Description
When the Americans formally entered World War 1 in 1917, they lacked much in the way of viable fighting equipment having had an isolationist perspective & this included stores of viable military small arms. The United States Army had already adopted the semi-automatic, repeating Colt M1911 pistol designed by John Browning but needed to shore up war-time limitations even when various manufacturers had already committed to production of the M1911. The US Army, therefore, chartered both the Colt & Smith & Wesson concerns to produce a six-shot revolver sidearm under the “M1917″ designation & chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge – the same as used in the M1911. Both firms naturally accepted the government contract & each went on to produce slightly different versions of the gun with the Colt being the more sought after by collectors.
The M1917 Revolvers were six-shot, .45 ACP, large frame revolvers & adopted by the United States Military in 1917 as the designation implies.
Both the Colt & the S&W used moon-clips to hold the rimless cartridges in position & to aid in extraction.
The Colt M1917 Revolver was essentially the same as the M1909 with a cylinder bored to take the .45 ACP cartridge & the half-moon clips to hold the rimless cartridges in position.
These are a unique & often overlooked piece of US military history & are highly collectable due to the limited numbers produced & the obvious focus of many collectors on the Colt 1911 as it was the most well known sidearm of the US military.
The military service of the M1917 did not end with the First World War. The M1917 saw action again during World War II, when it was issued to specialty troops such as tankers & artillery personnel.
In the movie ”Fury” about a WW2 US tank crew Brad Pitt’s character can be seen using a Colt M17 (see photo).
During the Korean War they were again issued & they are known to have been used by US Engineers & “tunnel rats” during the Vietnam War (see photo).
This revolver has obviously seen service & maybe in more than one world war!
This is for the serious collector so be the one that completes your Colt collection with this great example or just add this unique revolver to fill a gap in any serious service sidearm collection.
This is part of the shipment we have arriving from the US, likely due in late June & is available to purchase now with a deposit.
It appears to be in original unrestored condition with the original plain walnut grips & most of the original bluing gone.
Please view the photos carefully as they form the main description & do your own research.
This is an opportunity to own an often overlooked piece of US military history which will only become more collectable.
As with all used guns, we recommend you have this checked by a suitably qualified person prior to shooting.
