Colt/S&W 1917 Experiences?

[35 Whelen]

I'm really wanting one of these revolvers and was wondering who here might have loaded for them?

35W

[Walks]

Have had a S&W 1917 for ages. I prefer Remington .45Auto Rim brass. But I understand starline is all that's available these days.

I load a std 230gr Hardball (#452374) Load, and a target load using the same load I shoot in my Gold Cup a Light SWC (#452488). I use the same load in Auto Rim brass as I do in ACP brass.

I do cast from Linotype because the shallow lands & grooves give me better accuracy then softer alloys.

Most people will disagree on that. But I grew up shooting that. It's what my DAD used and it works for me.

[PWS]

I had a surplus five-screw S&W back in the early 90's but who knows where it is now. If you've read much Keith, he makes numerous mention of the shallow rifling in these revolvers and the subsequent need for HARD bullets to resist stripping. I hadn't read Keith at the time but quickly learned that LEE tumble lube bullets did NOT work.

Shot a lot of Lyman's #452460 200gr SWC water dropped and they worked well though.

[35 Whelen]

This is good info. I read SIXGUNS but didn't retain what Keith said about these. Maybe time for a review.

35W

[TNsailorman]

The revolvers do have shallow grooves and for that reason I have always used jacketed bullets in the S&W 1917's that I have owned(3). I have also found that the 230 grain round nose FMJ is the best all around bullet for them. I never got all that great accuracy with lead boolits or lighter weight jacketed bullets. I used the 225 grain truncated cone lead boolit in bowling pin matches and it proved to be the most accurate lead boolit I ever found for the .45ACP in revolvers. I shot W231 almost exclusively with some Winchester SL powder. The WSL gave me really clean burning , which I liked but the accuracy was no better than W231 and I had plenty of W231, so I stayed with it. I used Federal primer almost exclusively because they will ignite even with lighter trigger pulls(up to a point).I also use mostly Rimmed brass with the .45 revolver, my current one being a Thunder Ranch Special. The full moon clips work just fine but they are hard on the fingers unless you buy one of the re-moon and de-moon tools which cost a pretty penny. Rimmed brass is much more affordable and ready available thru Starline which is great brass. My experience anyway, james

[Larry Gibson]

Back in the late '60s and '70s I had probably a dozen of them (both Colt and S&Ws) go through my hands. Also a couple M25s. I still have one S&W M1917 that had been altered with a M1911 rear sight dovetailed into the top strap and a higher blade front sight installed. I picked up a M25 barrel and put that on it and replaced the rear sight with a Micro. I call it my M17/25. It does shoot cast bullets quite well.

Back then I was enthralled with Keith as were many and attempted to replicate his 2400 loads. I never found them very good as the 2400 did not burn efficiently given the very long throats. What I did find was Jeff Coopers 45 ACP load shot extremely well in all of the M1917s. That was a 200 gr cast har (linotype) sized .452, lubed with Javelina and loaded in ACP cases over 7.5 gr Unique. My standard IPSC 45 ACP load with a 200 gr (was using the Lyman 452460 back then) cast of COWWs (the older ones with a bit more tin in them) loaded over 5 gr Bullseye. However, the most accurate load, which I still use in the M17/25 today, is the GC'd 452490 (240 gr cast of COWW +2% tin) over a load of Unique which I won't mention because I've not pressure tested it yet.

[Shawlerbrook]

I have one of the Brazilian S&W 1917’s that were around in the early 90’s. They are cool big wheel guns.

[Outpost75]

Good info from the posters above.

I have owned both the S&W and Colt M1917s. The shallow rifling isn't usually an issue with correct bullets which "fit" IF the bore is in good condition. The biggest factor influencing accuracy of these guns is that most were used with corrosive-primed service ammunition and even the "good" bores will show wear on the tops of the lands and "frosting" in the grooves. Added to this is the fact that cylinder throats in these guns of both makes run large, typically .455-.456" and bullets sized to the commonly recommended 0.001" over groove diameter, as stated in old Lyman manuals, will still be 0.002-0.003" undersize.

