A friend shows up at my house with his latest inheritance. Has a model of 1917 that he got from an uncle. Claims his uncle used it as a bowling pin gun. I had to explain what a bowling pin gun is as my buddy doesn't know much about any kind of gun.
This thing has different serial numbers on the barrel, the cylinder, and the butt. Butt has been rounded and lanyard ring hole has been welded shut. Absolutely the most dangerous single action on the planet. Obviously a kitchen table hack job on the sear. If you cock it, and it stays, all you have to do is look at and it will go off.
He thinks he really has some valuable historical artifact here and I have been trying to tell him what he really has here. By a small miracle, I was able to locate a hammer for it but no trigger. Maybe this hammer is good and hope to make the gun a little safer for him.
Was wondering if anyone can tell me when the 1917 went out of production? Also, would like to know about when this one was made. Serial number is:1446xx
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

SN 1446xx would make it a WWI gun. Most of them shipped in 1918. It should have the Army stamping on the butt. In one form or another, the Model 1917 was made until just after WWII, but not in great quantities. There were a few earlier WWI frames assembled long after WWI as commercial guns.

That gun was made in December 1918. The WWI frames were all made by the end of WWI and were used after the war for commercial models as well as the Brazilian model. Brazilian contracts were for before WWII and after. After WWII, S&W brought it back as the Model 1950 Army (Model 22) and sold it until 1963.

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

Thank you so much for the info.

Check out Numrich and Jack First for the parts you need. Maybe the have something.
Also, on proxibid there is some auction coming up with a bunch of small parts like that. Maybe something on there will work.

Is this 1917 marked "US ARMY" on the butt? I have fitted a modern (pre MIM) serrated trigger to a commercial 1917.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

If the butt was round-butted and welded, chances are the SN has been removed or defaced and the gun is contraband unless the SN was stamped on the frame in another place. IIRC, K and N frame triggers from this era are the same. So you probably can use a Victory trigger which are plentiful on eBay.

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

Was able to find a good gunsmith and he installed the hammer and made the gun safe.
The butt of the gun still has the serial number but the "US Army" was ground off. The gun is legal and now is good to go.
Thanks for all the info.

Jinx, please post a pic of the Franken1917. I really enjoy looking at modified N frames.
This one is called "Rum Runner":
1917_1.jpg 1917_0.jpg
1917_2.jpg Gila's 1917 Chopper.jpg

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Tom in AZ
Respect the Dingbat

Here's a frankengun 1917 I acquired recently. The barrel has been cut to 2.75" which removed 1/4" of the locking lug. It's a work in progress but I did manage to install a Power Custom ball detent in the yoke to make a more secure lockup.











When it cools off a bit, I'm going to bead blast and rust blue it.

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

Guy,

That's a cool belly gun, and a real low #! Looks like it went back to the factory at least once. And never refinished outside the factory.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Guy,

I'm with Jim!!! I love it!! Someday I will find the right donor gun to build a similar project N frame snubby on....

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

Guy,

You might as well go all the way and "Fitz" the trigger guard, round butt the frame and lose the lanyard loop. The call it a 'Jov-Fitz'.

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

I would keep it like it is, and install some vintage, (not correct, as they didn't come out til the 30s) early Magnas and an old as you can find Tylers T Grip. I would leave everything else as is, even the finish. What a cool snub nose N frame.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

The Gila Bender: I am sorry to say that I do not have the equipment nor the smarts to post a photo. I can tell you that the round butt was not done correctly, in that the front part of the frame was not cut, just the back. The only grip that will fir is a Pachmayer. The barrel is an odd measurement. 61/4 inches. Did these come with a 51/2 inch barrel? Or a 61/2 inch barrel?

Les, I'm probably going to put some elkhorn or stag grips on it. Also, pondering plating the extractor rod, cylinder, cylinder release thumbpiece and nut to make it a pinto. Not sure what to do about the hammer and trigger yet...maybe plate the trigger and leave the hammer alone since it is concentric milled.

Jinx, the 1917's were 5.5" barrels while the .455 HE's were 6.5".

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

Thanks again all for the info.

Hi Tom, I'm not a fan of chopping, but the Rum Runner is absolutely magnificent! Pride of ownership is off the scale. Hope you do not "Fitz" the triggerguard; to me, that is unsafe and unnecessary. Again, thanks for the cool pix of a very cool gun!

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

Kaaskop49,
The Rum Runner will remain as received with no further mods other than the K-RB stocks. It came to me wearing modern rubber grips which, while effective and practical, didn't seem quite right on a retired veteran. It's a classic S.&W. D.A. 45 adapted to "Fit in the Box". And, it's a darn fine shooter for launching .45 tracer.

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Tom in AZ
Respect the Dingbat

Now here is a 1917 franken gun.
Chopped 1950 barrel with front part of shroud milled to work with the large 1917 ejector knob.

Frame cut for adjustable sights.

Grip frame cut and welded to small round butt, retaining orginal serial number stamping.

De horned hammer

Wearing African blood wood grips.

I call it my Combat Masterpiece

I got the gun with a non matching barrel that was in very poor shape. Non collectable to start with.

Attached Images

1917 combat a_zps1jjlb7l2.jpg (43.3 KB, 100 views)

Got this WW I 1917 Army pretty cheap; all original except it had a cut down .455 Mk II barrel (bore dimensions all wrong for 45 ACP.)
Here it is converted to a barrel w/shroud the way the factory should have made them pre war, (at least after the military production), the same as the 44 Military and 38/44 HD.




Mtn Gun stainless ribbed target barrel, milled off the rib and milled down the integral front sight base to match the pre war integral fixed sight base:




Rough milled barrel mounted on the gun:

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Jim
S&WCA #819

I would be tempted to put Grashorn's on it and call it done. I think the finish (what's left of it) and the patina on it now looks fantastic!

Now I've got a 25-2 that the seller claimed was built as a "bowling pin" gun. Its had the barrel cut down to 5", TT, TH, Target grips, action job that gives it a very smooth double action and a very light but workably very crisp single action. It is very accurate and shoots like a dream, the barrel job does not meet my standards as there is little crown, although the front sight was replaced professionally. Does that meet the "criteria" for a bowling pin gun? It was built by the seller's uncle, that was all he knew.

A 5" 45 acp would certainly work well for bowling pins. I have cut down some barrels and studied S&W big bore muzzles. Not very uniform really. If you want some more depth to the muzzle you can get it using a ball bearing and use it to back up sand paper going finer and finer, then coat it with valve lapping compound and roll away. Just use a random pattern as you work. You could actually do the same thing on the OD using a piece of say 3/4" pipe that was split. Just have to be real careful around the front sight ramp. Thats the problem area on doing S&W revolver crowns.

Personally, I am not a big fan of grooved target triggers for double action. Makes my finger sore pretty fast.

Here's another chopped up old timer. 100 year old .455 HE. with post war 45 ACP barrel and cylinder

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Eccentric old coot

Agree on patina finish looks vg.

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Tommy

You mean, like this?

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

That's fine as frog's hair that is.

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Eccentric old coot

Are they what are known as High Horn Grashorns?

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

Those are Bulbous Grasshorn Magnas.

No higher than normal but fuller curves.

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Jim
S&WCA #819