Need Revolver ID
My brother just inherited a Smith and Wesson revolver.
My dad bought this pistol in 1963, no doubt, it was used at the time.
Four inch barrel, nickle or chrome plated.
Brown synthetic grips.
I had always thought this gun shot .45 acp ammo.
A few years ago, I loaded up a full cylinder and fired two shots. Then the gun jammed and the third cylinder would not align and fire.
I figured the hand was broken, or some such thing.
Today my brother got the gun. I noticed that the box of ammo was .45 auto rimmed.
I never heard of this cartridge before.
This is the ammo that I had fired 2 years ago, and it jammed. Solid lead slug.
All is says on the barrel is Smith and Wesson DA .45
Sorry I am at a family reunion today and didn't have the chance to get pics, can get pics in a few weeks.
Can anybody tell me what cartridge this gun shoots?
My brother told me he thought it fired .45 acp ammo and needed half moon clips, we don't have any of those.
My dad bought this pistol in 1963, no doubt, it was used at the time.
Four inch barrel, nickle or chrome plated.
Brown synthetic grips.
I had always thought this gun shot .45 acp ammo.
A few years ago, I loaded up a full cylinder and fired two shots. Then the gun jammed and the third cylinder would not align and fire.
I figured the hand was broken, or some such thing.
Today my brother got the gun. I noticed that the box of ammo was .45 auto rimmed.
I never heard of this cartridge before.
This is the ammo that I had fired 2 years ago, and it jammed. Solid lead slug.
All is says on the barrel is Smith and Wesson DA .45
Sorry I am at a family reunion today and didn't have the chance to get pics, can get pics in a few weeks.
Can anybody tell me what cartridge this gun shoots?
My brother told me he thought it fired .45 acp ammo and needed half moon clips, we don't have any of those.
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I'd say you have a model 1917, if I'm not mistaken they were chambered in 45 auto rim, but you can shoot 45 ACP if you use the half moon clips. 0 -
It sounds from your description that it was originally a Model 1917 that was cut down and refinished. This is what it looked liked when S & W made it for the U.S. military during the First World War. 
GOOGLE, Smith & Wesson Model 1917, a lot of information will come up.0 -
They were made for .45 ACP in half-moon clips to supplement 1911s in WW I.
The .45 Auto Rim came out after the war so you could shoot your surplus gun without having to clip ACP rounds.
It should work either way. I don't know the problem.0 -
45 American, 45 Russian, 45 Schfoeld are all S&W created cartridges, they also made revolvers for the 45 Colt cartridge.
A photo would be a big help in letting these guys ID the firearm0 -
Since I have fired the .45 auto rimmed, I am pretty sure this is the 1917 Smith and Wesson.
At any rate there is something wrong with the mechanism, I will tell brother to take it to a gunsmith and get it fixed.0 -
If it says 'DA 45' then it's a .45ACP/.45Auto Rim gun. One thing..if you were able to close the cylinder on .45 Auto Rim cartridges, then that is a .45ACP/.45 AR gun without a doubt.
The .45 AutoRim cartridge would have too thick a rim, and would not close on anything but the guns meant for .45ACP/.45 AR.
BTW, you can fire the .45ACP without the half-moon clips, as each chamber has a shoulder, and the gun would be headspacing on the case mouth the same as an auto M1911. You'd need a pencil to push out the empties, though. Best, Joe0 -
Thanks for the pointer on the .45 acp, we will have to try that. 0
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