Finding a Smith

Magnum · Post by **Magnum** » Sun Jan 05, 2003 1:33 am

I have come upon the stunning realization that I must get Indy's handgun from Raiders. Since the Smith HE2 that he carried is somewhat difficult to find, is it possible to purchase the more common 1917 model and just change the grips? I would of course have to cut down the barrel and make sure I got one in .45 ACP, but if I found a 1917, would that be the same as Indy's gun? Thanks for your help.

Cooler King · Post by **Cooler King** » Sun Jan 05, 2003 11:05 am

Granted they're hard to find, but if you have the money, you can get a good one here: http://adamsguns.com/0p.htm Bob has great guns, for good prices, and yes, that includes the S&W, exact gun Indy used in Raiders, you'll have to get it cut down but to my knowlage that's it.

A 1917 would be a good replacement, if you have a source where you can get a 1917 dirt cheap then I'd consider it, but if you want the Indy gun, then they still exist, it may take some looking, and it may take some money but you can get them. I don't know how a 1917 would look compaired to the HE2, to the eye of an expert then of course they would see the difference, but to the average joe on the street it should do well.

Just a thought...

MK · Post by MK » Sun Jan 05, 2003 11:40 am

The hand ejector that Lee had access to was only used in two scenes:

1) Indy hands his gun to Belloq.

2) Indy throws it into his suitcase.

I know that Lee has stated on IG that both guns were hand ejectors, but I think that it is very possible that the other gun was a 1917. They are almost identical. In fact, I can't tell you what the difference is. Lee states that 1917's have smooth wooden grips, but I have seen many that have the checkered grips with the medallions. Lee and I have had many conversations regarding Indy's firearms but we haven't gotten around to discussing this one.

Here is a 1917:

You might want to stop by this site that has all kinds of information about this. It is called IndyGear.com

There is an article that Lee submited that is very infomative about the Smith big bores.

http://www.indygear.com/gear/smithwesson.htm

Enjoy!

MaryonRavenwood · Post by **MaryonRavenwood** » Sun Jan 05, 2003 3:31 pm

You don't have to have a conversion done. Ammo is available at:
http://www.ows-ammo.com (The Old West Scrounger in Yreka, CA.)

It is a bit more expensive than .45 ammo (considering the odd caliber), but if you want to keep your gun "Indy-accurate"...

Regards--Maryon

Henry Jones Sr. · Post by **Henry Jones Sr.** » Sun Jan 05, 2003 4:20 pm

DrJones56 wrote:Granted they're hard to find, but if you have the money, you can get a good one here: http://adamsguns.com/0p.htm Bob has great guns, for good prices, and yes, that includes the S&W, exact gun Indy used in Raiders, you'll have to get it cut down but to my knowlage that's it.

I wholeheartedly second the kudos for Bob Adams. He does have a fine collection of quality arms available for good prices, and his customer service is exceptional. A fine gentleman to do business with.

To second Maryon's info above, if you were to purchase one of Bob's Naval Service Hand Ejectors chambered in the British .455, you could opt to have the only conversion to the gun be the shortening of the barrel and the addition of the Baughman ramped sight. You can keep the weapon a .455, if you don't mind more rarified (and hence, more expensive) ammunition. Fiocchi still makes .455 Webley ammo, but Old West Scrounger seems to be one of the few distributors who stock it. It runs not quite 80 cents a shot, but promises an awful lot of quality bang for the buck! A lot of how you would like to proceed has to do with whether you simply want the gun as a high-quality prop sidearm, or whether you actually want the gun as a good shooter as well as a good-looker (and more valuable curio and relic firearm). We've discussed this subject before, when I first posted about Bob Adams having S&W Hand Ejectors for sale. Rather than reprint here, I will direct you toward that thread, where several folks, including our own dear Lee Keppler

chimed in: http://www.indygear.com/community/forum ... php?t=1904

You can then choose the method of conversion, and whether you wish to additionally convert the .455 to .45. Best of luck in your decision! And keep us up to date as to how you proceed!

Sincere regards,

Henry Jones Sr.

Magnum · Post by **Magnum** » Sun Jan 05, 2003 10:14 pm

So could I buy the .455 British Service HE2 from Bob Adams and have him convert it to .45ACP and add the 4" barrel with the ramped sight? Thanks.

Cooler King · Post by **Cooler King** » Sun Jan 05, 2003 10:25 pm

Magnum wrote:So could I buy the .455 British Service HE2 from Bob Adams and have him convert it to .45ACP and add the 4" barrel with the ramped sight? Thanks.

Sounds like the thing to do! If you've got the money on hand, I assure you it's a good investment, you won't regret it! Keep us posted on how it comes out, and best of luck to you!

Henry Jones Sr. · Post by **Henry Jones Sr.** » Mon Jan 06, 2003 3:46 pm

Magnum wrote:So could I buy the .455 British Service HE2 from Bob Adams and have him convert it to .45ACP and add the 4" barrel with the ramped sight? Thanks.

To quote our inimitable Dr. Brody (Lee Keppler):

"In my opinion, the best person to do the Bapty or Stembridge gun conversion, and lengthen the chamber and trim the ejector star for .45 Colt is Jack DeVore in Flagstaff, AZ. He did most of the work at Reeder Custom Guns(www.reedercustomguns.com) and is now on his own. He's working on an 1895 Marlin for me right now.

Give Jack a call at 928-526-7718 and tell him Lee Keppler sent you."

If Lee says that Jack DeVore is the man to do the conversion, then that is where I would go. So buy a .455 from Bob Adams, and as soon as the piece is in your hands (or maybe even a bit in advance), contact Jack DeVore and let him know what you're getting and what you want done. You'll get exactly what you're after!

Again, best of luck, and keep us apprised of the process!

Sincere regards,

Henry Jones Sr.

Magnum · Post by **Magnum** » Mon Jan 06, 2003 9:29 pm

I e-mailed Bob Adams about buying one of the Smith HE2s in .455 that he has and asked him if he could shorten the barrel or convert the gun to .45ACP. His response is as follows:

"Sorry, I don't have one in that length (4 inches), nor do I have the capability to convert to .45 ACP.

Bob Adams"

So there is the answer to that. However, this is still a good source I believe to buy the gun itself. Hope this helps.

Lee Keppler · Post by **Lee Keppler** » Tue Jan 07, 2003 2:01 am

Please DO NOT convert a .455 to .45 ACP. Convert it to .45 Colt. This was a facory performed conversion on 2nd Model HE's returned from Britian after The Great War so they would sell on the US market, as the British subjects can't be trusted with arms. Some were converted to .45 ACP, but this does not work very well.