Thread: Manufacture date via serial number
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Old 07-25-2020, 02:45 PM
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DWalt DWalt is offline
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Originally Posted by Skeetr57 View Post
That serial number places the gun into the commercial Model of 1917 range, and so far as I can tell, all of those guns were chambered in .45 ACP. There were some .44 HE second models chambered in .45 Colt, but I believe that their SN's would be only 5 digits. A 1917 can't just have the chambers reamed to change it to .45 Colt because the excess headspace would cause many, if not all, cartridges to misfire. A change of cylinders would be required to make that caliber change.
That can be done by lengthening the chamber, but slightly short so the .45 Colt headspaces on the case mouth, not the rim. That eliminates the headspace problem.
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