M1917 revolver

Lore & Background

During World War I, U.S. civilian arms companies including Colt and Remington were producing M1911 pistols under contract, but a shortage of sidearms remained. The interim solution was to ask Colt and Smith & Wesson to adapt their heavy-frame civilian revolvers to the .45 ACP cartridge. Both companies' revolvers utilized half-moon clips, invented and patented by Joseph Wesson, who allowed Colt to use the design free of charge at the Army's request. The Smith & Wesson Model 1917 was an adaptation of the .44 Hand Ejector 2nd Model with a shortened cylinder and a lanyard ring. Its cylinder had a shoulder machined to allow rimless .45 ACP cartridges to headspace on the case mouth, so it could be used without half-moon clips, though empty cases had to be poked out manually. The Colt M1917 was essentially the same as the earlier M1909 but with a cylinder bored for .45 ACP and half-moon clips. Early Colt production required the clips for reliable firing; later production added headspacing machining. Firearms developer Elmer Keith considered the Colt model 'rough finished' and generally not as well made as the Smith & Wesson.

Reader's Guide

The M1917 revolver saw widespread use by American 'Doughboys' during World War I, with nearly two-thirds as many M1917s issued as M1911s. Its military service extended through World War II, the Korean War, and even the Vietnam War, where it was used by 'tunnel rats'. The British Army adopted it during World War I, and the Home Guard and Royal Navy used it during World War II. After the war, Naomi Alan developed the 6-round full-moon clip, but many civilian shooters disliked using moon clips due to the tedious loading and unloading and the risk of bent clips binding the cylinder. In 1920, Peters ammunition introduced the .45 Auto Rim, a rimmed version of the .45 ACP, allowing both versions to fire reliably without clips. In the late 1950s and 1960s, Colt and Smith & Wesson 1917s were available through mail-order companies at bargain prices. The M1917 also saw international service: in 1937, Brazil ordered 25,000 Smith & Wesson M1917s for its military, identified by a large Brazilian crest on the sideplate and sometimes called the M1937 or Modelo 1937. The revolver's long service life and adaptability made it a notable sidearm across multiple conflicts and decades.

Did You Know?

• The Smith & Wesson M1917 is a signature weapon for the character of Indiana Jones in the Indiana Jones film series.
• The half-moon clip was invented and patented by Joseph Wesson, who allowed Colt to use it free of charge.
• The .45 Auto Rim cartridge was introduced in 1920 by the Peters ammunition company.
• Brazil ordered 25,000 Smith & Wesson M1917s in 1937, known as the Modelo 1937.