Need some info on 1917s

[Alpo]

http://www.qsl.net/ka1jbe/m1917.htm

I have a couple of problems with the info on this site, but I'm not knowledgable enough to know whether he or I am right.

My understanding is, after The War to End All Wars, the Army didn't buy any more. Since the military was downsized after the war, they had plenty of pistols to go around. So why would guns made after 1919 have the flaming bomb ordnance stamp on them? Even if they issued them in WW2, they didn't buy more, did they?

Second - did they call it the 1917 for its entire manufacturing run? I thought the "1917" was just the military issue one, and that the civilian ones made after the war were "DA45s". Kinda like the Army issue Colt auto was the "1911", while the commercial version was the "Government Model".

 

[Alpo]

http://www.qsl.net/ka1jbe/m1917.htm

I have a couple of problems with the info on this site, but I'm not knowledgable enough to know whether he or I am right.

My understanding is, after The War to End All Wars, the Army didn't buy any more. Since the military was downsized after the war, they had plenty of pistols to go around. So why would guns made after 1919 have the flaming bomb ordnance stamp on them? Even if they issued them in WW2, they didn't buy more, did they?

Second - did they call it the 1917 for its entire manufacturing run? I thought the "1917" was just the military issue one, and that the civilian ones made after the war were "DA45s". Kinda like the Army issue Colt auto was the "1911", while the commercial version was the "Government Model".

 

[panamajack310]

Hi, I will try to answer what I know on the 1917 but I will probably be corrected with the little knoledge I have so here goes nothing:

1.)My understanding is, after The War to End All Wars, the Army didn't buy any more.
ans: the Us military used 1911's and 1917's all the way thru the end of WWII and possibly into korea depending on your job and weapons needs.

2.)So why would guns made after 1919 have the flaming bomb ordnance stamp on them?

S&W produced thousands of the model 1917 most of them for military use the ordenance mark as placed on them for military purposes. some of the civilian models had the same mark because they were surplus frames left over by the military that ere never used so S&W used them.

3.) Even if they issued them in WW2, they didn't buy more, did they?

yes

4.)did they call it the 1917 for its entire manufacturing run? I thought the "1917" was just the military issue one, and that the civilian ones made after the war were "DA45s".

All the 1917's were stamped on the left side of the barrel "DA45" It as called the 1917 for the military as its designator and civilian model...It was later tweeked a little and called the .45 hand ejector of 1950 a.k.a the 1950 army then developed into the model 22...

If any of my info is wrong I appoligise......

 

[Jack Flash]

It's also noteworthy that both S&W and Colt made Model of 1917s, so S&W did not have any more right to that model designation than Colt did.

However, in the 1940 Shooter's Bible, the S&W commercial version is called "The 1917 Army" and "The 1917 Model" while for Colt the listing is merely for "The New Service", which among many other chamberings, ".45 Automatic" was available.

Just thought that might interest you.