In House Shipping:
Make: Smith & Wesson
Model: US Army Model 1917 .45 ACP Hand Ejector
Serial Number: 105838
Year of Manufacture: ca. late 1918
Caliber: .45 ACP
Action Type: Double / Single Action, Swing-Out Fluted Cylinder Revolver
Markings: The left side of the barrel is marked “S&W D.A. 45”, and the the top is marked “SMITH & WESSON SPRINGFIELD MASS. U.S.A. / PATENTED DEC. 17. 1901. FEB. 6. 1906. SEP. 14. 1909”. The upper left side of the frame in front of the hammer is marked with the “flaming bomb” acceptance stamp of the US Ordnance Department. The butt is marked “U.S. / ARMY / MODEL / 1917” and with the serial number “NO /105 / 838”. The rear face of the cylinder, barrel flat, rear face of the yoke, and the underside of the ejector star are marked with the matching serial number “105838”. The inside of the crane cut has the assembly number “73072” and an “eagle head” over “S2” inspection mark, and the crane itself has the same assembly number “73072”. The left side trigger guard bow has an “eagle head” over “S6”, the barrel flat has another “eagle head” over “S2”, and the rear face of the cylinder is marked with an “eagle head” over “S24”. The bottom of the barrel is marked “UNITED STATES PROPERTY”. The bottom left corner of the side plate is marked “M”.
Barrel Length: 5 1/2″
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a half-round blade on a tall raised base, all integral and fixed to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a “U”-notch in the end of a groove in the top of the frame.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece smooth brown walnut Service stocks. The inner bottom corner of both panels are missing a chip. There is some nicking, scratching, and darkening to both grips. There is some wear, light handling marks, and faint draglines. There are no cracks. There is a lanyard swivel on the bottom of the grip frame. The bottom edge of the right grip panel is stamped “8 F.A.”, denoting this revolver was issued to the US Army’s 8th Field Artillery Regiment, formed in 1916 and deployed overseas to France as part of the 7th Infantry Division in 1918. Overall, the grips are in about Good Condition.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Original, though some areas have been touched up with cold blue.
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion. There is some stubborn fouling speckled throughout. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates at 9/10.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 87% of its metal finish. There are some scattered areas of light oxidation, some scratches, dings, and scuffs that have thinned the finish, and some finish loss on the edges. The most noticeable oxidation is on the cylinder and grip frame. The most noticeable finish loss is on the front edges of the barrel and front edges of the frame. There is a ding in the front sight blade. The most noticeable thinning is on the cylinder. There is a turn line through the finish on the cylinder. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly worn. The markings are clear. Overall, this revolver is in about Very Good Plus Condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The cylinder lockup is good on all chambers, though some are solid while others have light play. The double-action trigger pull is smooth, the single-action is crisp. We did not fire this handgun. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with a red cardboard box.
Our Assessment: When the United States entered the Great War in April 1917, the US Army lacked sufficient numbers of Colt Model 1911 semi-auto pistols to equip the “doughboys” and Marines shipping out for the trenches “over there”. Colt had been producing the large frame New Service revolver for many years at that point, and Smith & Wesson was producing a large frame revolver for the British, so the US Army contracted with both to produce the M-1917 revolver chambered in .45 ACP. The M-1917 utilized the “half moon clip” invented by D.B. Wesson and patented in 1916, which enabled the rimless .45 ACP round to be easily loaded and extracted. Most of these M-1917 revolvers were issued to sentries, guards, and artillerymen.
This US Army WW1 Smith & Wesson M-1917 .45 ACP Revolver was made in late 1918 and is in Very Good Plus Condition. It features a 5.5” barrel, 87% of its original blued finish (though some areas have been touched up with cold blue), classic two-piece smooth brown walnut grips, proper martial markings, and a bright bore with sharp rifling and no erosion (there is some stubborn fouling speckled throughout). The bottom edge of the right grip panel is stamped “8 F.A.”, denoting this revolver was issued to the US Army’s 8th Field Artillery Regiment, formed in 1916 and deployed overseas to France as part of the 7th Infantry Division in 1918. This would make a fine addition to a US military small arms collection.