Four Wars Plus: the Tale of a Sixgun – by Boge Quinn
By the early years of the 20th Century, it had been made obvious to the United States Military that replacing the venerable 45 Colt Model 1873 single-action revolver with the 38 Colt Model 1892 revolver was a disastrous mistake. The Philippine-American War demonstrated that the anemic 38 Colt cartridge simply did not have the power to reliably put down a motivated warrior, so the 45 Colt Model 1909 revolver was quickly adopted. In 1911, the U.S. Military took the next step towards modernity in a sidearm by adopting John Browning’s now-famous Model 1911 semi-automatic pistol and the new 45 ACP cartridge, which offered power, frontal diameter, and bullet weight comparable to the 45 Colt in a shorter, rimless case designed to function reliably in a semi-auto pistol.
When the United States entered World War I in 1917, Colt’s Manufacturing could not keep pace with the needed supply of 45 sidearms, so the War Department contracted with both Colt and Smith & Wesson to manufacture a large-framed revolver capable of using standardized 45 ACP ammunition, and the Model 1917 double-action revolver was born. To conquer the problem of using a rimless case in a revolver, the use of “moon clips” (a spring-steel clip which could be pre-loaded for quick reloads) was devised. This solution was very successful, and over 300,000 Model 1917 revolvers supplemented America’s supply of 1911 pistols, helping win the “War To End All Wars”.
After hostilities ended with the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, the Allied powers became complacent. Drunk with the end of such a horrible world conflagration and the Roaring of the ’20s, the Free World allowed Germany and her allies to re-arm themselves, ignoring the warnings of such visionaries as England’s great Winston Churchill. By the time Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, signaling the start of World War II, our European allies, particularly the British Empire, were caught flat-footed and in desperate need of weapons of all sorts. As a way to try to help the Allies without actually entering the War, early in 1941 the U.S. conceived the “Lend-Lease” program, which allowed the U.S. to supply the Allied nations under a deferred payment / return of materials plan, establishing America as “The Arsenal Of Democracy” and the modern world’s first Superpower. A great many small arms, including Model 1917 revolvers, were included in the Lend-Lease program, with many of these being returned to the United States after the War ended in 1945.
This is the story of one such Smith & Wesson Model 1917 revolver, which would see use in four wars, and as the personal sidearm of a noted Judge for many decades.
This S&W Model 1917 was made towards the end of World War I production, and was issued by the U.S. Ordnance Department for use in World War I, as indicated by the Ordnance “Flaming Bomb” marking on the Port side of the frame just forward of the hammer. After World War I, this Model 1917 was included in the Lend-Lease program, and was sent to England for use in World War II, as evidenced by British proof marks on the Starboard side of the frame, and on the cylinder over each chamber. The Starboard side of the frame, underneath the cylinder and near the frame’s British proof mark, bears the legend “NOT ENGLISH MAKE”, which was commonly seen on lend-Lease firearms used by the Empire.
After the cessation of hostilities in 1945, this Model 1917 was returned to the U.S. War Department, where it finally found its long-time companion when it was issued to a young soldier entering the Korean Conflict. This young soldier, who I will call “JR” to protect his family’s privacy, entered into the Korean Conflict with a great interest in the Law, and pursued a Military career path centering around legal matters. After Korea, JR earned his law degree while continuing his Military service with the JAG (Judge Advocate General) Corps, with his issue Model 1917 at his side. When JR entered the Vietnam War as a JAG officer, his Model 1917 went with him, and it never let him down.
After JR retired from Service, he was allowed to keep his trusty Model 1917, carrying it on his person or keeping it handy in his law office desk. As useful as the sixgun had been for so long, for its new role as a concealed handgun, JR saw the need to make some modifications.
As the Model 1917’s 5.5-inch barrel is a bit long for easy concealment in many situations, JR had a custom gunsmith install a 4-inch barrel, in a heavy “bull” profile so as to maintain the balance of the longer barrel, as JR had become accustomed. He also had his gunsmith, who remains unknown to me, remove the hammer spur to afford a smoother, quicker draw, effectively rendering his Model 1917 a DAO (Double-Action Only) sixgun. To improve the sight picture, JR had a fully-adjustable rear sight added, along with a Patridge style front sight blade in an angled base, allowing for a wide variety of ammunition types to be fired to point of aim. Finally, JR installed a set of Bear Hug grips by the late “Deacon” Deason; original Bear Hug grips are among the finest ever designed, are highly sought after by shooters and collectors, and are currently being made to Deason’s original designs by Tyler Gun Works in Texas.
After these modifications, JR felt that he had created what the late great gun writer John Taffin called a PPP, or “Perfect Packin’ Pistol”; easy to conceal (at least for a large-frame revolver), accurate, powerful, and quick to reload using moon clips. JR’s esteemed career as a Lawyer led him in time to become a Judge, and he carried his Model 1917 underneath his Judge’s robe for twenty years before his passing in the early 2000s.
I acquired the Model 1917 from JR’s estate in about 2005, and I enjoy shooting it often, as well as reflecting upon the events that this sixgun has seen during its time on Earth. I did not know JR well, but I knew enough about him to be mindful of what his service means to our way of life, and I feel that JR and I share a visceral connection through this steel monument to History.
One further modification that I had done to the sixgun was having Milt Morrison of QPR Precision Gunsmithing expertly hone the action and modify the internals into a true DAO, rather than just a DA with a bobbed hammer; Milt’s efforts resulted in a sixgun that is 100 percent reliable, with a buttery-smooth trigger pull weighing less than 4.5 pounds.
This sixgun is easy to shoot, and easy to shoot well, but I try not to make it into something that it is not: that is, I do not treat it like a Magnum. Having been made very early in the 20th Century, the steel, particularly of the cylinder, should not be subjected to a steady diet of high-pressure loads. I find that the load levels for which the Model 1917 was designed, namely 45 ACP Military “Ball” level ammunition, works perfectly well; a 230-grain 45-caliber projectile moving at about 800 feet per second will do anything I need it to do, while being easy on both sixgun and sixgunner. There is no need to try to do anything more with it, as one can only kill something so dead.
JR saw two Wars during his service to his beloved Country, but his beloved Model 1917 saw four – World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam – and lived on to see decades of service to JR as his daily carry sixgun, continuing on to be one of my most treasured firearms. Who knows what the future holds for it after I cross the River?
Editor Notes
A main benefit of classic firearms like the 1917 land lease revolver, is how inexpensive they were following the war. With only minimal effort, and cost, a shooter could easily procure one of these tested revolvers. However, the ammunition scarcity was a constant concern. With the ability to fire multiple calibers a handloader would have the option to load target ammunition and defensive ammunition for the same revolver without fear of mixing up the ammunition at the range.
