[tallyhoe]

I take my 1939 walther hp to the range once a year. I dont see any harm in enjoying an old gun occasionally.

[nikrnic]

I'd never own anything without shooting it, at least once in a while. Im not a big collecter but i have some older pieces from the 60s, 70s. You to run em' to enjoy em' and to make sure they function properly.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[dataway]

Originally Posted by locomotivebreath

Says United States Property US Army on the starboard side .

Jeez, that's freakin beautiful ... what a nice find.

[vr1967]

Nice 1911A1. I used to shoot a 1911 I had. Still have 3-1911A1s

Still got 2 more Garands, but my daughters don’t like shooting then, so going to sell them, as I have no interest anymore.

Nice find. CMP just released a bunch of 1911 /a1s, but I have plenty

[Ponchy]

Originally Posted by locomotivebreath

I scored a really nice 1943 Remington-Rand 1911 yesterday ,it’s in excellent original condition . So do I at least shoot it once ? What would you guys do ? I passed up on one made by Union Switch & Signal years ago and always regretted it , so I jumped pretty hard at this one .

Even if you're 99% sure its safe to fire, is it really that big of a deal to have your local gunsmith give it the once over and see if its really in as good a shape as you think it is?
...'smith should be able to help you with your other questions, as well.
Congrats on your latest grab, though.
Those don't fall in anyone's lap every day. -b

Ponchy

[Ponchy]

Originally Posted by Greg Reid

Interesting dilemma. I've had the same question about my wife's Grandfather's Army issue .45 DA Revolver. Pre 1911, in pretty nice original condition but not perfect condition. Definitely has more wear than the one you've pictured here. No one in her family wanted it so her Uncle left it to me. Also stamped U.S, Army with a lanyard ring on the butt. I've always been hesitant to fire it.

If there's no mention of the year 1909 on it, then its a 1917.
S&W (2nd Model Hand Ejector) and Colt (New Service) both built them during the AEF's involvement during WW1 due to a shortage of 1911's, coupled with Colt's inability to get the new design produced in adequate numbers within the allotted time.
The 1917's were chambered for .45 acp , the same round the 1911 shoots (1909's shoot .45 Colt).
You can use a "moon clip" or "half moon clips" to hold the rounds in the cylinder, but there should be a tiny shoulder in each chamber of those cyliinders that will allow the mouth of the cartridge to seat against, so (technically) you can shoot the gun without the use of clips.
You'll need a pencil or a thin stick to pop the fired rounds out, though, since the ACP has no rim for the ejector to grab (that's what the moon clips are for).
In 1920, a round called the ".45 Auto Rim" came out.
This was, essentially, a rimmed version of the .45 acp and designed for being used in those revolvers.
You cannot make AR's from Colt cases, due to differences in the rim.
The ejector of the 1917 will not catch the smaller rim of the Colt. It's also too thin to keep the cartridge seated in the chamber.
...SO...
Should you shoot it?
I'll give you the same answer I gave the OP....best bet is to let your local gunsmith give it the once over and let you know if its safe to fire.
They can also answer other questions you have, like value and when it was manufactured (even though the guns are called "1917", they were made up to 1937, to best of my knowledge).
Good luck and congrats on inheriting such an interesting specimen. -b


Ponchy

[Ponchy]

...one quick correction to the above....
When I wrote "If there's no mention of the year 1909 on it, then its a 1917. ", what I meant was it should say either 1909 or 1917 on the butt of the gun.
Apologies for my inability to say what I needed to say on that point.

[Greg Reid]

No problem Ponchy. Thanks for the insight. Been a few years since I've looked at it but I'm pretty sure it's chambered for .45 Colt. I'll take a look when I can think of it.

[Ponchy]

If its chambered in .45 Colt and it has the lanyard loop on the butt of the gun, it may be a 1909.
Look on the butt and it will tell you.
Also, if you question the gun's ability to fire safely BY ANY DEGREE, take it to a gunsmith and have it checked out.
You have to look at different things on a Revolver, than you do on a semi-auto, to determine if its safe to fire.


Ponchy.