In House Shipping:
Make: Smith & Wesson
Model: .45 Hand Ejector U.S. Army Model 1917
Serial Number: 0284
Year of Manufacture: 1917-1918, C&R
Caliber: .45 ACP or .45 Autorim
Action Type: Double / Single Action, Swing-Out Fluted Cylinder Revolver
Markings: The left side of the barrel is marked “S&W D.A. 45”, the top is marked “SMITH & WESSON SPRINGFIELD MASS. U.S.A. / PATENTED DEC. 17. 1901. FEB. 6. 1906. SEP. 14. 1909”. The butt is marked “0284”. The rear face of the cylinder, barrel flat, rear face of the yoke, and the underside of the ejector star are marked with the serial number. The yoke, yoke cut and sides of the grip frame have inspection marks. The interior of the right grip is marked “0284” in pencil. Because it's a special "0" serial number "Club Gun", there are correctly no military markings anywhere, and no commercial Smith & Wesson markings except on the barrel.
Barrel Length: 6”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a half-round blade integral to a rectangular base fixed to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a “U” notch at the end of a groove at the top of the frame.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece smooth walnut. There are no notable compressions. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in about excellent condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion. In this writer’s opinion the bore rates at 9.5/10.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 99% of its metal finish. The blue is strong the markings are complete. The grips are excellent the action shows minimal wear. The grip frame has some oxidation and a light patina on the butt. There are two marks behind the cylinder release. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this revolver is in about excellent condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The double-action trigger pull is smooth, single-action is crisp. The cylinder lockup is good on all chambers. We did not fire this handgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: The revolver comes with two full-moon clips, a factory letter, and a myriad of paperwork from the family of the officer who carried it in WW1.
Our Assessment: This is a Smith & Wesson .45 Hand Ejector Model of 1917 like those made by S&W for the U.S. Army during WWI. The Army wanted more 1911 pistols than Colt could make so they contracted with both Colt and S&W to produce the Model 1917 revolver in .45 ACP so that both pistols and revolvers would use the same ammunition. The cylinders were designed to hold the cartridges in half-moon clips for ease of loading and extraction. The chambers were stepped so that individual cartridges could be loaded and fired when there wasn’t time to load the clips, but then the empty cartridges had to be removed manually. This is a "Club Gun" (confirmed with the serial number starting with the number zero).. Collectors of WWI revolvers as used by the U.S. may show an interest, but this revolver would make a smart acquisition for any collection.