New-to-me 1917/1937, opinions wanted
- Thread starter Jcon72
- Start date
tenntex32
Member
Judging by your pics in post #15 you have a commercial style Brazilian M1917, and I would expect that your example's barrel is not a leftover barrel from the original WWI U.S. M1917 contract run, but a newly manufactured barrel for the later commercial and Brazilian "commercial" style guns.
Later post WWII delivered Brazilian examples assembled using "found" U.S. M1917 contract parts most likely will not have the "SMITH&WESSON" marking on the right side of the barrel if built using the "found" original U.S. M1917 contract barrels...….as original U.S. M1917 revolver examples do not have the marking.
My Brazilian M1917/1937 example, delivered in 1938 was assembled using commercial model M1917 parts. (Not original U.S. contract M1917 parts from the WWI era.) It does have the "SMITH&WESSON" stamping on the right side of the barrel, same as yours...….and same as my slightly prior 1930's era true commercial model does.
As a sidenote, the correct grips for your example most likely would be the commercial checkered grips with silver medallions similar to the bottom revolver in the pics provided......which is a "commercial" Brazilian M1917/1937 example delivered in 1938/prior to WWII.
While hard to actually see in my crappy pics, the "SMITH&WESSON" marking is absent on the true U.S. contract M1917 example but present on the commercial style Brazilian m1917/1937. Maybe if you zoom in enough you can see the faint "SMITH&WESSON" marking on the Brazilian's barrel. Maybe....
I'll try to get better pics tomorrow.
HTH,
Dale
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Daniel Howe
US Veteran
Thank you and yes the "other" 209733 letters as a '46 shipment and yes it is a round top. No markings of any kind on the barrel but all others numbers matched.
tenntex32
Member
Thank you and yes the "other" 209733 letters as a '46 shipment and yes it is a round top. No markings of any kind on the barrel but all others numbers matched.
It is interesting that your factory letter states that your 1946 delivered example, utilizing an early true M1917 contract style frame, was delivered with commercial style checkered grips with medallions.
While one would expect that it would have the plain military style non-checkered non-medallioned style grips you can never say never with regards to S&W.
Time and time again I see that many folks assume the correct grips for their Brazilian M1917 is the plain grips such as those supplied on the U.S. M1917 contract examples. That is simply not true as I would "expect" that those assembled using commercial parts would have commercial checkered style grips...….and those assembled using "found" U.S. contract M1917 parts would have plain un-checkered military style grips.
Obviously, as proven here and with other factory letters I have seen this is not always 100% correct. I would be very interested to know the actual ratio of commercial style grips versus military style grips for the entire Brazilian M1917/1937 shipments for both pre-WWII and post-WWII deliveries...….just to see how it would compare to commercial style frame numbers versus true M1917 style frame numbers.
Dale
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tenntex32
Member
You are welcome...……….and "most likely" is the key phrase here with regards to the grips. As shown in later posts there can be instances where something that is expected is not truly the case and only a S&W factory letter will give you the most correct info with regards to the grips.
Dale
I was clearly trying to say too much with too few words!
Tenntex32 said it far better than I.
Also after the war, the Transitional model barrels are stamped like pre war com'l models "S.& W. D.A. 45" on left side and "SMITH & WESSON" right side, but no telling if they're all marked the same.
The new cartridge & model, "45 CAL. MODEL 1950" roll stamp switched to the right side of the barrel and SMITH & WESSON to the left side.
Jack Flash
Member
There is a replacement barrel. You can see it has a different profile than the ones in post 42. I believe the replacements were made by IMBEL.... No markings of any kind on the barrel but all others numbers matched.
Wasn't there some 1917 barrels stamped INA?
Ray
Member
Dale, thanks for your post and kind words regarding my 17/37.
Jack my daughter will be flattered by your words, she did the gun pictures with her camera.The pics of the box, far inferior, I did with my cell phone and lastly
Hondo, that is my box and now thanks to you I learned its proper name - post war transitional box.
I intended to ask for a S&W letter but the information forwarded to Daniel pretty much covers the issue, not the same shippment date, but probably the same John Block for shippment to Rio, Brazil.
Thanks again to all.
I haven´t fired it yet but intend to do it soon.
Regards, Ray
Jack my daughter will be flattered by your words, she did the gun pictures with her camera.The pics of the box, far inferior, I did with my cell phone and lastly
Hondo, that is my box and now thanks to you I learned its proper name - post war transitional box.
I intended to ask for a S&W letter but the information forwarded to Daniel pretty much covers the issue, not the same shippment date, but probably the same John Block for shippment to Rio, Brazil.
Thanks again to all.
I haven´t fired it yet but intend to do it soon.
Regards, Ray
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