Hello, I'm new to this forum site. Well I just bought my first S&W and it is a M1917. I don't know nothing about this gun. I figured the price was right at $350, hope that isn't to much. My first question is on the grips. Should these be the smooth style? The grips on it look to be a later type with checkering and the S&W logo. The second is, should there be as laynard ring on the butt of the handle? Not sure if the later ones had them removed. And the final is, is this gun safe to use modern ammo. The serial number 72xxx.
Thanks.

Welcome to the forum. $350 is a good price for a 1917, even if the finish is a little rough and the gun is not completely original. Can you post photos?

I assume you are taking the serial number from the butt of the gun, and not the part of the frame you can see when the cylinder is swung open.

Does your gun have a small S&W logo on the left side below the cylinder release? There are commercial 1917s that had checkered stocks and may not have had a lanyard ring. But they would not say UNITED STATES PROPERTY under the barrel or have an army designation on the butt.

You can shoot modern .45 ammo, but avoid +P loads. I shoot standard jacketed ball ammo in 1917s, but I don't shoot it a lot. If I were going to pump thousands of rounds through a gun, I would use lead bullets as they are less wearing on the rifling.

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David Wilson

Thanks for the quick response David. Yes I took the number off the butt of the gun. No there is no S&W logo on the left side. It does have a faint flaming bomb at the top behind the cylinder and a bird with and si behind the trigger on the guard. It does have the UNITED STATES PROPERTY under the barrel and the army designation on the butt. Thanks for the information on the ammo. I know some of the older guns don't handle more modern powders. I'll try and post some pics.
Thanks Lee

The pics are not that good. There is some holster wear to the bluing on the barrel. Some rust pitting around the top of the hammer area and some near the grips on the frame.

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Welcome to the Forum!

You have made a very fine purchase considering what you paid.

As you surmised, those grips ("stocks" as S&W calls them) are from a later era. However, they are valuable in their own right so don't let them go cheaply. I do not keep up with prices for stocks, but I would bet those would sell for $100 or close to it. Of course, replacing them with "correct" stocks would not be cheap unless you buy reproductions.

It should have the lanyard ring ("butt swivel"). Look at the bottom of the butt frame and you should see a hole where this device used to be, unless someone plugged it, which should also be pretty obvious.

All in all, a very good buy.

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You're shy a few manners.

You should be able to sell/trade the "diamond Magna" stocks it has for a set of proper smooth walnut service stocks.

The eagle/S1 is a government inspector's stamp from when it was produced during WW I.

Finally, these guns all had heat-treated cylinders, so (if mechanically sound) should be fine with standard-pressure modern ammo. The ones I've shot tended to prefer plain 230 gr FMJ. Enjoy!

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Welcome to the Forum. Your S&W M1917 was delivered to the Government during the week of June 22, 1918 or June 29, 1918, depending on what the unlisted serial number digits are. These dates were calculated from a 1919 War Department report that listed number of M1917's delivered per week.

Buck

Hey thanks guys for your information. Like I said I kind of went in blind buying this gun. I'm happy that it was a good deal. I'll be looking for the parts I need to put the gun back as original as possible.
Thanks again Lee

That was a smoking deal you got!! Also welcome to the forum.

Very nice. I would have jumped on it for that price..

I'm new here myself and find it a great site. You are going to learn a lot here.

Thanks guys. The pistol looks like all the numbers match also. The barrel, cylinder, ejector star all match the serial# on the butt of the gun. The barrel has 1656 number and when the cylinder is swung down that number is on the frame, cylinder perch (I guess thats what you call it), and on the cylinder under the ejector star.

"...cylinder perch (I guess thats what you call it)"

That part is the yoke.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

The numbers 1656 on the various parts were stamped on the major parts of your revolver when it went in for an arsenal rebuild. They should also be on the hammer and trigger only visible when the sideplate is removed. Springfield Arsenal required that all arsenals mark the major parts during a rebuild so that the original parts could be put back together.

Still a good deal on your part.

By the way, on a S&W, your "perch" is called a yoke. On a Colt, it's called a crane. Ford vs. Chevy.

Buck