decided to supervise the photo shoot.



































The front sideplate screw is 'staked' in place, presumably done
at arsenal or inspection time.


























And along side a ' Model of 2007' great grandchild of the 1917.

The 1917 weighs 34 ozs empty. The 4in. model 325 weighs 26 ozs empty.













Smith & Wesson D.A.45 Victory model NO CC FEES : Revolvers at GunBroker.com


Allen Frame

__________________
NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

AS FAR AS I KNOW Victory Models are, by definition, K-frame guns. Assuming I am right it is not a Victory Model, though it could easily be a military production parkerized 1917. Or I could be wrong. Either way, as you say, if it is complete and functional you did OK.

Good buy!

Looks original except for grips/lanyard swivel. I think the inspector mark, "GHS" in a circle on this gun below 20,000, is just missing. There is precedent for that. See post #10 here: Early Model 1917 value assistance please

The eagle stamp could be hidden by the left side of the grip. None of the US stampings would be shown in any of those photos.

__________________
Jim
S&WCA #819

Concentric groves on the hammer indicate a low serial, i.e. less than 6000 or so from what I've seen. I've also re-parked ones that were presented as refinished between the wars and re-issued for WWII.

Described wrong = sold cheap.
I know a guy who picks up a lot of good deals by searching for misspellings and common misnomers.

You are absolutely correct IMHO. However, occasionally we see the term Victory Model used loosely or generically by the less informed for the 'other' US S&W revolver, the 1917, as in the case of the seller.

__________________
Jim
S&WCA #819

My point is:

The gun won in the auction has a hammer with concentric grooves which were used consistently as high as ~ # 15,000 and inconsistently up to ~ #20,000. The GHS stamp are the ones that occasionally 'go missing' and the GHS stamp was used 'till ~ #20,000.

Ergo the gun could still be a US gun even though there is no GHS stamp since none of the other US stamps would be visible in the photos shown if they exist. And it's definitely under #20,000 in any case if the hammer is original.

__________________
Jim
S&WCA #819

Well.....You beat me out by $5 on my bidding for this one. My thought was the same as your's ...If it goes bang it's a good deal .. Enjoy !

Well thank you and I hope you find a great one for your collection.
THis one is a keeper/shooter for me and will be handed down to my
youngest son when I go so he has a nice piece of military history.


Pictures added.


Good luck
Allen Frame

__________________
NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

Great gun - especially for the price. If it were mine the next order of business would be to find a proper set of stocks for it. That old girl deserves them!
Congrats on your find and have fun shooting her!

__________________
Rick
SWCA #2727 , SWHF #435

nice, you could probably get your money back out of that grooved hammer

__________________
Kris
OGCA, NRA LM

I'd call that purchase a victory, even if not a Victory.

__________________
I need ammo, not a ride.

That's the earliest non-military 1917 I think I've ever seen or heard about.
What a great find.

__________________
Jim
S&WCA #819

Very nice.

Could you show us a picture of the butt, please?

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Jim;

I think this is an ex-military 1917, unless I am missing something? If it is original, I don't think a commercial 1917 would have had the milled hammer...but it seems no government stampings have showed in any of the photos. Many of these were Parkerized during arsenal reworks during WW II, as you know.

Given this auction, I now hereby vote for calling all Victory Models "1917s in .38 caliber" .

__________________
Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

It is my understanding that commercial 1917s had the logo stamp which was missing on military guns. For this age of gun, it should be a small stamp on the left side of the frame, IIRC. Perhaps that wasn't true for the military frames left over that were released as commercial models? Also, wouldn't the commercial guns have a high gloss blue finish?

__________________
Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

Alan,

I'm sorry, I didn't reread your original post. Yes, I agree, and I can see the GHS when I blow it up.

I like that, 1917s in .38 Cal.

__________________
Jim
S&WCA #819

Hello Guy,

You're correct! Fom Lee Jarrett:

"Production started on the 1917 in March, 17, and they have no logos. S&W was constantly hounded for more production by the Gov't. Eventually, using the possibility of Bolshevik inspired labor problems, the Gov't seized the [S&W] factory in Aug, 18. The machine for rolling logos had long been inactive by then, and POSSIBLY converted to some other use or pushed into a corner and buried. S&W does not get control again till Jan, 1919. We see little and slow production thru most of 1919. It gets better in 1920. Guns shipped in 1919 and 1920 usually lack logos. Some guns shipped in 1921 MAY lack them.”
Regards,
Lee Jarrett S&W 32 Long

__________________
Jim
S&WCA #819

Gentlemen, sorry to be absent from the discussion .

This gun does have a lightly stamped GHS on the left side of frame.

AND UNITED STATES PROPERTY' on the underside of the barrel.

I have a black parked lanyard and non dished grips on it now.
It looks good.

Thanks for the help.

Allen

__________________
NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

Range report added 7/25/2014.....

Allen Frame

__________________
NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

Purty cat too!

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

There's something about orange tabby mackerel tomcats. They are usually very personable and love to get into your things. That's one in my avatar.

I beg your pardon. Hobbes in not a Mackerel, he is a Tiger.

See ' Calvin and Hobbes'

And yes, he is one of the most personable, gentle, friendly cats I have ever known.

Regards,
Allen

__________________
NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

My great aunt, who lived two houses down from us, had a momma cat that threw a yaller kitten with every litter. I named them all "Tiger".

Since then, I've owned, or rather, they owned me, at least a half dozen yaller cats. Most were very loving.

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Male Orange Cat People are some of my best friends.


Pretty much feel the same way about 1917s..........

__________________
I Love This Site