If using the older Ideal profile bullets having smaller diameter foreparts, soft bullets WILL be inaccurate, but harder bullets get a better "bite" into the rifling, as do also military FMJ bullets.

Best results will be had with a bore-riding design bullet having a full-diameter front driving band, which will be positively guided and aligned in the oversized cylinder throats. If bullet fit is correct, hard alloys are unnecessary if loads do not exceed factory .45 Auto Rim levels, about 14,000 psi.

I had Tom at Accurate Molds make for me several molds which I use in my S&W M1917, as well as Colt New Service revolvers in .455 Eley, .45 ACP and .45 Colt. The 45-240H1 is ideal for the .45 Auto Rim and shoots to the fixed sights of M1917 revolvers. H1 was modified from a previous customer's .45 ACP revolver bullet, adding a more substantial crimp groove to prevent inertial dislodgement, which is necessary for full-charges of 4.5-5.0 grains of Bullseye.

46-262H is essentially the same profile, but has a bevel base added to increase bullet weight to shoot to the fixed sights of Colt New Service .455 and .45 Colt revolvers. Correct charge for the .455 Mk2 using Starline brass is 3.5 grains of Bullseye, and in the .45 Colt 6.5 grains of Bullseye approximates factory loads. A charge of 7.2 grains of Bullseye is maximum for the Colt New Service.

The 45-264D intentionally has only minimal seating depth, but longer nose with full diameter driving band north of the crimp groove. The reasons for doing so are to provide better guidance during initial shot-start when using Starline .455 Mk2 cases in Colt New Service revolvers having longer Eley chamber, and to avoid deep seating bullets in the shorter Mk2 cases to avoid spiking pressures. The correct charge for this bullet in Starline .455 Mk2 cases is 3.5 grains of Bullseye.

238160238161238162238168

[rintinglen]

I have had 3, two 1917's and a Brazilian 1937. I never found them to be very accurate, but they were fun and the half moon clips made for speedy reloads. I don't currently own one but if a decent one was to pop up at a reasonable price, say 700-800 bucks, I might own one again.

[Harter66]

I had Mom's 1917 Colts first , I had to give it back for a while .
It shot a 5.5 gr charge of Unique under a Lee 452-255 to 3-4" @ 25 yd and only 6-8" high . In it's lifetime it's run 1000s of match SWC of 230 gr and was reported to shoot 4" fire bricks at 50 yd with almost boring regularity . It shoots a NOE version of the 454424 quite well also .

I had a pair of S&W . One horribly butchered that will be resurrected as a DA 45 Schofield . Sadly this one would have been the most valuable in good shape as it has the "not English made" lend/lease stamp on it showing it off to have been a world traveler made in April 1918 .

The other was a wholely untouched example made in September 1918 very very close to the S&W/Government supervision change over . That happened of 9/17/1918 . They were making some 1700 guns per day . It has .004 HS on Win or Rem AR brass and .0035ish on brand new Revolver Supply moon clips . It has a tight .004 cylinder gap on the full circle of the cylinder and the full barrel face . It doesn't like the 250-265 gr bullets at all shooting some 12" at 25 yd however several 200-230 gr bullets have shot very well , 4" circles of 50+ rounds at 25-35 yd Weaver stance more or less. I'm told it was an exceptional specimen in that 230 GI ball shot to the same poa (close enough for any spontaneous work the paper shows only an inch or so) as the 45-200 over 6.0 Unique .

Revolver Supply is the maker of both Wilson Combat and Midways moon clips . They are $14/10 but just $85/100 . Get a buddy and split 100 you'll be set for a long time . Just do it .

Notes about Colts . Appearently the Colts snobs don't approve of the dates found with the USA SN on the bottom of the butt , rather they choose to use the frame & crane SN that makes Mom's a 1915 production pistol and fitted with a 45 cal barrel US marked and a 45 ACP cylinder in 1918 . Colts only made about 10,000 vs some 50,000 Smith's . Also the moon clip belonged to S&W and was licensed to Colts for the duration of the war or contract .

