I bought a S&W Model 1917 .45ACP revolver

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Doug Bowser

New member
I bought a S&W 1917 revolver today for $150.00. There is no rifling in the barrel. I wonder if anyone knows where I can get a replacement barrel for it? The action is smooth and the chambers are sharp and clean. The exterior of the revolver has turned to a dark brown patina, it has original grips and laynard ring. I think the olde girl is worth restoring with a new barrel. I would prefer an original barrel but a repro might have to do.

Doug Bowser

Lover of olde Smith & Wesson revolvers
 
Just a crazy thought here... but before you pull the bbl, soak the thing in Kroil for a day and scrub the daylights out of it. I bought a 1917 on the cheap and suspected it was nearly a smoothbore. However, upon much cleaning I found that it was leaded enough to make it look like that. I actually had about a 1 1/4" strip of lead come loose that matched the groove- twist and all. Polished lead from shooting and cleaning can be deceptive.
 
I'd take 10-96's advice first. It's unlikely that the bore has been worn smooth, unless someone deliberately removed the rifling. If the rifling is too shallow, you might look into a barrel liner.
 
Good advice on cleaning the barrel first. I've seen more than one 45acp that looked like a smoothbore but was actually just in need a proper cleaning. I think you would be surprised how many people they are out there that run a patch down the barrel once a year and think they have a cleaned gun.
 
I bought a S&W 1917 revolver today for $150.00.
Click to expand...
:D Braggert. ;)

Wheres the "Photos or it didn't happen" smilie? Clean the barrel well as noted and "Get The Lead Out" (hence the old adage). Then a photo or three maybe?

A buckfitty? Really? Wow. Just... wow. How's the rest of the wear and tear on the old warhorse? Hopin' my old 1937 Brazilian is worth at least $125 then... :D
 
Hopefully the barrel is just leaded up as suggested above.

A smothbore handgun is illegal at the federal level, so give it a good scrubbing to find out.
 
No, it is not leaded. When I first looked in the barrel I saw rifling. When I ran the bronze brush into it, the remants of the rifling sloughed off and a nearly smooth bore was the result.

I will either rebarrel or have it relined. The even brown gray patina is attractive to me and the action, crane and endshake of the cylinder could not be better. I don't believe the revolver was fired very much. It looks like they fired it with corrosive ammo and put it in a drawer wrapped up in a dry rag for about 50 years.

Doug
 
"When I ran the bronze brush into it, the remants of the rifling sloughed off and a nearly smooth bore was the result."

What? :confused:

What is the overall condition of the bore?

Is it smooth, or does it look like the inside of a rotted out sewer pipe?
 
It is rusted nearly smooth. I think I will either replace he b arrel or reline it. The chambers re shiney and clean. The action is slick, the timing good and the cylinder has very little end shake. It obviously was not fired very much but the last time it was fired, the ammo was probably corrosive.

Doug
 
Doug there is something wrong here. Having owned guns with very corroded bores I have never seen one where the rust had made the bore smooth. And to have a corroded bore and the cylinders smooth is almost impossible. The very end of the cylinder should be just as bad as the bore.
I picked up a Colt Official police 38 special several weeks ago that at first looked like the barrel was junk. It had been last fired in the late 60’s and never cleaned. You could hardly see the rifling. But once cleaned it was in perfect condition.
Please don’t think that I’m doubting your words but there is something wrong here and before I would do anything I would first measure the cylinder bore and barrel and have a good gunsmith look at it.
 
I would say that since you already tried a patch with cleaner. Try some J&B Bore Brite on a patch stuck to a brush. Chuck a rifle rod in a drill, and carefuly run it down the barrel for a couple of passes. Then run a rew wet patches, then chuck a bore mop on the rifle rod with a touch of oil, run it through a couple of passes. Then repeat with some solovent, and patches. The results may surprise you. If it does not work, then you can have someone rerifle the barrel, and ream the chambers if needed.
 
"Having owned guns with very corroded bores I have never seen one where the rust had made the bore smooth."

My thoughts exactly, Ozzie, and what I was trying to get at in my posts.
 
I believe the revolver was fired with corrosive ammunition and stored badly for 50-60 years. As I said I could see remnants of oxidized rifling in the bore and when I pushed a bronze brush through the bore a white powdery sunstance was pushed through the breech end.

I will check the cylinder throats for size and reline or rebarrel the revolver soon.

Doug
 
White powdery does not indicate oxidized iron or steel.

What it can indicate, though, is oxidized lead.

If the barrel were that badly rusted, you'd get a rainbow of reds, browns, and oranges coming out in the form of rust flakes.
 
White powdery does not indicate oxidized iron or steel.

That’s exactly what the Colt that I purchased looked like. Large portion of the barrel, toward the cylinder was covered in white. Didn’t realize that lead will oxidize that much. I knew that it could get a white powdery surface.
Mike, can a heavy coating of lead protect a barrel over time?
As bad as the colt looked I’m still shocked how good the bore ended up after cleaning.
 
That would have been white lead mixed with an oil carrier/binder into a paint. That's a very different scenario from what's being described here.
 
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