Colt 1917

C

CLC

New member
Did some wheeling and dealing for a colt 1917. It pairs great with my S&W victory model. Boy do they make a handsom pair!
 
Oh I wish I could figure out how. Both are in the original caliber, with original grips and both have lanyard rings. The smith has the V prefix and ordinance stamps. Both have smooth actions but the Smith is smoother IMO. I'm surprised the Colt doesn't have the pony or any ordinance stamps but it does have "United States property" stamps. I'm still trying to figure out the year but I'm thinking the Colt is1901 and I'm thinking the Smith is post 1945.

Btw, I traded a Egyptian Hakim for the Colt.
 
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The Colt Model 1917, is a variation of the New Service, made for the M1911 pistol cartridge. They were made from about April 1917 to about December 1918, to the tune of some 151,000 pieces. All those guns have two serial numbers - the Colt New Service number on and underneath the crane, and the Army serial number on the butt. The New Service serial will run from about 150000 to about 301700. The Army serial will run from 1 to 151700.

Note that there are discrepancies in the numbering, plus some guns assembled in the 1930's with the old serial numbers.

The S&W "partner" for the .45 ACP Colt Model 1917 is the .45 ACP S&W Model 1917; both were originally made in the WWI time frame, though many served through WWII. The S&W .38 often called the "Victory Model" is of WWII vintage. It is a standard Military & Police Model originally in .38 Special, though the guns made for the Allies were made in .38 S&W, while guns for the U.S. were made in .38 Special. Serial numbers ran from about 700000 at the first contracts (guns prior to that had been mostly sold to the police and civilian market) to 999999, then went from V1 to about V769000. Technically, only the guns with "V" numbers are considered "Victory Models".

Jim

Edited to add: The Colt and S&W Models of 1917 can handle any reasonable .45 ACP load; some consider the Colt to be stronger, but both are more than strong enough to normal use. The S&W M&P is plenty strong enough for standard .38 Special or .38 S&W loads. But modern "hot" .38 Special should not be used in guns older than about 1960.

Jim
 
Hmm, I'll have to double check but I believe mine is in the 159*** range. Can these handle the modern .45 acp loadings?
 
Nice, I can't wait to shoot mine. I hope the recoil isn't bad haha. This is my first larger caliber revolver.
 
CLC - I haven't shot one of the Colts, but I wouldn't expect the recoil to be bad. 45acp is not a high-pressure round and that looks like a big heavy revolver. I shoot 45acp out of my Blackhawk frequently, and the recoil is moderate.
 
The recoil isn't a big deal at all.

Jeff- please tell me your 1917 has been refinished! It looks really nice!
 
I had a New Service in 45 Colt but I couldn't handle it very well because it was so big and the reach to the trigger was so long I couldn't shoot it properly. Guess I need longer fingers.
 
How do you unload spent shell casings from full moon clips? I had a heck of a time getting them unloaded at the range today.
 
I'm having a hard time envisioning how that tool works? I didn't want to destroy my only moon clip so I didn't get to shoot much.
 
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