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HISTORY
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The "United States
Revolver, Caliber .45, M1917" was
produced to fill a gap in the
availability of the
M1911 .45
automatic pistol,
then the standard U.S. Army pistol. Colt
and Remington were producing the M1911
at capacity, along with many other
military arms, when the need for more
pistols for World War I became urgent.
Production of the M1911 could not meet
all requirements, so orders were placed
with both Colt and Smith & Wesson for a
heavy frame revolver that would be
compatible with the
.45 ACP cartridge
used by the M1911 automatic.
The revolvers chosen by the U.S. Army
were the Colt New Service and the S&W
Hand Ejector pistols, both being
produced at the time for the British
.455 Webley cartridge, to be modified
for the .45 ACP. Designated the "United
States Revolver, Caliber .45, M1917" for
both weapons, Colt and S&W each
delivered over 150,000 pistols to the
U.S. Government.
The M1917 pistols were standard
issue for all U.S. forces during World
War I and up until World War II. The
vastly greater number of troops and
increased production of the M1911A1
automatic relegated the revolver to use
by Military Police and security
personnel during the war. They were
phased out afterward, replaced by the
M1911A1 in most roles.
The Smith & Wesson Model 1917 was
adapted from the Second Model .44 Hand
Ejector, chambered and re-barreled for
.45 ACP and with the cylinder slightly
shortened to allow for the half-moon
clips. A shoulder was machined into the
cylinder to allow cartridges to be
easily removed without the half-moon
clips, a distinguishing feature vs. the
Colt New Service based M1917.
The butt end has a lanyard ring
in the center and the pistols were
marked there with "US Army Model 1917-
No. xxxx". "United States Property" is
stamped on the bottom of the barrel or
top of receiver.
The revolvers were originally
blued, with plain walnut grips. Many
M1917 revolvers were rebuilt during and
after World War II. These may have a
parkerized finish that was applied
during arsenal rebuild or under a
refurbish contract with the
manufacturer.
The Field Manual is FM 23-35, Pistols
and Revolvers. |
