sharing my excitement! Commercial 1917

[Shrek Of The Arctic]

I was having a tough day yesterday. Yard is overgrown, lawnmower broke down, stepped right on a land mine my dog left behind while trying to pull it all together...

I got aggravated and decided to go buy a mower from a friend that is moving. Along the way, my wife wanted to check out some yard sales. I grudgingly agreed to pull into one. 'Lo and behold! The first one had a table full of guns! Not much I would deem above average except for an old S&W...with diamond grips. He said it was a .45 Colt. It was marked "S&W .45" on the 5.5" bbl. And had a lanyard ring. Blue is a bit well used, but the gun was mechanically tight, and well timed, so I quickly paid up and brought it home. I wasn't sure what it was, but I was sure I liked it.

Further research revealed it's .45 ACP, NOT Colt. SN# is six digit 206XXX. As near as I can tell, it's a commercial 1917 made about 1944-1945. It has the original matching SN grips on it!

I really have no idea what it's value is, but I feel fairly certain I got a good deal on it at $500.
If anyone has thoughts on value, I'd love to hear 'em.

I'll spare y'all the boring details, but that's how my bad day started turning into a good day that I'll always remember.

I hope to shoot it tomorrow or day after. Thanks for letting me share! Not many folks like to talk about revolvers these days, let alone older ones.

 

[austintexas]

45 Acp

Smoking deal, I paid $400 for mine and was happy to pay it, Of course that was 20 years ago.
SWCA 892

 

[4K2022]

Thanks for sharing, I believe everyone here has five Benjamins for that one.

 

[charlie sherrill]

I'm guessing there are no government markings on the butt around the lanyard ring. You got a very good deal on a nice gun. When I go to yard sales I always ask if they have any old guns stuck back that they would sell. I have found several nice ones just for asking. Some folks don't put them out because they think it's illegal to sell them. Not here.

 

[raljr1]

You paid about half price or a little less.. Darn, why aren't yard sales like that around here.

 

[quinn]

Unless my eyes are letting me down, those look like pretty nice pre war magna grips. If so maybe you bought the grips and the gun was free.

 

[moosedog]

"Unless my eyes are letting me down, those look like pretty nice pre war magna grips. If so maybe you bought the grips and the gun was free."

I noticed that too. We should all have days like that.
__________________

 

[smoothshooter]

That was a Great Deal!

 

[Retired W4]

That is nice Shrek. Is there a S prefix to the SN? That number is just below the range of the 1917s produced starting in 1946. I'm guessing it has the milled stock circle insert that holds the medallions to the stocks.

Here is one from the batch of post war guns.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Cha CHING!! You bought the grips at a discount and the gun was free, just like Randy said! Pre-war magnas in that shape are selling for over $500. That's the baseline price for some that have a few dings. Are they numbered to the gun? Like W4, I wonder if there is an "S" serial prefix. Not all the post-war guns got it. Anyway, it looks like a darn good condition 1917 Army.

 

[T44spl]

Your bad day did a great turn around & it wouldn't have happened without your wife. Nice gun with just the right amount of wear that you won't be afraid to shoot it and often. When I have frustrating days like that I just put my tools down and walk away for awhile, but I've Never stepped into your kind of luck. Congratulations.

 

[Shrek Of The Arctic]

I sure appreciate all the kind words.

There is no "S" pre-fix. Also no "US Gov't. / Army markings. It has the circle insets as well.

I'm blown away by what y'all are telling me about the grips. I spent hours scrounging for mfg. Dates last night. At the earliest and most optimistic I came up with 1944. 1945 seems the most likely. I fat fingered the SN# earlier. It is early 207XXX. No other proor marks, etc. That I can find.

I do love the old 1917s. They seem to have alot of historical context, and they can sling a heavy chunk of lead in a chosen direction just as well as their unobtainium tacti-cool offspring.

 

[murphydog]

This one is definitely worth a letter, I think. There were about 1000 "postwar Transitional" 1917 Army guns made in the 209000-210000 serial number range, some with an S prefix and some not, but this one appears to pre-date this production run.

I would guess there were very few of these made before the 209000 SN range, and the stocks suggest an early post-war production date as well. Enjoy!

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

It has been a long time since I have been to a Yard Sale that featured Firearms.

That is great revolver at a great price. A nice 1917 is on my "Wish List". Thank you for sharing.

 

[Hondo44]

When any of us come up with a prize like that it's almost as much fun as finding one myself! Congrats!

You could have a very late pre war or a post war Transitional model. The clue is if it has the post war sliding bar hammer block safety; you can see it in the hammer channel when you cock the hammer slowly. It has the pre war cyl release thumb pad and pre war sharp shoulder Magnas with sharp cornered checkering borders.
It also has the one line "MADE IN USA" on right front of frame which changed to the four line address in 1946.

So let us know about the safety.
I'm guessing it's the Transitional Model even without the S prefix on the butt serial #. But that bright blue finish could be a pre war! After both WWI and WWII, the standard finish was satin blue for 10 years.

 

[mchom]

I think you scored a fantastic vintage S&W for great price. It sounds like that day you were handed test after test. You passed them all and won the prize. Congratulations!

 

[murphydog]

When any of us come up with a prize like that it's almost as much fun as finding one myself! Congrats!

You could have a very late pre war or a post war Transitional model. The clue is if it has the post war sliding bar hammer block safety; you can see it in the hammer channel when you cock the hammer slowly. It has the pre war cyl release thumb pad and pre war sharp shoulder Magnas with sharp cornered checkering borders. But it also has the barrel knob on the extractor rod instead of the mushroom knob. Most 1917s still have the mushroom up thru WWII even though all other models changed to the barrel knob by the end of 1929.

It also has the one line "MADE IN USA" on right front of frame which changed to the four line address in 1946.

So let us know about the safety.
So I'm guessing it's the Transitional Model.

Jim;

Did the N frames change to the four-line address prior to the K frames? The latter had those for a while after WW II.

 

[Hondo44]

Jim;

Did the N frames change to the four-line address prior to the K frames? The latter had those for a while after WW II.

Alan, I don't know for sure. I use 1946 as a rule of thumb. JP@AK would know; he's the M&P guru.

 

[Shrek Of The Arctic]

When any of us come up with a prize like that it's almost as much fun as finding one myself! Congrats!

You could have a very late pre war or a post war Transitional model. The clue is if it has the post war sliding bar hammer block safety; you can see it in the hammer channel when you cock the hammer slowly. It has the pre war cyl release thumb pad and pre war sharp shoulder Magnas with sharp cornered checkering borders.
It also has the one line "MADE IN USA" on right front of frame which changed to the four line address in 1946.

So let us know about the safety.
I'm guessing it's the Transitional Model even without the S prefix on the butt serial #. But that bright blue finish could be a pre war! After both WWI and WWII, the standard finish was satin blue for 10 years.

Thank you for the good info!

It has "Made in USA" on the side plate and has no safety. I even compared it to my other 1917 that was made in 1925ish to be sure I wasn't missing something. So....Pre-war...like the last of the last before transition, I'm thinkin'?

 

[Hondo44]

Yes! A late pre war! WHAT A FIND!! Those pre wars are hard to date by serial #. The Magnas didn't make their appearance till about 1935, so after that.

I would get a letter for that one. Or save the $100, join the S&W Collectors Association for a third of that and request a date for free from Roy Jinks on the member's side of the forum.