The butched 1917 is getting a 1955 6" barrel to "fix" the chopped to 3" ground down front sight barrel it currently headspaces on Schofield cases on the case mouth while still accepting moon clips . So I guess that would make it a soft N frame 45 S&W S&W . The 1955 barrel seems to be a target barrel which will go nicely with the inleted adjustable target sight . Not much of a carry gun but should make a fine hunting side arm if I hot load the Schofields to something outrageous like 18kpsi instead of the SAAMI 14kpsi .

The S&Ws have .453 throats into .452 grooves the Colts example is .453+ into .451 grooves . Of course this is an example of only 3 so it may not reflect anything you find .

[Walks]

You can make "demooner" by finding a piece of metal tubing 6inches long that is barely large enough to fit over a .45ACP round. Then cut off about 2/3 off one end of the tube about 1/8" deep.
Then you put it over the cartridge in a moonclip and turn it. It will rotate the cartridge right out of the clip.

FYI, full moon clips are easy to use and harder to lose.

[Harter66]

Steel golf club grips are just right about 1/2" above the grip .

[35 Whelen]

I have had 3, two 1917's and a Brazilian 1937. I never found them to be very accurate, but they were fun and the half moon clips made for speedy reloads. I don't currently own one but if a decent one was to pop up at a reasonable price, say 700-800 bucks, I might own one again.


There are many out there in the $600-$650 range.

35W

[pjames32]

I have an old Colt 1917 that is pretty rough on the exterior. I load my normal 45ACP load with AA#5 over a Lyman 452460 sized .452. The bullet is 12-13bhn and is fairly accurate considering the poor sights and my aging eyesight. I use the same load in my S&W 625 which is considerably more accurate. My de-mooning tool is made from copper tubing with a wooden screwdriver handle. I made one long enough to hold 6 empties and a short one for one at a time.

[falmike]

I have one of the Brazilian S&W 1917’s that were around in the early 90’s. They are cool big wheel guns.

Me too.

Full Moonclip 45 ACP, 230 grain plated RN over 5.0 grains of Bullseye.

It’s a hoot to shoot

[El Bibliotecario]

I have loaded and shot M1917 S&Ws for decades and have never understood the obsession with moon clips, or for that matter, original half moon clips, for casual shooting. One spends more time clipping and unclipping rounds and fired brass than one spends loading and unloading the weapon, including picking individual fired .45ACP cases from the chambers, something which has never posed the slightest difficulty.

For combat use or in a timed event the clips make sense. For casual range use I find them a clever solution to a nonexistent problem. I am sure many will vehemently disagree.

[pworley1]

I have one of each, I like the Smith just a little better, both shoot the same loads I use in the 1911's. Full moon clips work best for me.

[35 Whelen]

Thanks for all the responses so far. I'm kind of leaning toward a Smith, mainly because of Colt's history of producing .45 caliber cylinder throats of gigantic diameter.

35W

[sghart3578]

I have a Brazillian from 1937. It is a great shooter. I load all of my rounds in Auto Rim cases. I shoot either the Lee 200 gr LSWC or the Lee 230 gr RN over 4.5 gr of Bullseye. Accurate and fun.

The only gotcha is that I have to check the ejector rod occasionally. Since it was built before S&W went to left handed threads I find the the rod will come "unscrewed" and bind up the cylinder.

After 5 years I have decided to loc-tite the threads after I re-shim the fore and aft play.

Best of luck,


Steve in N CA

[Ragnarok]

They are both fine revolvers...one thing to be aware of is that the earlier Colt 1917 revolvers have to use .45 auto rim or .45 auto with the moon clips. the chambers on these don't have a lip for the .45 acp to head-space on. The S&W and later Colts do and if the chambers are clean and smooth you can just drop .45 acp in and shoot without having to jack with the clips.

