Model 1917 .45 Revolver

[SFlanigan]

I own a S&W Model 1917 .45 revolver that used to be my Grandfather's service revolver. The SN starts with 104xxx.

Are there any recommended websites I could visit that may have a database on these serial numbers? I would like to see exactly how old this firearm is, if possible.

I do still shoot it with .45 ACP's when I shoot my S&W .45 M&P Shield. It's amazing how a weapon of it's age, (speaking of the Model 1917) is still spot-on target and fires so beautifully.

Thanks for any help that can be provided, and if anyone is wondering, NO, I am not interested in selling this gun!

 

[murphydog]

Welcome! Here is a reliable link to look this information up:

U.S. Military Dates of Manufacture

We would like to hear its (and your grandfather's) story, please! Hope this is helpful.

 

[deyomatic]

Photos, Please!

 

[H Richard]

I'm guessing your 1917 dates to 1918-1920. As long as you stay with standard velocity ammo you should be fine. I have a Bazillion model, same as a 1917, which I shoot a few times a year. Mine will shoot right along side my 25-2.

 

[Muley Gil]

Welcome to the Forum.

Please post pictures and give us what info you would like to share about your grandfather's service-branch of service, years served, etc. It is my understanding that the 1917 revolvers-both Colt and S&W, were issued to artillerymen, National Guardsmen and to soldiers who were not on the front lines.

 

[Hawg Rider]

Great revolver

My Model of 1917, 132xxx, dates to late 1918. Yours would probably date to mid- to early 1918. You didn't mention whether or not your grandfather saw action in Europe, but your revolver certainly could be an old warhorse. As H Richard says, it is fun to shoot and just as accurate as my Model 25-2. I use moon clips in both revolvers...2-rd, 3-rd, and 6-rd. You can easily find moonclips for sale online. BTW- most Forum members never encourage the selling of family heirlooms like yours, especially when they have a great history. Enjoy!

 

[DWalt]

Most of the S&W M1917s which went to the military were made and shipped in 1918 (as the war ended then, although some deliveries were made in 1919). #169959 is given as being the last of those. Moon clips are not essential, but they facilitate fired case extraction. There are some very good replica M1917 flap holsters available at a reasonable price from several sources.

 

[ABPOS]

Welcome to the Forum.

Please post pictures and give us what info you would like to share about your grandfather's service-branch of service, years served, etc. It is my understanding that the 1917 revolvers-both Colt and S&W, were issued to artillerymen, National Guardsmen and to soldiers who were not on the front lines.

I would imagine it depends on which war. Like for example, in Vietnam, I think some tunnel rats used various revolvers, including the 1917. And I would think they'd be considered "Front Line".

And I do believe I have pictures of soldiers on the front line in WWII with 1917's.

 

[Kinman]

I'm quite certain that many people that were not supposed to carry a particular firearm while serving in a combat area found a way to get their hands on one. I "relocated" a 1911 and its web belt that was carelessly left dangling over the seatback of a jeep by a shavetail lieutenant. Where I was stationed you couldn't leave a reel to reel tapedeck playing and fall asleep without waking up to no music in your headphones, look down and no tape deck. Same with a fan, fall asleep with a fan running, wake up sweating...no fan. I hated the company area, den of thieves, dope fiends and drunks. The first thing I had ripped off was my camo poncho liner, nobody used them as a poncho liner they had jackets made out of them or used them as a blanket when it got chilly in the rainy season.

 

[DWalt]

"I would imagine it depends on which war. Like for example, in Vietnam, I think some tunnel rats used various revolvers, including the 1917. And I would think they'd be considered "Front Line"."

I had a former Marine tunnel rat who worked for me about 25 years ago. He once told me he used a Victory .38 revolver. I suppose those guys used whatever handgun they could get their hands on.

 

[one eye joe]

I own a S&W Model 1917 .45 revolver that used to be my Grandfather's service revolver. The SN starts with 104xxx.

Are there any recommended websites I could visit that may have a database on these serial numbers? I would like to see exactly how old this firearm is, if possible.

I do still shoot it with .45 ACP's when I shoot my S&W .45 M&P Shield. It's amazing how a weapon of it's age, (speaking of the Model 1917) is still spot-on target and fires so beautifully.

Thanks for any help that can be provided, and if anyone is wondering, NO, I am not interested in selling this gun!

I'M SO HAPPY TO READ THAT YOU ARE APPRECIATING AND ENJOYING THIS OL' WAR HORSE, JUST AS IT WAS PASSED DOWN TO YOU--WITHOUT ANY THOUGHT OF SELLING IT. YOUR GRANDPA MUST BE VERY HAPPY......

 

[Jack Flash]

Welcome to the Forum.

Please post pictures and give us what info you would like to share about your grandfather's service-branch of service, years served, etc. It is my understanding that the 1917 revolvers-both Colt and S&W, were issued to artillerymen, National Guardsmen and to soldiers who were not on the front lines.

Getting back to WWI, it was my impression that the M1917 revolvers, just like the M1917 rifle, were generally issued as a substitute standard. Of course I may be wrong about this.

Someone once said on this forum that they were also known to have been issued to US WWI fighter pilots. I don't have any references so I hope someone else can speak up.

