I picked up a 1917 at a local GS, the problem is it doesn’t match the information in my Standard Catalog. The s/n 168948 places it at the end of production for the US Army. It does not have the US Army 1917 stamp on the butt, the s/n is one 1 line from the lanyard hole. The s/n is stamped on the barrel flat and matches the butt, also there is a inspection stamp (S34). Cylinder. and Star have been changed.
Grips are walnut diamond checkered, and the right grip has a gold S&W medallion, on the left side lower frame is stamped N.A. Rdgplo NJ.
I will add pictures as soon as I figure out how.

Thanks for your help.

You had me at "Odd 1917".

Due to the rather late government M1917 serial number it may be a post-WWI commercial example built using a leftover M1917 frame.

We'll require pics to make a proper diagnosis.

The "N.A. Rdgplo NJ" be for "Navy Arms Co Ridgefield NJ". Possibly it was imported back into the U.S. and marked for such?

Dale

Welcome to the Forum.

It sounds like you have a 1917 from the second shipment to Brazil in 1946. The importer was Navy Arms, Ridgefield NJ. It has built on a left over WW I 1917 frame that was found at the factory after WW II.

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Yes, where are my manners.............welcome aboard!

Dale

If it has the Brazilian crest then you will be spot on and I am leaning that way too with the Navy Arms importer's mark.

My current Brazilian M1917 1937 contract example has a CAI import mark. IIRC my previous Brazilian example had a Navy Arms Ridgefield NJ stamp as that sounds awfully familiar to me for some reason.

Ray, can you post a close-up picture of the side plate?

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

How do I post photo from my phone?

It does not have the Brazilian crest

Ray,

Welcome to the forum.

Do the cyl and star have serial #s?

Which cartridge will chamber in the cyl; 45 ACP or something else?

Do the factory assembly #s on the yoke and frame at the yoke joint match the # on the inside of the side plate?

__________________
Jim
S&WCA #819

We need to know a couple more things with regards to your sideplate.

First, does it show evidence of a refinish? If so then the crest may have been removed during such.

Second, if it doesn't have a Brazilian crest then there is a slight chance it could be a replacement sideplate. Carefully remove the sideplate and look on the backside as there should be an assembly number on it that matches the frame's assembly number.

If there is no evidence of a Brazilian crest, and it hasn't been removed during a refinish, and the sideplate assembly number matches the frame's assembly number then it may possibly be a post-WWI commercial model built on a wartime production frame. (The frame's assembly number is found where the frame and yoke mate. The yoke too has an assembly number stamped on it opposite of the frame's assembly number. It too should match the frame assembly number if original to the revolver.)

I think the odds are very slight (but not completely impossible) it is a commercial example due to the fact that they didn't make very many of them and your example also has an import stamp which would be much more common a find on a Brazilian M1917.

Hopefully you will be able to post pics soon.

HTH,
Dale

addendum, looks like Jim beat me to the bunch by a few minutes with regards to assembly numbers.

I usually text message them to my email account then save them on my computer hard drive. From there posting them using the Manage Attachments button is easy.
A little bit of a clunky process, but it works.

__________________
Send lawyers, guns & money...

I save my photos in a separate file. Reply in the advanced reply mode. Under where you type in your reply is an area marked “Manage Attachments”. Click there and follow the prompts.

Kevin

__________________
Unshared knowledge is wasted.

possibly put together from parts when several distributers were selling gunsmith's specials 20+ years ago -

Ray, get the free Tapatalk app (ad supported). You can take pictures while writing your post and upload them from the app. Or you can pull them from your gallery albums.

__________________
Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

Brazilian 1917's were one of Val Forgett's first imports when he started Navy Arms. Many of them were a mess, I was told they were put in 50 gallon oil drums, filled with oil, sealed and shipped. This explains why so many look like they were dumped into a cement mixer.

Navy Arms was started in the 1950s. Val Forgett had replica 1851 Colt revolvers built aboard. The Navy Arms logo is the crest of the Confederate Navy.

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

marking on frame under crane, 43079 M4 inspectors mark S2. mark on crane 39240. S/N cylinder 78802, star 78802. assembly number on side plate. Barrel s/n 168948. no sign of Brazilian crest on side plate, there is very slight dishing around rear side plate screw. I'm still working on pictuces, my phone hates me.

Sounds like a Frankengun to me. What's the serial number on the butt frame?

Guy

__________________
Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

And which assembly does the side plate # match, the one on the yoke or the one on the frame in the yoke cutout?

So the #168948 in your first post is the butt # and it matches the barrel #?

__________________
Jim
S&WCA #819

Thanks for pointing that out, Jim. I should have gone back and read the O P first post. With a different serial number on the cylinder, it was probably replaced. The star might also indicate a replacement at the factory. If he looks through the cylinder to the rear of the Yoke arm, the serial number there should match the cylinder if the Yoke arm and cylinder were replaced as a unit. Also there's a serial number behind the ejector star that should either match the cylinder or the Barrel and frame serial. The pictures should be interesting.

Guy

__________________
Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

He posted that the cyl and ratchet star match #78802. I'll bet the # on the rear face of the yoke does also. Probably replaced as an assembly, cyl, star and yoke.

__________________
Jim
S&WCA #819

Thanks Jim, I read that wrong. I thought there was a star stamp on the cylinder. Didn't think about it being the ejector star

Guy

__________________
Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

Yeah, I had to read it twice just to be sure.

__________________
Jim
S&WCA #819