Today I looked at a Model 1917 in the 83xx range, it just came out of an estate and appears untouched and all original. Condition is in the high 90% range and all matching. It has the early dished top grips, but does not have the grooved hammer. I had always thought that the cut off was around the 12-15000 range for the hammers. This thing looks right as rain except for the hammer. Comments welcome.
1917 Hammer Question
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Today I looked at a Model 1917 in the 83xx range, it just came out of an estate and appears untouched and all original. Condition is in the high 90% range and all matching. It has the early dished top grips, but does not have the grooved hammer. I had always thought that the cut off was around the 12-15000 range for the hammers. This thing looks right as rain except for the hammer. Comments welcome.
The Virginian
Member
The hammer may have been replaced by an armorer at some point in its career. It may have been a matter of the firing pin breaking and it was faster at the time to just put in a new hammer assembly and get it back into service.
G
Guest
Gary;
I think it could be said that nothing at Smith & Wesson is written in "Stone" more like maybe "wet cement" that finally hardened and became the Records. Serial Numbers weren't shipped in Numerical Sequence, engineering and design changes were incorporated as the old parts were used up and things like Dash Numbers were added in something less that an exacting manner; sometimes. The Factory was in the business of building guns; not keeping meticulous Records for us Collectors; especially during times like when the 1917s were in production.
Also, since these 1917s were built as "piece work" not every employee has access to the "Latest and Greatest" parts and simply used up those he had in stock at the time of the building. I understand that these "piece workers" were simply issued a fairly large number of parts and would be re-supplied when they ran 'low' not just when they ran 'out' completely. Thus, they might have parts that were several years old but were still brand new! New Old Stock.
I was in the Depot in Panama while I was in the Army and was assigned to a work bench that included 'parts bins' for many different firearms. Basically, everything that was still in the "Inventory" or 'might' still be around. Those 'bins' included some original 1911(not A1) parts, Geasegun parts and old vintage "N" Frame parts. Of course, many of these parts bins were covered with years of dust because nobody had gotten into them for years, but it just wasn't the Army Way to spend time sorting out and tossing parts that might "someday" be needed.
MAK
I think it could be said that nothing at Smith & Wesson is written in "Stone" more like maybe "wet cement" that finally hardened and became the Records. Serial Numbers weren't shipped in Numerical Sequence, engineering and design changes were incorporated as the old parts were used up and things like Dash Numbers were added in something less that an exacting manner; sometimes. The Factory was in the business of building guns; not keeping meticulous Records for us Collectors; especially during times like when the 1917s were in production.
Also, since these 1917s were built as "piece work" not every employee has access to the "Latest and Greatest" parts and simply used up those he had in stock at the time of the building. I understand that these "piece workers" were simply issued a fairly large number of parts and would be re-supplied when they ran 'low' not just when they ran 'out' completely. Thus, they might have parts that were several years old but were still brand new! New Old Stock.
I was in the Depot in Panama while I was in the Army and was assigned to a work bench that included 'parts bins' for many different firearms. Basically, everything that was still in the "Inventory" or 'might' still be around. Those 'bins' included some original 1911(not A1) parts, Geasegun parts and old vintage "N" Frame parts. Of course, many of these parts bins were covered with years of dust because nobody had gotten into them for years, but it just wasn't the Army Way to spend time sorting out and tossing parts that might "someday" be needed.
MAK
