Club Obi Wan

At a gun show in Manchester NH. Going price was 1,038.00
Here's the thing (no I didn't buy it) it had on the tag "NEW" and there was no US Army or any of the other typical markings you see on a model 1917.

So does anyone no one the deal is???
It was in emaculate condtion, no wear marks and was a nice even blued finish. If it was a little lower I might have said the heck with it and bought it.

Didn't see any Webleys either, saw all kinds of makes and models and was an interesting time for my first gun show.

Maybe the next gun show in January, this time I'll get there on Saturday morning.

Croft

I might have been a civilian model Hand Ejector. That would explain the lack of any US Army marking seen on M1917's.

Croft,

I'd RUN from an S&W advertised as a real 1917 but without correct markings.

If it was a new S&W 22-4 (new 4" close to a Stembridge, but with the shrouded ejector like an HE1), someone might call it a 1917. See the S&W 22-4 thread here:
viewtopic.php?t=16012&highlight=

But the price does nt seem right, the 22-4s I've seen price at about $700.

If not a 22-4, it may be a parts gun. I saw a nice S&W HE2 44special at a show in Pgh, only $350, but it WAS a parts gun, side plate had different bluing. I already had my couple originals and the .455 I planned to convert, so I walked away.

Regards,
Indy45

PS: Croft, what happened on your other decision, the 1917 with missing blue vs the .455 Webley?

Indy45 wrote:

PS: Croft, what happened on your other decision, the 1917 with missing blue vs the .455 Webley?

I was waiting for the gun show to see if I could find the pervebial needle in the hay stack. The 1917 with the worn off blue is just to high a price I've been told and this guy just won't budge on coming down in price. If I bought it I'd have to have it re-blued and there's the additional cost.
Plus I waited to long and some one else snagged the Webley. I have some gun stores I haven't contacted yet to see if any of them have what I'm looking for.

As far as the 1917 I saw to today the ejector was not shrouded, this pistol looked like a 1917 but minus the US army. And now that I think of it I don't remeber a S&W symbol.
I've found (but haven't seen)(yet) a 1917 that the guy is asking high #' but has a claim that the gun is near mint. This I'll have to see.

Croft, the search goes on.

Dang, were's that flash light I dropped my needle.

A couple of years ago S&W's custom shop was selling new 1917's.

pigirondan wrote:A couple of years ago S&W's custom shop was selling new 1917's.

????How the heck did I sleep through that!?

J_Weaver wrote:

pigirondan wrote:A couple of years ago S&W's custom shop was selling new 1917's.

????How the heck did I sleep through that!?

Actually, it was more then a couple of years ago. Horton's had them. The reason I didn't purchase one is they were not for sale in California. A very small number manufactured.

As far as the 1917 I saw to today the ejector was not shrouded, this pistol looked like a 1917 but minus the US army. And now that I think of it I don't remeber a S&W symbol.

That may have been a 'Model 1917 Colt'...officially known as the M1917 Colt New Service in it's military guise.

Scroll down on this page for a picture:

http://www.neaca.com/Colt%20Collector%20Page%20.html

That may have been a 'Model 1917 Colt'...officially known as the M1917 Colt New Service in it's military guise.

Nope, that definetly is not the gun I saw.
It looked just like a 1917.

Although I did see plenty of guns that did look like that one.

Croft

Croft,

JWeaver made a good point, it may have been one of the commercial 1917s (the type used for the Stembridge).

See my Archive post on the Stembridge, here:
viewtopic.php?t=16398&highlight=

The post includes all the markings on a representative Com'l 1917.

Those are rare as S&W only made about 20,000. They will have a small S&W circle logo on the LEFT side of the frame under the cylinder latch.

I'd be surprised to see one of the originals sold as new, although I suppose a couple could be privately owned and still unfired or 'new in box'. Such a gun would be worth a premium.

(But again, for anyone wanting a Bapty conversion, the best candidate is an S&W HE2 in .455 Webley; those are often lower priced and may be in rougher shape, better for cutting and re-bluing than a collector grade revolver.)

Regards,
Indy45