[samari46]

I use the polymer RIMZ type moon clips. Where the exrtractor is you have to do a bit of filing to remove the nubs and test as you go. I tries this and loaded RIMZ ckips and they just drop them in the chambers. When it comes time to remove the spent shells all you use is your fingers. The barrel on my Brazilian 1937 contract S&W does show some wear and roughness so stashed away is a brand new S&W barrel. Only thing I really don't like is the half moon front sight.Thinking about removing the half moon portion slitting the base and installing piece of steel and adding a flat piece of steel and using a 0-80 brass screw as a bead. That and cleaning up the rear sight slot. When I like shooting revolvers I like to have a reference spot on the front sight. Frank
Frank

[35 Whelen]

I saw a Smith with the half moon sight notched at the rear. Looked like a great improvement.

35W

[Forrest r]

HB bullets take all the cylinder size/bore condition/hard alloy out of play.
https://i.imgur.com/3f6cvSV.jpg

Cramer did a hb version of their 200gr swc (bottom left) specifically for the 1917's. They cast @ .454" with range scrap & make an excellent target/plinking round.
https://i.imgur.com/tVkSHSw.jpg

[StrawHat]

...earlier Colt 1917 revolvers have to use .45 auto rim or .45 auto with the moon clips. the chambers on these don't have a lip for the .45 acp to head-space on...

I have heard and read this for about 1/2 of a century but have never seen or held such in my hand. Granted, I prefer S&W but even my friends who are Colt collectors have not found a straight chambered Colt. I wonder if the military did not either require Colts to correct the cylinders or if they were recylindered by the various armories when returned for servicing.

Kevin

[owejia]

Have two of the 1937 Brizilians, use the Rimz clips instead of the metal clips. Mostly shoot the bee killer [walnut media ] loads in them. Also made some 45 acp snake loads years ago to take care of pidgeons in my hay barns. Cut down .308 brass neck sized to go through the cylinder throat, just short of the end of the cylinder, loaded with #6 shot with a 410 wad these were deadly for the pidgeons inside the metal barns with out shooting holes through the tin. When shooting the bee killer loads the Rimz clips are handy as you need fast reloads, when the bees are really busy can shoot a couple hundred rounds in just 10 or 15 minutes. Have never really shot many solid boolits through them. One barrel slugs .452 and the other slugs .451, barrels are smooth and clean. The walnut media bee loads polish them. Also bush hog with open station tractor , with the long snake loads shoot crows when they get within range of the tractor

[StrawHat]

...HB bullets take all the cylinder size/bore condition/hard alloy out of play ... Cramer did a hb version of their 200gr swc (bottom left) specifically for the 1917's. They cast @ .454" with range scrap & make an excellent target/plinking round...

I am very interested in that full wadcutter boolit. Is that mold still available?

Kevin

[WehrmannsGeweher]

OR you can buy a Colt New Service in 45 Colt and have a revolver that is more accurate and powerful.

[El Bibliotecario]

I have heard and read this for about 1/2 of a century but have never seen or held such in my hand. Granted, I prefer S&W but even my friends who are Colt collectors have not found a straight chambered Colt. I wonder if the military did not either require Colts to correct the cylinders or if they were recylindered by the various armories when returned for servicing.

Kevin


Thank you! I figured my diatribe against clips would evoke mention of early Colts. Your experience mirrors mine. I bought my first M1917 Colt in 1973 and I am still waiting to find one with unshouldered chambers.

[El Bibliotecario]

I saw a Smith with the half moon sight notched at the rear. Looked like a great improvement.

35W

My Brazilian M1917 front sight looked as if someone had scraped it along a block of concrete wall. I replaced it with a dovetail-mounted square post, trading collectibility for a now-useable weapon.

[Forrest r]

I am very interested in that full wadcutter boolit. Is that mold still available?

Kevin

It's a Mihec hbwc mold. Don't know if their still for sale or not. Bought the 32cal/35cal/41cal/44cal/45cal years ago

[StrawHat]

Kevin
It's a Mihec hbwc mold. Don't know if their still for sale or not. Bought the 32cal/35cal/41cal/44cal/45cal years ago

Thank you, I’ll check it out.

Kevin

[Walks]

The M1917 COLTS with the bored-thru cylinder are a fact. My DAD had one, along with a S&W M1917 or 2. We generally shot them with Magna style grips with Pachmayr grip frame adapter's. My DAD made the grips for the Colt.

