M1917 Revolver: America's Forgotten Handgun
The classic American M1917 revolver was a much needed answer to a very evident problem: not enough standard issue .45acp 1911 pistols to go around. Smith & Wesson and Colt both produced these revolvers at the request of the US Government, and they served in at least some capacity until Vietnam. Today however, it seems like many people are unaware that even during the era of the 1911 in US military service, the Army was still buying revolvers.
Transcript …
(gun firing) – [Voiceover] Hey guys, it’s Alex C with TFB TV.
Today we’re taking a look at the American M1917 Revolver.
Today these are generally overlooked, but they are a very significant pieces of American Firearm History.
Basically, these were adopted by the US Army during World War One because the US could not produce enough semi-automatic 1911 Pistols.
Colt and Smith both produced M1917’s chambered in 45 ACP, and issued them with half moon clips.
The Smith version was based on the second model hand ejectors and had a shoulder machined in each cylinder to allow users to shoot 45 ACP without a moon clip, something that the Colt guns initially lacked.
While these saw service in the trenches of World War One and 300,000 were made, they stuck around through World War Two and even appeared in Vietnam, where certain situations, like extremely cramped conditions may have been problematic for self-loaders.
So let’s load up this classic American revolver, and see what it can do in my less than capable hands.
(gun firing) Here you can see that extracting the half moon clip is actually quite easy, you just press the ejector rod, and pull each of the half moon clips right out of there.
It’s also quite easy to load them, although to be honest I would prefer a full moon clip.
As stated, because of the shoulder machined into each cylinder on the Smith guns you can also single load without fear of the cartridge case slipping forward in the cylinder and the firing pin failing to ignite it, and you can see that pressing the ejector rod in this case does absolutely nothing.
(gun firing) It’s worth noting that the military at the time would have taught handgun shooters to shoot one handed, today we think of this as strange, awkward, and the wrong way of doing things, but really that didn’t change for a very long time.
Even in 1911 in training videos and manuals, you’ll see pictures of soldiers basically holding the pistol far away from their body, postured in a 19th Century shooting pose.
(gun firing) (gun firing) (gun firing) Notice that after pretty much each shot I’m re-adjusting my grip, because the gun really has quite a lot of muzzle flip, and the grip’s slick sides make it really want to go full 90 degrees on you each time you shoot it.
With two handed shooting, you notice this significantly less, and I do try that towards the end of the video, and it does improve quite substantially.
(gun firing) (gun firing) (gun firing) Here I tried shooting with two hands at about 50 or 60 meters, I don’t recall exactly how far away I was from the target, but I think I did pretty well, I was shooting at about an 18 inch gong on this one, and I landed a fair amount of the shots on target.
I’m pretty rusty with a revolver, but I enjoyed shooting this gun nonetheless for its historical value, and realistically, it’s a very well put together gun.
It’s something that you’d expect from pretty much any Smith and Wesson product from the 20th Century.
I’m not a seasoned revolver shooter but I would not really be able to perform any better with a brand new 686 than I would this one.
I hope you guys enjoy this video of a classic American revolver, big thanks to Ventura Munitions for supplying the ammunition, we hope to see you next time.
Alex is a Senior Writer for The Firearm Blog and Director of TFBTV.
More by Alex C.
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I own 2-17 Smith's, 1-17 colt and a pimped out Webley converted to take .45 auto moon clips. I use to have 2 of each. The smith has a better trigger....
Delightful handguns with a few discrepancies. The Colt revolvers were made on the "New Service" model. They are robust in terms of frame, cylinder and barrel; but fragile in terms of interior lockwork. And the double action function is disgusting. The nicest description of the DA pull is "The gun will go off, eventually".
The S&W versions were based on the 2nd Model Hand Ejector as Brother Alex said. The trigger pull in DA is heavy, but reasonably even - smooth - from beginning to end.
The 'service' stocks; those little tiny devils that barely cover the mainspring void (between the front and back grip straps) are simply hideous. No wonder Brother Alex had to keep adjusting his grip, those stocks are seriously deficient.
Finally Smith & Wesson figure out the idea of 'magna' stocks about 1935 to 1936; the still skinny grips leaving the knuckle of the middle finger exposed to being bashed by the trigger guard, but giving a bit more shoulder at the top to interact with the web of the hand. The 'Target' grips came in later (1950 for K and 1952 for N frames) and did a better job still; but not as good as aftermarket makers like Walter Roper and Steve Herrett and others. Oddly, S&W did market a grip adapter type device in the early 1930s.
Of course, none of those discoveries in stock technology affected the M1917 revolvers in Armed Forces custody. More's the pity.
I have one 1917 left in my custody; it is a S&W, of course, and has been bobbed and shortened to serve as a short barreled defense revolver. I had another one for a bit; shortened to four inches (crowned, re-sighted and so forth) which left my possession in trade for a M1917 rifle which is now a .35 Whelen.
I also have two S&W 1955 Target Revolvers, in .45 ACP (the great-grandson of the M1917). One is the original six inch and the second one was cut back to four inches with proper crowning and re-sighting. They are much more fun to shoot as they are modern type revolver.
One handed shooting is very popular in the combat game world. Having been a uniformed lawman for some twenty-eight years, I can attest one doesn't always have both hands for shooting. The ability to use a handgun one-handed is marvelous advantage in the real world. If one is a horseman - I'm not - it is required.
Schnee; that is a dandy and sexy revolver there. You have raised my levels of lust and covetousness. The quiet maker, perhaps a bit difficult to holster, is probably handy at times.