Model 1917

[RSinOR]

I have an early production model 1917, serial #5xxx. Barrel, cylinder & butt all have same serial number, no flaming bomb but has inspectors initials, smooth grips, Butt is marked US Army Model 1917, has butt swivel.

The underside of the barrel is not marked UNITED STATES PROPERTY. Top of the barrel has the correct patent date markings and the left side of the barrel is marked S&W D.A. 45

Is this an anomaly or were the early production barrels not stamped United States Property.

 

[Muley Gil]

Welcome to the Forum.

It is not uncommon for stampings, rollmarks, etc to be missed. Does your 1917 have the grips that are dished at the top and the hammer with concentric grooves on the sides?

Please post pictures!

 

[fccdfed]

My model 1917

Some pics of my 1917. Inherited it when my grandfather passed some 29 years ago. He never talked about his service and I never saw him shoot or handle this gun. I suspect he brought it home with him upon discharge. I did nothing with the gun until recently and had it check and inspected for safety. Upon firing I fell in love with this gun, very accurate, not much recoil compared to other .45's, only draw back is moon clip use.

This gun has number on butt of 120006 and matching number on cylinder. It also states on butt US Army model 1917. On the frame under the cylinder swing arm the number 89450. Also locate in several areas are eagle looking birds with numbers under them S24,S2, S21. This gun is marked "property of the United States" on the underside of the barrel and the exploding bomb mark is located near the hammer strike area. There are no markings or numbers under the grips. I am unable to determine if the grips are original or after market.Would welcome any info concerning this gun that someone might have. I intend on passing it down to my kids and grandkids if guns are still legal in the coming years.

Attached are several pics for your enjoyment and info

 

[Jack Flash]

... Upon firing I fell in love with this gun, very accurate, not much recoil compared to other .45's, only draw back is moon clip use.

This gun has number on butt of 120006 and matching number on cylinder. It also states on butt US Army model 1917. On the frame under the cylinder swing arm the number 89450. Also locate in several areas are eagle looking birds with numbers under them S24,S2, S21. This gun is marked "property of the United States" on the underside of the barrel and the exploding bomb mark is located near the hammer strike area. There are no markings or numbers under the grips. I am unable to determine if the grips are original or after market. ...

Hi FCCDFed and welcome to the Forum.


Strictly speaking, you are supposed to open a new thread to discuss another revolver. Otherwise it gets confusing and / or the original questions get lost in the shuffle.


A couple of points
S&W's term for the cylinder swing arm is "the yoke".
The exploding bomb is usually called "the flaming bomb".
Not trying to be a know-it-all, just thought you might be interested.


The eagle markings, S1, S2, etc. were applied by government inspectors back when it was made, which would have been about October, 1918, for serial number 120006.


"only draw back is moon clip use"
I like moon clips, but many don't. There are rimmed cartridges made specifically for M1917s, namely the .45 Auto Rim. The downside is they cost a lot more than .45 ACP and are harder to find. You can order some from MidwayUSA or probably Cabelas, but you have to watch for when they are in stock. Another solution is to just use .45 ACP. They will fire just fine but you may have to pluck or poke out the empties. Often you can just open the cylinder and point the barrel skyward and they fall out.


I am having trouble opening thumbnails so I can't really see your stocks well enough to say much.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Welcome to the forums from the Wiregrass! Nice inheritance! The stocks are correct for the military .45. Carefully remove them (don't pry. If they stick, wrap the knuckle of the backstrap with a wooden hammer handle until they loosen up) and look for the SN stamp inside the right panel. If they are original to the gun, the SN will match with the butt. It's hard to see clearly, but it appears your gun may have been refinished at some point from the flattened look of the rebound slide stud. Open the cylinder and look at the front of the ejector knob. If it is blue, the gun was refinished.

 

[Muley Gil]

Welcome to the Forum.

I believe that the serial number would have been written in pencil on the inside of the right grip. It may have disappeared over the years due to solvent, etc.

 

[RSinOR]

The grips are not dished at the top and there is a stamped 5 digit number on the right grip. Obviously not the same number as the revolver's serial number is only 4 digits.

The hammer does have the concentric circles on both sides.

 

[deyomatic]

With such a low serial number, is it possible that the Army replaced the barrel before sent back out for WWII?

Looks great.

I, personally, love moon clips. They make it a lot quicker to reload at the range when you are paying by the hour. I recently found that their ease of use varies depending on ammo brand. I believe I had a heck of a time getting the last round of Speer to clip in, but I never had a problem with any other brand I tried. I don't understand why some people don't care for them.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

It's not uncommon for grips to get switched.

Guy

 

[Jack Flash]

The grips are not dished at the top and there is a stamped 5 digit number on the right grip. Obviously not the same number as the revolver's serial number is only 4 digits.

The hammer does have the concentric circles on both sides.

So the stocks were replaced at some point. When or by whom would probably take a time machine to determine.


The barrel may have been replaced also, maybe it was sent back to S&W for that purpose. Recall that in WWI the small arms ammunition was corrosive. That plus battlefield conditions resulted in a lot of rusty bores. I believe that S&W would stamp the serial number on the new barrel when they replaced it, though others may correct me on this.

 

[fccdfed]

Thanks too all for the info, very interesting, and helpful. By the way really enjoy and appreciate the S&W Forum.