My DAD preferred the .45 Auto Rim case with an old Ideal 235(?)gr wadcutter cast of pure Linotype. They might have been a lot more expensive the the almost free .45ACP cases. But it was easy to tell the different loads apart. And we already loaded a .45 Hardball Load for the regular 1911A1 surplus guns & a .45ACP target load for my Dad's Pachmayr reworked 1911.

The Colt's with the Bored-thru cylinders did exist. But the only one I ever saw was that one my Dad owned.

[Outpost75]

Thanks for all the responses so far. I'm kind of leaning toward a Smith, mainly because of Colt's history of producing .45 caliber cylinder throats of gigantic diameter.

35W

My S&W .45 ACP Hand Ejector Model of 1950 Military has .456" throats.
My 1980s era .45 Colt Model 25-5 had .458" throats, keyholed with factory ammunition, so I sold it.
My .45 ACP Model 625 of 1989 did have correct .4525" throats and shoots wonderfully.

Take your pin gages to the shop with you, or several MEASURED lead bullets of known diameter.

Hint: If a 300-grain Sierra .457" diameter .45-70 bullet goes into the cylinder throats DO NOT BUY THE GUN!

Cylinder throats of .452-.455 are OK, just use bullets which "fit."

[35 Whelen]

Well, it's an auction purchase and therefore a roll.of the dice!

35W

[MT Gianni]

I have loaded and shot M1917 S&Ws for decades and have never understood the obsession with moon clips, or for that matter, original half moon clips, for casual shooting. One spends more time clipping and unclipping rounds and fired brass than one spends loading and unloading the weapon, including picking individual fired .45ACP cases from the chambers, something which has never posed the slightest difficulty.

For combat use or in a timed event the clips make sense. For casual range use I find them a clever solution to a nonexistent problem. I am sure many will vehemently disagree.

Those who packed on horses and ran cow camps in the NW USA loved the moon clips as it gave them a fast reload if anything messed with their livestock. I agree that they are useless for range work other than if working on a fast reload.

[MFGordon]

I have owned a 1937 Brazilian gun for thirty years that is a bit of an of an oddity. Back in 1989 when they were offered for $150 dealer price, a friend who had an in with the old Navy Arms in Ridgefield NJ and was going into their warehouse for the purpose of selecting excellent condition Mauser rifles was able to hand select me the best condition Model 1937 he could find. What I got was an especially good condition first contract gun that was basically a U.S. Model 1917 that was made after the Armistice and put away for almost twenty years. Every part has U.S. WWI era inspector marks stamped on it. The gun is cursed with a thin front sight and a smaller rear sight that were difficult to see even thirty years a ago with much younger eyes.

As a shooter the gun is excellent, not a match grade .45 but about even with any service grade 1911 I have ever shot. Over the years I have shot some jacket 230 grain factory loads but mostly lead bullets in the 200 to 230 grain range. Recently I have been shooting commercial cast 230 grain round nose bullets over 4.5 grains of Bullseye which shoot fine. This 1937 shoots low and to the left at 25 yards and thirty years ago I could hold the fine sight at the two o:clock position on an NRA timed and rapid fire target at 25 yards and deliver every shot in the black. (Not any more) (That was before cornea damage and torn retinas.) Of course I don't think they can be had at $150 anymore..

[Drm50]

I have Colt and S&W 1917 as well as two S&W m25-2s. I shoot cast 185gr target bullet for 45acp at 750 fps in all them. I hate moons of any kind and have shot very few 45acps and only in the 1917 S&W. I load 45ar brass and it last forever and you don't have to fool with moons. My cast is fairly soft but I'm just shooting paper with these guns. I always have the best luck with softest mix I can get away with in target loads.I like the S&W 1917 better than the Colt. Thing is the Colt prints with the sights at 25', the S&W shoots 3" high at same range. The 25-2s will shoot good as you can hold them.

