Smith & Wesson 1917 .45 ACP Revolver and Holster Rig

[kanemono]

During WW1 the U.S. civilian arms companies of Colt and Remington-UMC as well as other companies were producing M1911 pistols under contract for the U.S. Army, however, even with the additional production there was a shortage of M1911s. The solution was to ask the two major American producers of revolvers to adapt their heavy-frame civilian revolvers to the standard .45 ACP pistol cartridge. Both companies' revolvers utilized half-moon clips to extract the rimless .45 ACP cartridge. The Smith & Wesson Model 1917 was essentially an adaptation of that company's Second Model .44 Hand Ejector, chambered instead for .45 ACP, employing a shortened cylinder allowing for use of half-moon clips, and a lanyard ring on the butt of the frame. Smith & Wesson had recently (c. 1915–16) produced the Hand Ejector, which uses their heavy .44 caliber frame, for the British Army in .455 Webley caliber due to shortages in British production facilities of standard-issue Webley Mk VI top-break revolvers. The S&W M1917 is distinguishable from the Colt M1917 in that the S&W cylinder had a shoulder machined into it to permit rimless .45 ACP cartridges to headspace on the case mouth (as with automatic pistols). The S&W M1917 could thus be used without the half-moon clips, though the empty cases would have to be poked-out manually through the cylinder face, since the extractor star cannot engage the rimless cases. Pictured is the 1917 Smith & Wesson revolver with it's lanyard, holster and pouches for .45 ACP cartridges in half moon clips.

 

 

 

[Der Finn]

​Did the government ever issue .45 Auto Rim cartridges? A friend and I are having a discussion. Thanks for your input.

[tarheeltim]

Nice rig and good information!

[stealthytyler]

love the knife

[David D]

Excellent set up. I've been saving a little money on the side to pick up my own.

[mdk0911]

very nice set of WW1 items - the S&W is very, very nice

[shtur]

​Did the government ever issue .45 Auto Rim cartridges? A friend and I are having a discussion. Thanks for your input.

 

No. ^^^ Peters Cartridge Company produced the AutoRim case after the war, when surplus revolvers were sold via the NRA. Peters Cartridge found a niche for a newly produced cartridge.

[BlackJoker]

Hi everyone and sorry for the question:

My Mk V Webley are these calibre markings on the left of the barrel:

Do you mean shooting both 45 and 455? I tried inserting into the drum one .45 ACP and falls to the bottom of the drum...

[cw1979]

 

Hi everyone and sorry for the question:

My Mk V Webley are these calibre markings on the left of the barrel:

Do you mean shooting both 45 and 455? I tried inserting into the drum one .45 ACP and falls to the bottom of the drum...

 

 

The marking "450/455" indicates it is a civilian Webley. The military revolvers didn't have a caliber mark.

455 Webley; also known as 455 Colt and 455 Eley, was an improvement on the 450 Adams. If you had a 455 you could shoot 450's in it but not vice versa due to pressure issues. To add to the confusion 450 Adams was also known as 450 Revolver; 450 Colt and 45 Webley depending on the ammunition maker.

[BlackJoker]

 

The marking "450/455" indicates it is a civilian Webley. The military revolvers didn't have a caliber mark.

455 Webley; also known as 455 Colt and 455 Eley, was an improvement on the 450 Adams. If you had a 455 you could shoot 450's in it but not vice versa due to pressure issues. To add to the confusion 450 Adams was also known as 450 Revolver; 450 Colt and 45 Webley depending on the ammunition maker.

 

Thank you so much for your reply. So its 450 and not 45C.