Smith & Wesson M1917 Conversion-Mountain Gun

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CundeyCustomGunworksLLC

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I recently snagged this interesting gun for a to-good-to-be-true price. It started off its life as a WW1 era 45 ACP US Army Model 1917 with "US Property" stamps and all. At some point in its life, someone spent a fortune turning it into a 45LC mountain gun. The barrel was cut and crowned to 4". It was drilled and tapped for a target ramp. The frame, milled, drilled and tapped for a modern Smith & Wesson adjustable rear site. The chamber mouths were machined down to headspace 45Long Colt. And the whole thing down to the sideplate screws have been nickel plated. It has a brushed nickel finish. In the spirit of a mountain gun, I put some Houge rubber monogrips on it. I cannot wait to shoot this thing!
 

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Nice!
That is a very interesting & well done conversion. No doubt it will be a shooter. Enjoy.
I like everything about it, all the way down to the Houge's.
Welcome to the forum.
 
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I'd be interested to know how the cylinder was "machined down to headspace 45 Long Colt".

The original headspacing would've been a couple thousandths over 0.090" to account for the use of half-moon clips. The 45 Long Colt headspacing, like most domestic rimmed revolver cartridges, is usually 0.060".

My first guess was that your revolver was a .455 Second Model Hand Ejector. But, you say yours is "US property" marked.
Was the cylinder breech perhaps shimmed 0.030"?

Very interesting!
I hope you can post some more info and photos!
And, WELCOME to the S&W forum!
 
The cuts in the cylinder (to lock it in place when firing, I forget the term) are close enough to the back of the cylinder I believe the cylinder was originally for a 45 ACP.

Nice revolver. If it were mine, I would need to convert it back to ACP and return the lanyard stud and loop, but that is just me.

Kevin
 
I just put a M-57 and M-17 cylinder side by side and the cuts for the bolt were the same. The M-17 cylinder was cut for a wider headspace for moon clips but the notched were in the same place.
SWCA 892
 
Very cool and unique find!

I regularly carried a 625 Mountain Gun concealed for a bit over five years. It wasn't nearly as heard as I was constantly told it should be...

I now have a 1917 with a 3.5" bbl. And adjustable sights I'm tempted to start carrying on the regular. Gotta love a 106 year old gun that can still step up to the occasion!
 
austintexas said:
I just put a M-57 and M-17 cylinder side by side and the cuts for the bolt were the same. The M-17 cylinder was cut for a wider headspace for moon clips but the notched were in the same place.
SWCA 892
Click to expand...

By M-57, do you mean Model 57. If so, the M-17?

But, I think I understand what you are saying. I only have two N frames that are not 45 ACP, neither of which are handy to compare.

Kevin
 
Very interesting conversion. If you don't mind for the sake of hose who share similar interests for such a project gun. Can you show some additional photos of the muzzle crowning, top of the front ramp sight and last the milling for the rear sight please?
After looking at the cylinder carefully it appears the cylinder may be a modern cylinder reamed to fit. The forward bevel on the cylinder just doesn't seem to be the same as a pre-war cylinder.
But that could be my eyes, just did an Optometrist visit and my eyes are still somewhat dilated.
 
Shrek Of The Arctic said:
Very cool and unique find!

I regularly carried a 625 Mountain Gun concealed for a bit over five years. It wasn't nearly as heard as I was constantly told it should be...

I now have a 1917 with a 3.5" bbl. And adjustable sights I'm tempted to start carrying on the regular. Gotta love a 106 year old gun that can still step up to the occasion!
Click to expand...

Me Too...

 
OK, a bunch of us old farts are remembering the old days when 1917s were common and cheap, and this kind of work was actually encouraged in some circles. I can hear the younger purists of today moaning, clutching their pearls, and getting their panties all up a wad!
Regardless, I like it a lot!. The builder used a quality donor gun, apparently in very nice shape to start, and got a custom revolver those of us with more (ahem) mature tastes can really appreciate.
The (Senior) Green Frog
 
Like the Emerald Amphibian, I too, am an elder of the tribe. Here is one of many that I owned or built in the last 5 decades.

strawhat-albums-strawhat-ii-picture25271-ab042a8a-1404-4bb8-ad85-27aee8c43308.jpeg


Maybe not as refined as the OP's revolver but it suited my needs at the time.

It has seen quite a bit of holster time.

Kevin
 
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IF the original 45acp cylinder was reamed deeper so that 45 colt rounds head spaces by the case mouth you should still be able to load 45acps in full or 1/2 moons and fire them as the rear clearance from cylinder to recoil shield would remain the same. I personally do not like this conversion because while it works most 45 colt loads have a roll crimp and head space would be very iffy.

N frame 357 or 44 special cylinder can be reamed to 45 colt and fit in a 1917 frame using a standard length acp barrel shank.

I do have a few 1917 45 colt conversions
I used a cut down 1950 barrel and reamed 357 cylinder when I first made this one, but changed the cylinder to one made by reaming a 44 mag cylinder before I stuck it in my blue tank
8J8j4JZ.jpg
 
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T44spl said:
Very interesting conversion. If you don't mind for the sake of hose who share similar interests for such a project gun. Can you show some additional photos of the muzzle crowning, top of the front ramp sight and last the milling for the rear sight please?
After looking at the cylinder carefully it appears the cylinder may be a modern cylinder reamed to fit. The forward bevel on the cylinder just doesn't seem to be the same as a pre-war cylinder.
But that could be my eyes, just did an Optometrist visit and my eyes are still somewhat dilated.
Click to expand...

Posted up top now brother.
I am going to need someone to teach me how to post more than 5 pictures. Or have the pictures in the post and not thumbnails. 32yr old asking for the old men how to work Smith and Wesson forum. Oh how the tables have turned on me hahaha
 
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When reaming a 45 ACP Cylinder for 45 Colt you use a reamer that cuts a shoulder for beveled crimp instead of a square shoulder and ream the shoulder deeper into the chambers but .040" short of the case rim touching the cylinder face for proper headspace for the Colt case rim and reliable ignition. That's why it will still shoot ACP but only with moon clips. Yes it can still shoot 45 Auto Rim as well.
 
Whoever did the work seems to have known what they were doing. It's these threads about converted 1917s that make me want to customize my 1937 Brazilian into a 3" snub.
 
Borderboss said:
Whoever did the work seems to have known what they were doing. It's these threads about converted 1917s that make me want to customize my 1937 Brazilian into a 3" snub.
Click to expand...

A Brazilian into a custom 3" ?

I milled this one for adjustable sight, installed a 1950 barrel cut to just over 3", cut down and round butted the grip frame. Runs a 44 mag cylinder I reamed to 45 colt and then recessed to fire 45ACP in full moons

HbDLuyu.jpg
 
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Wiregrassguy said:
Well, not a Brazilian and not as well engineered as Steelslaver's, this 1917 was turned into a snub before I got it.


wiregrassguy-albums-large-frame-revolvers-2-a-picture17020-1917right-elkhorn.jpg
Click to expand...

That is debatable. Some advantages to having fixed sights on such a gun, Plus, having such a modified grip frame means the only way I could have stags is to make them myself. They should have left another 1/"4 so the lug on yours would work. I like the big knob ejectors and when I went to the 44 mag cylinder I machined one and silver soldered it to the end of the new left hand thread rod. Running a barrel shroud also meant machining the spot for the big knob which I had done when i first made it with the original acp cylinder.

I love old time guns that were modded to fit a users needs. People forget that at one time many of these were very common and cheap. If none of them were ever modded, the nice originals would be a lot more common and not as valuable or collectable as they are now
 
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