[Harter66]

I don't understand why with a demooning tool it's a big deal to use the clips . I had a few , and I got with a friend that bought a S&W Governor and we split 100 getting a bonus pack with 5 additional nickle plated clips . At today's rate that's $0.81 each from Revolver Supply . My demooner holds 12 cases and is made from a steel golf club grip . I don't know how many rounds y'all shoot per trip but I find that 25-30 clips is enough being 3-4 boxes of loaded ammo . I have zero case loss , so far the clips don't seem to be anywhere near as fragile as is often suggested . I only have 65 clips . The other point is that I can actually unload and load the clips while I catch up on the news or watch a movie or something as it truly is a mindless operation . I stack 14 per layer in a 30 cal ammo can and it would hold 4 layers or 56 loaded clips . They also pack nicely in the big bore pill bottles 3 at a time in the tall ones . I can load about 40 an hour I guess , it takes about 15 seconds to unload 2 and dump them in the trays or tumbler , all done while otherwise just wasting time .

[justashooter]

these revolvers should not be hot loaded. i have a 1915 canadian contract for 455 that has been re-cut to 45 ACP, and the steel is soft by comparison to modern handgun steel. stay around 700 FPS with a 230 grain.

[35 Whelen]

these revolvers should not be hot loaded. i have a 1915 canadian contract for 455 that has been re-cut to 45 ACP, and the steel is soft by comparison to modern handgun steel. stay around 700 FPS with a 230 grain.

Well, they were originally chambered in 45 ACP, whose chamber pressure is 21,000 psi. What do you consider "hot loaded"?

35W

[Outpost75]

I have heard and read this for about 1/2 of a century but have never seen or held such in my hand. Granted, I prefer S&W but even my friends who are Colt collectors have not found a straight chambered Colt. I wonder if the military did not either require Colts to correct the cylinders or if they were recylindered by the various armories when returned for servicing.

Kevin

My Colt New Service .45 ACP has exactly the same chamber dimensions as my .455, except for the difference in cylinder length where the .45 ACP is faced off at the rear to provide clip-clearance. If .45 ACP rounds are dropped into the chambers without the clip, the case heads are flush with the rear of the cylinder and the rounds come to a stop against the forward cone of the chamber, which is identical to my .455. Contrary to popular folklore, the chambers are not bored "straight through," but have a normal conical transition from the chamber body to the .456" diameter cylinder throats. The revolver shoots quite acceptably with ordinary GI hardball.

238715238717238718238722

Early production M1917s were in-fact assembled using existing stocks of leftover .455 cylinders from the British and Canadian orders, simply facing them off to provide clip clearance, as a manufacturing expedient.

Once the excess .455 cylinders were used up, then purpose-built .45 ACP cylinders were produced having the appropriate square stop surface to headspace on the case mouth, instead of depending upon the clips, so that loose ammunition could be used in an emergency. If revolvers were recylindered during repair or refurbishment, replacement cylinders would have been those purpose-built to .45 ACP.

[StrawHat]

My Colt New Service .45 ACP has exactly the same chamber dimensions as my .455, except for the difference in cylinder length where the .45 ACP is faced off at the rear to provide clip-clearance. If .45 ACP rounds are dropped into the chambers without the clip, the case heads are flush with the rear of the cylinder and the rounds come to a stop against the forward cone of the chamber, which is identical to my .455. Contrary to popular folklore, the chambers are not bored "straight through," but have a normal conical transition from the chamber body to the .456" diameter cylinder throats. The revolver shoots quite acceptably with ordinary GI hardball.

238715238717238718238722

Early production M1917s were in-fact assembled using existing stocks of leftover .455 cylinders from the British and Canadian orders, simply facing them off to provide clip clearance, as a manufacturing expedient.

Once the excess .455 cylinders were used up, then purpose-built .45 ACP cylinders were produced having the appropriate square stop surface to headspace on the case mouth, instead of depending upon the clips, so that loose ammunition could be used in an emergency. If revolvers were recylindered during repair or refurbishment, replacement cylinders would have been those purpose-built to .45 ACP.

I was not aware of the use of the 455 cylinders at the start of the production. Thank you for that information.

Kevin

[Thumbcocker]

FWIW Hatcher wrote that the 1917's had a life of 5000 rounds of ball ammo. He talked about getting new ones to test and shooting them loose with 5000 rounds over the course of a day or two. Always makes me sad to read that.

