U.S. Marked Smith & Wesson S&W Model 1917 .45 ACP Hand Ejector Revolver C&R

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Sold for $1942.00

Make: Smith & Wesson

Model: .45 Hand Ejector U.S. Army Model 1917

Serial Number: 30633

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 left side of the frame is marked “GHS” at the top corner behind the cylinder. The butt is marked “U.S. / ARMY / MODEL / 1917” and “No / 30 / 633”. 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 bottom of the barrel is marked “”UNITED STATES PROPERTY””. The barrel flat, yoke cut, rear face of the cylinder, and front face of the ejector star are all marked “S”.

Barrel Length: 5 1/2″

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 “U” notch in the end of a groove in the top of the frame.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece smooth walnut. There are some light compressions and draglines, the most noticeable are on the right panel down towards the bottom. There are some scattered light handling marks. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in about Fine Plus condition.

Type of Finish: Blued

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright. The rifling is shallow but has well-defined edges. There are some freckles of faint surface erosion.

Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 95% of its metal finish. There is finish wear on the edges, most noticeable at the muzzle. There are some scattered little marks through the finish and draglines. There is some light thinning on the grip frame and some surface frost, mostly on the backstrap. There are some scattered light handling marks. There are a few little spots of oxidation on the sideplate. The screwheads show light use. Overall, this revolver is in about Fine condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The double-action trigger pull is smooth, single-action is crisp. The cylinder lockup has almost zero play and is SOLID. 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: Included is a plain Smith & Wesson two-piece box with a matching serial number and a Smith & Wesson letter.

Our Assessment: This is a Smith & Wesson .45 Hand Ejector Model of 1917 that S&W made 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 revolver is properly marked with U.S. markings and has its original finish. This one is an early model with the GHS inspection mark and no numbered eagles. This one was sent to Springfield Armory as stated in the S&W letter and still looks sharp. This is a handsome revolver and given its nice looks collectors of WWI revolvers as used by the U.S. will likely show interest.