Found a picture, taken during Prohibition, of officers examining a truck with a hidden compartment for hiding hooch. The officer on the right appears to be carrying a 1917 revolver. I think the butt shape indicates a Colt. The holster is the right sided military version, but carried on the left hip.

Attached Images

1917 S&W.jpg (69.6 KB, 283 views)

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I am surprised to see a left handed person that long ago. I am sixty-six years old and only knew one lefty my entire childhood. Children were forced to conform to the right handed world. I never understood the reasoning of that practice.

My father in law , 90 , is a lefty . He went to Catholic schools growing up in Vermont . He said the nuns used to whack his hand with a ruler if he tried writing lefty . They finally tied his left hand behind his back so he couldn't use it .

You could be right........or wrong. LOL.

My oldest daughter is Ambidexterous ...
She would sit and write with her left hand ... then swich over and write with her right ... She ate everything off the right side of her plate ... with right hand ... then ate everything on left side of plate with left hand ...
She didn't want any food to touch on the plate ...
That girl about drove her Daddy to drink ... but we both survived !

I keep looking at the revolver grip ... but my old eyes can't make out if it is a Colt or S&W ... I'll be getting new glasses next week , maybe then I can see something .
Gary

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NRA Member

If a military holster it is correct for right side wear. In WWI holster was worn on right side with butt forward so it could be drawn with left hand. Right hand was for sword as was the practice then.

I thought I said that in my post.

I think most folks used the twist draw and their right hands.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Just a clarification of the use of the right hand for a sword.

I'm 75 and that brings back some very painful memories. My mother had a "come to Jesus" talk with the nun and the abuse stopped. Still a southpaw.

There were a lot of lefties back in the day, just look at vintage photos of baseball players.

My Grandfather who served in combat in WWI was a lefty. Naturally he had to adapt to the bolt action rifle which was designed for right-handed people. He told me he would fire it from his left shoulder with his left hand manipulating the trigger. To operate the bolt, he reached his left hand over the action to get the spent cartridge out and a fresh one in. He said that with a litle practice, he was as fast as anyone else.

I am sorry to say I never asked him if he carried an M1903 or an M1917.

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You're shy a few manners.

From the amount of the grip that's showing, I don't think there's any way to tell what that gun is. Given the length of the holster, it could be a 7-inch barrel in there. Maybe it's a surplus Scofield?

I'm primarily left handed and shoot handguns
mostly with the left. But I've always shot
long guns, rifles and shotguns, right handed.

I found it interesting that Titus Welliver in
"Bosch" consistently wrote things with his left
but carried and consistently used his 1911
in his right hand.

Lefties tend to adapt to a right handed world
whereas right handed folks are basically
"retrarded."

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Ubi Est Mea

My wife, Best friend, 2nd son, 5 grandkids, and several friends are Sinister!

Generally speaking lefties are better shots than righties too. (so far the lefties have proven that in the family.

As to the 1917, if there is enough detail in the photo, check his center finger. The Colt New Service frames beat the snot out of everyone I know, where S&W's N frames do not.

Ivan

As far as forcing kids to be righties, when I was little we had a spoon that had about a 45 degree at the handle-to-ladel (?) end that made it near impossible to use with the left hand. It may have been bought for me, as one of my older sisters was a lefty. I suppose Dad thought it would be easier for me to be right-handed, as most every gun, baseball glove, etc. were easier to find for it. It seems like many lefty guitarists, pool shooters, pitchers, etc. were always a tad better. Could be my imagination, I'm sure.

I think it’s a Colt, too. Thankfully by the late 60-early 70s when I went to school I could freely be left handed. Us left handers are the last discriminated group in America. Where’s OUR reparations? How about a free Colt SAA for each of us? A gun actually designed better for left hand use than right.

Have seen that picture many times, gotta give credit for an inventive way of smuggling booze

Same with my Dad. He was born in 1928 and went to Catholic schools in south Louisiana. The nuns used to punish him for writing left handed and then punished him again because he couldn’t write legibly with his right.

After his elementary school years he was a lefty for the remainder of his life.

I can’t tell if the revolver is a Colt or Smith but someone ratted out the truck driver because that was a pretty good disguise as hauling a load of wood.