[Outpost75]

FWIW Hatcher wrote that the 1917's had a life of 5000 rounds of ball ammo. He talked about getting new ones to test and shooting them loose with 5000 rounds over the course of a day or two. Always makes me sad to read that.

Given the metallurgy of the time, I don't find that at all surprising.

Consider that the .455 Webley and .45 Colt cartridges generated a maximum chamber pressure of about 14,000 psi, whereas the .45 ACP service round normally runs about 18,000 and may reach or slightly exceed 20,000 psi in some lots. BTW, you get the exact same result shooting .38 Special +P vs. standard pressure ammo in an S&W Model 10 or Colt Police Positive Special.

The 5000 round endurance test is a fairly standard industry benchmark.

[Thumbcocker]

I think that the shallow rifling also played a part in the barrels washing out. IIRC Elmer wrote wearing out a 1917 barrel shooting 1925 match ammo in it.

[Dale53]

When I was a shooter at Camp Perry, “back in the day”, the Advanced Marksmanship gunsmiths told me that they had to replace the 1911 Match gun barrels every 5000 rounds to maintain accuracy. Cast bullet barrels will last nearly forever...(I have 100,000 rounds of full charge .45 ACP cast loads through my IPSC CUSTOM 1911 and it still shoots with match accuracy). Ray Chapman told me he had 200,000 rounds through his Pachmayr custom 1911 and it still shot well (cast bullets).

I have made a point of shooting ONLY my own cast bullets through my 625’s. They have had 5000-7500 rounds a year through them for many years with no issues (mostly match loads).

FWIW
Dale53

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I'm really wanting one of these revolvers and was wondering who here might have loaded for them?

35W
I owned this S&W 1917 for several years, I do regret selling it. While it had some wear, it was a very good shooter. I'll mention that I got better accuracy with heavier boolits, Like the Lee 452-255-RF.

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/100_2115croppedandreduced.jpg

[murf205]

I had a Colt and sold it like a fool. It was tight as a fish's butt and shot really well with 230 gr RN cast from straight coww from a Lyman 2 cav mold. I used Unique and it was fun with Starline Auto Rim cases. Why, oh why, do we sell these things and wish we had them back so soon????

[one-eyed fat man]

My long time shooting buddy has a 1937 Brazilian that shoots like a house afire. Looks like it came from the bilge of a submarine but I could hit a a mailbox with it pretty regularly at about 80 yards, much to his wife's displeasure. If he sees this post, he can verify that, for certain. My Model 25 has a tough time keping them on a number 3 washtub at half the distance.

On the other hand, my Colt New Service revolvers, a 1915 in .455, a 1916 in .45 colt and the M1917 all shoot about the same, into 3-4 inches at 25 yards. I've got moon clips, but much prefer using Auto Rim brass. If rapid reloads are really needed for anything besides "bowling with bullets" pistol matches, I have autoloaders for that mission.

[justashooter]

my point is that the metallurgy and heat treatment of 1915 was not an exact science. anything post-1930 in USA would have better process and material controls, so you can get a 25-2 ****ed hot, but the older guns are just not as strong. use loads giving less than 350 foot pounds energy if your gun is a WW1 piece.

[Thumbcocker]

Older model 25's were prone to very large cylinder mouths. I had a 6.5" that was absolutely beautiful but not much of a shooter. I got a 625 1989 that is scary accurate. I have read that Smith would replace oversized cylinders on 25's back in the day. Might be worth checking our.

[Harter66]

My September 1918 example doesn't seem to reflect anything but perfection proper stepped chamber , nil headspace , tiny cylinder gap .

[Baltimoreed]

238809I don’t have a 1917 but I’ve got a slew of Colt New Services and N frame Hand Ejectors. All of my revolvers are or were martial .455s except for an original NS in .38spcl and a 7.5 inch .38-40. They’ve been rechambered to .45lc, .45acp, .38 and one to .45 Schofield? of all things. Be warned that they will rap the heck out of your knuckles if you load them hot. I load my .45s light but love my .38s, a sweet shooter in a gun that big.