Picked up my cut barrel 1917 S&W from my dealer today. It was in much better shape than I had thought from the auction photos. Even at the dealer's the hammer and trigger worked and the cylinder turned although on several of the cylinder's chambers it was hard to turn and needed my manual help to turn. I saw that the cylinder release button was forward so there should have been nothing holding the cylinder in the frame. So I gently tapped the cylinder against my knee several times and it popped right out.
When I got it home I found out what was causing the cylinder to lock up on several chambers and also what was causing the ejector rod to bind. The ejector rod was easy to unscrew. In fact it was slightly loose. I unscrewed it, took out the skinny rod and set that aside, and on inspection found that the ejector rod was slightly bent and would not eject cartridges fully.
Shiny spot on middle of ejector rod below is where it was bent....
Ejector rod laying next to revolver.
So I laid it on a flat surface and rolled the ejector rod til I found the high spot. Then carefully tapped it straight with a hammer. It works back and forth smoothly now and fully ejects. Fixed pretty good with just a few strategic taps of a hammer. However; I'm still going to get a new old stock ejector rod for it that I've found because the big end of the rod where it is knurled is buggered up and the knurling is scratched away and gone from it being bent. It works but doesn't look pretty and still slightly binds on several chambers when the cylinder turns so I'll put on the new one and save the old one for a spare part that needs further straightening to prevent binding on all chambers of the cylinder when it turns. So everything is working pretty good mechanically now and I didn't have to soak it in kroil oil or anything. All I did was spray the insides with a bit of WD40 to slick things up a bit.
I haven't taken the side plate off and gotten to the innards yet. Even still, by all mechanics and appearances I think everything inside is okay. Cylinder lockup on both hammer back and hammer down with trigger held back is VERY tight. Much tighter than on most new revolvers! Not bad for an antique! I was very impressed with its tight lockup. The yoke mates to the frame so well that I can hardly see the seam!! They just don't take the time to hand fit revolvers like this anymore. The old saying is true...."They don't make them like they used to."
I took it out back and fired six rounds out of it and it functioned smoothly and perfectly except for dragging a little on two chambers because of that still ever so slightly bent ejector rod. Rifling looks good too but you can't really tell from this pic. End of barrel was nicely rounded....
Next I took off and inspected the grips that came with it, and like others here had told me, they were indeed genuine India sanbar stag grips. Wearing an oven mitt, I heated a paperclip with a torch lighter til it was red hot, then touched that to the back of one of the grips. It did not melt. Just made a little brown mark. Also I can see some of the "bark" of the stags on the inside of the grips as well as see different color tones going through the grips. No doubt they are geniune India sanbar stag grips. There is some pencil writing on the back of them that is the number "306" and a name written in cursive "Onama" or "Onawa" not sure if that second to last letter is a m or a w. Perhaps they belonged to an Asian chap at one time.
Backside of India sanbar stag grips showing "bark" going through partially to backside along with number 306 and Onama or Onawa.
Backside of India Sanbar stags off the revolver
Top side of India sanbar stags off the revolver
India sanbar stags on the revolver.
There are all kinds of small stamps all over the revolver. Crowns on the left frame and barrel, some kind of stamp that looks kind of like the head of an eagle (but not totally sure) in several spots, some kind of stamp between each chamber of the cylinder on the outside of cylinder, a small rectangular stamp on the left frame just below the cylinder that has some kind of letter or symbol and then says "ENGLISH MAKE" I think. It was so small had to look through the magnifying glass to see it, as I did most of the markings.
The serial number is 997XX on the butt and matches the serial on the cylinder. The barrel has a different serial number on its flat on the bottom of barrel.
I'm no expert on this, but if I had to guess, I'd say it was a lend lease revolver sent to England and stamped with their crowns and markings in addition to our normal U.S. military stamps. Then at some time came back into the U.S. Perhaps while still in English service it made its way to India or Asia and was owned by someone named "Onama" or "Onawa" who put the India sanbar stag grips on it.
I know, I know, it sounds spookily like OBAMA! Lol. But it is definitely either Onama or Onawa.
I received in my mail today a set of grips member here Lee Barner had graciously sent me. (Thanks again Lee!)
I took off the India sanbar stag grips and put the plastic ones with polished wood inserts on Lee sent. They are a lot like my other set on my commercial 1917 only not as thick. I have really big hands and these grips were wider than the India sanbar stags and filled my hands much better. See the comparison between the India sanbar stags thickness next to Lee's thicker plastic and wooden ones....
India sanbar stags showing thickness.
Now Lee's plastic and polished wood ones showing their thickness.....
Now two below pics comparing Lee's plastic and wood ones with my more thicker plastic and wood ones on my commercial model.
I also installed the lanyard ring that was missing today. In below pic you can see how lanyard ring goes upward into bottom of grip frame and is held in place by a pin....
Another interesting thing I couldn't see in the auction pics but saw as soon as I got it, was that obviously someone at some time had also installed a front sight and base on the cut snubby barrel. Not sure why it is missing. Either taken off on purpose or came unsoldered. You can see that in below pic where the shiny unblued spot is on the barrel.
All I have to do now is to replace the ejector rod, buff the rust and pits out, get it real shiny, then put a front sight base and sight on it, then hot tank blue it and it should look like new.
After today's experience I feel I did really good on getting this one in the shape it is in for the price I paid.
I'll keep y'all updated on the project as it progresses in this same thread.
That's all for now til the next episode on this project.
.
)
Consider yourself lucky you avoided that monstrosity and carry on. 