 

[DWalt]

Both the 1917 revolvers and 1917 Enfield rifles saw considerable front-line use during WWI. There were never enough Colt M1911s and Springfield '03s for everyone. Harry Truman was an artillery captain during WWI and he carried a M1917 revolver. I don't remember if it was a Colt or a S&W. I once had a journal hand-written by a WWI foot soldier who had seen combat, and he referred several times to carrying a revolver, although he was not specific about what kind. A very detailed and lengthy journal. He had done occupation duty in Germany for awhile after the Armistice and wasn't shipped back to the USA until late 1919. There were some interesting stories in the journal about that. I later found the soldier's grandson and gave the journal and some letters to him. He told me about what his grandfather did after he returned from the war - he became a veterinarian and helped found the Texas A&M Vet College.

 

[ABPOS]

In the book "With the Old Breed" with E.B.Sledge. He carried a 1917. But in this case his Dad gave it to him before he went. His Dad was a doctor in WWI. E.B. Sledge was in the 1st Marine Division, I think it was. And was in Pelielu and Guadalcanal. And Okinawa. He was definitely on the front lines.

Not really an "as issued" item in this case, of course, but nevertheless carried and used.

If you've never read the book, I recommend it. [ame]https://www.amazon.com/Old-Breed-At-Peleliu-Okinawa-ebook/dp/B000VMFDW2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532367637&sr=8-1&keywords=with+the+old+breed[/ame]

It is one of the books the Miniseries "The Pacific" is based on. Along with "Helmet For My Pillow" by Robert Leckie.

The miniseries is also very good.

The thing is, all kinds of weird stuff happens in war. And handguns are one of them items that gets convoluted as to who carried what. But there is no doubt in my mind that 1917's were used by combat people. Sure, 1911's were probably the majority. But keeping up with the demand of all the troops in WWII was not an easy task. And you have a lot of anomolies out there having to do with command too.

In my Grandfathers division, 2nd Infantry, the info I had studied was the General that commanded the division was old skool and kept them using 03's long after they could have had Garands because he thought they were better. And they only got Garands once they were in Europe, after that General was replaced. I do believe I got confirmation of this from some of the guys that were in the division in a forum I used to follow about 15 years ago.

Anyways... point being, what you see in the movies and what was typically, was not what happened everywhere. I've perused a LOT of picture books of WWII and there are definitely a variety of weapons used in combat. But yes, some were more rare than others.

 

[Jack Flash]

Interesting information from DWalt. I used to have a "Guns of the Presidents" NRA calendar that showed two WWI handguns Truman owned. One was an M1917 (can't remember if Colt or S&W) and the other an M1911. Truman had made a single box for both of them. Of course, I don't know if he acquired one or both during or after the war. Being in artillery, if he was armed with an M1917, this supports Muley Gil's point.

Again I have no reference, but I believe that a lot of doughboys actually preferred the M1917 revolvers, since most of them (at least the new recruits) would no doubt have had more experience with revolvers, if they had any handgun experience at all.

About the M1917 rifles ... I have read they actually outnumbered M1903s as issued to the troops. It has even been suggested that Sgt. York was armed with an M1917 rifle, but that can be a subject of hot debate so no need to go there. We are talking about revolvers.

 

[Texas Star]

Getting back to WWI, it was my impression that the M1917 revolvers, just like the M1917 rifle, were generally issued as a substitute standard. Of course I may be wrong about this.

Someone once said on this forum that they were also known to have been issued to US WWI fighter pilots. I don't have any references so I hope someone else can speak up.

I don't think officers, inc. pilots, were issued pistols. Sidearms were private property of officers until much later.

Or, so I was told by an elderly former officer who fought in that war. Swords were also purchased. Same as in the British Army, until the 1920 gun law.

My informant carried a Colt 1911 for which he was billed.

The tunnel rat above told a reporter that it was his own M-1917, probably not authorized, but he had it!

Bill Jordan told me that he carried a M-1917 S&W .45 and a Winchester M-12 shotgun when leading Marines in the Pacific, against Japan. Those mirrored what he'd used in the USBP, and he preferred revolvers.

Jeff Cooper began the war with a stag-handled Colt SAA .45, with which he killed a Japanese. But he soon switched to his personal Colt Govt. Model .45, as a more practical sidearm.

Cooper told me that he intended to shoot the Japanese twice, but the first .45 Colt bullet flipped him violently backward as he topped a fallen log and a second shot wasn't needed.

 

[Texas Star]

My mother had a man in to repair her washing machine about 1959. He'd served in M-4 tanks. Said they all had .45 autos and also had German pistols. They were afraid the Germans would kill them if captured, but wanted the 9mm guns. Most also took them home after the war.

The Sherman tanks (Tommy cookers, to the Germans) also had Thompson SMGs and sometimes, crews added captured MP-40's.

They were called Tommy cookers, as they burned easily if hit by the more powerful German tank guns. Tommy, for Thos. Atkins, was a slang term for British soldiers. I don't know if Germans fighting our troops called them Ami or Yank cookers.

 

[Kinman]

A friend of my dad's crewed on an M4 Sherman, he once told us that the biggest problem was the converted aircraft radial engine which ran on gasoline, it ran hot and there was no way around it.

 

[Jack Flash]

Coincidentally, there is an article in the American Rifleman about the M1917 rifle this month. It states that almost 3/4 of the American Doughboys were armed with M1917 rifles. Now back to handguns...

 

[SFlanigan]

Thanks all for the responses and comments.

I have dated my firearm to 1918 per the serial number. Several of you have asked for pictures. Here are two of the weapon and one of my Grandfather taken, I believe, during WWI.