Is there a way to track if it was issued as a service weapon? Would love to find out the history. Value?Not all that familiar with .45 caliber but the catalog says this is a .45 Hand Ejector U.S. Army - Model 1917. Your serial number appears to be 140942 on both the grip butt and cylinder.
These were made btw Sept 17, 1917 to Jan 1919. S/N range is approx 1 -169959
A letter is about the only way I know to find out when it left the factory and where it went. The lanyard hole is plugged but if it is just dirt you can clean in out and install a new lanyard.Is there a way to track if it was issued as a service weapon? Would love to find out the history. Value?
Letter? How do I obtain itA letter is about the only way I know to find out when it left the factory and where it went. The lanyard hole is plugged but if it is just dirt you can clean in out and install a new lanyard.
Letter? How do I obtain it
Just to clear up some apparent misconception, the military never “took control” of the production process. Army Ordnance took control of the factory in 1918 for awhile to ensure that threatened labor troubles would not impede production, but that did not affect the work.I am not sure what a factory letter would tell anyone about this revolver. This one was made when the Military had taken control of the S&W plant and inspections were performed and revolvers were accepted or rejected right now. Prior to that S&W had to ship them out but with the Inspectors “in house” I am not sure who shipped them, the Military or S&W.
As an addendum:
I fished this photo out of an old sales post. Here is an Army 1917. Enough of the letter is visible to see that it lettered as shipped to the Springfield Armory in September 1918. I suspect most, maybe all, went there first and were then sent on to various destinations. View attachment 469230
Did some looking the value seems to be $800-1200. This is my first old weapon so don’t know much about valuesAs an addendum:
I fished this photo out of an old sales post. Here is an Army 1917. Enough of the letter is visible to see that it lettered as shipped to the Springfield Armory in September 1918. I suspect most, maybe all, went there first and were then sent on to various destinations. View attachment 469230
The “labor trouble” was not inside the S&W plant, correct? It was anticipated problems that caused the measure?Just to clear up some apparent misconception, the military never “took control” of the production process. Army Ordnance took control of the factory in 1918 for awhile to ensure that threatened labor troubles would not impede production, but that did not affect the work.
S&W was still the seller and the Army the buyer, and a history letter will tell you on which date the gun was shipped to which Army depot, though no more than that.
PS: You don’t have to join anything to get a letter; it’s just a bit cheaper if you’re a member.
That is my understanding. The Wobblies (IWW) were very active in the Northeast in 1918, and it was a precaution, to back up management with military force if necessary. I've read some contemporary news sources in years past, but unfortunately did not keep references. Generally, it's hard to find details. But the idea floating around among some collectors, that the Army took over actual production because they were unhappy with the company's quality or speed of production, is apparently not correct.The “labor trouble” was not inside the S&W plant, correct? It was anticipated problems that caused the measure?
Kevin
S&W had finished construction of the new building and were turning out 14,000 revolvers a month for the war effort. All production was military, no commercial. So yeah, the takeover must have been for other reasons.That is my understanding. The Wobblies (IWW) were very active in the Northeast in 1918, and it was a precaution, to back up management with military force if necessary. I've read some contemporary news sources in years past, but unfortunately did not keep references. Generally, it's hard to find details. But the idea floating around among some collectors, that the Army took over actual production because they were unhappy with the company's quality or speed of production, is apparently not correct.