I'm really warming up to the Colt 1917

[qz2026]

For quite some time I have drooled at the thought of a 1917 in .45 Colt or .45 ACP. I'm finally at the point where I am looking seriously. But, as with everything that has to do with Milsurp firearms, especially when contemplating purchasing one of these, I need a little education. Laying out $80 for a Mosin sight unseen is one thing but this is different. So, what things should I seriously consider prior to laying out the substantial cash for one of these? I've seen them range from $700 to over $1,200. I really don't know how to evaluate one from the other. I think as in other surplus items you can shell out major coinage for a pristine example and much less for not so pristine pistols. I usually try to balance these things. I'm not looking for one to keep under glass that is purely a collector piece, but one that is in good shape and one that I will shoot often. I've seen several listed, some with incorrect grips, some that look like they need a good cleaning and others that look pretty good to me. One thing that I have noticed in these listings is that bore quality is not mentioned often and I have yet to see one with actual bore shots. So, please educate me on what I should be looking for and what a reasonable price would be for a "nice" one.

[steelbuttplate]

My son's got one made about 15 yrs. ago. I could hunt deer with it. He couldn't hit a fat bull in the ass. I don't know how to look for a good old one, they,ve had the shit shot outa them. Find somebody with a good shooting old one to look at, then you'll know what your looking fer.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Most I have seen were in very good condition, generally they were the .45acp models with the stepped cylinder to prevent .45LC. They haven't been lower than $350 in at least 25-30 years or longer. Colt revolvers tend to hold value, I have not heard of anyone hunting with them. You could get half or full moon clips for it, they acted like a speedloader except you insert the clip with the ammo and it ejects as a unit. They were needed when using .45acp as the cylinder is designed to extract a rimmed case, otherwise you ate pulling cases out one at a time.

[steelbuttplate]

My son's got one made about 15 yrs. ago. I could hunt deer with it. He couldn't hit a fat bull in the ass. I don't know how to look for a good old one, they,ve had the shit shot outa them. Find somebody with a good shooting old one to look at, then you'll know what your looking fer.

Sorry, I read .45 acp and was thinking about 1911 auto's. I don't think they made any 1917's 15 yrs ago. I got shot in the face today, schrapnel, shooting at railroad steel w/ steel core Mosin @ 25 yd. Good thing my Angels were with me.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Someone shot you in the face???? I assume you pounded them flatter than hammered shit after you got out the hospital. How many stitches? What path did the bullet take? Lose any teeth? I bet that's gonna leave a mark!

[qz2026]

My son's got one made about 15 yrs. ago. I could hunt deer with it. He couldn't hit a fat bull in the ass. I don't know how to look for a good old one, they,ve had the shit shot outa them. Find somebody with a good shooting old one to look at, then you'll know what your looking fer.

Sorry, I read .45 acp and was thinking about 1911 auto's. I don't think they made any 1917's 15 yrs ago. I got shot in the face today, schrapnel, shooting at railroad steel w/ steel core Mosin @ 25 yd. Good thing my Angels were with me.

LOL... I was thinking the same thing but gave you a pass But shooting steel at 25 yards with any Mosin round is , ahhh, yes... not advised..

[steelbuttplate]

Someone shot you in the face???? I assume you pounded them flatter than hammered shit after you got out the hospital. How many stitches? What path did the bullet take? Lose any teeth? I bet that's gonna leave a mark!

The evil cousin did it, with a AR .223. Just a tiny piece. My wife got it out with tweezers. I took cover after that until he was done. Yes, shooting glasses were on.

[steelbuttplate]

Someone shot you in the face???? I assume you pounded them flatter than hammered shit after you got out the hospital. How many stitches? What path did the bullet take? Lose any teeth? I bet that's gonna leave a mark!

The evil cousin did it, with a AR .223. Just a tiny piece. My wife got it out with tweezers. I took cover after that until he was done. Yes, shooting glasses were on.

I've never hammered any shit, to messy. I've stepped in a lot. Does it get flatter when you hammer it? I even fell back in some one one time. Always check the weight bearing efficiency of a log when you shit in the woods.

[qz2026]

Well, I'm learning a little more. Evidently the 1917 was a .45 ACP and the 1909 New Service was the .45 long colt. But am running into .455 Eley's that I'm not much interested in. The search is getting to be more fun now..

[steelbuttplate]

A friend at work a while back had a 1917 with British marks all over, it was .455 Webley

[qz2026]

A friend at work a while back had a 1917 with British marks all over, it was .455 Webley

Yes, I want to stay away from those although I have read that some were converted to .45 LC. Not worth the risk for me.

[hudson29]

I can't speak to the Colt but I do have a Smith & Wesson 625 in Stainless with a 3" barrel. The Smith is magnificent to handle & shoot and its a real tack driver. The only issue is the moon clips. It is tough to get the 45ACP in & out of them with just fingers & thumbs. There is a plastic two piece tool that allows simple easy rotary loading & unloading of the clips. Once this is done, the revolver itself is very quick & easy to load. One more nice thing, with a revolver, you can shoot 45 ACP and not have to chase brass . . .

[qz2026]

I can't speak to the Colt but I do have a Smith & Wesson 625 in Stainless with a 3" barrel. The Smith is magnificent to handle & shoot and its a real tack driver. The only issue is the moon clips. It is tough to get the 45ACP in & out of them with just fingers & thumbs. There is a plastic two piece tool that allows simple easy rotary loading & unloading of the clips. Once this is done, the revolver itself is very quick & easy to load. One more nice thing, with a revolver, you can shoot 45 ACP and not have to chase brass . . .

[Junk Yard Dog]

[entropy]

My son's got one made about 15 yrs. ago. I could hunt deer with it. He couldn't hit a fat bull in the ass. I don't know how to look for a good old one, they,ve had the shit shot outa them. Find somebody with a good shooting old one to look at, then you'll know what your looking fer.

Sorry, I read .45 acp and was thinking about 1911 auto's. I don't think they made any 1917's 15 yrs ago. I got shot in the face today, schrapnel, shooting at railroad steel w/ steel core Mosin @ 25 yd. Good thing my Angels were with me.

Colt didn't, but S&W did. I missed the perfect one for me; A basket case Colt M1917 the shop gunsmith at the first gun shop I worked at rebuilt. It had a 4" barrel, refinished in a matte blued finish, and he tuned the action pretty well for not having been trained on them. $225. I was newly married and the only way to swing it would have been to trade my snub Python or the AR I'd just built.

Yeah, I don't shoot at steel less than 100 yards away with a rifle, and the last pistol gong I shot at was 75 yards, with a friend's Kimber. Put all 8 on it.

[entropy]

I can't speak to the Colt but I do have a Smith & Wesson 625 in Stainless with a 3" barrel. The Smith is magnificent to handle & shoot and its a real tack driver. The only issue is the moon clips. It is tough to get the 45ACP in & out of them with just fingers & thumbs. There is a plastic two piece tool that allows simple easy rotary loading & unloading of the clips. Once this is done, the revolver itself is very quick & easy to load. One more nice thing, with a revolver, you can shoot 45 ACP and not have to chase brass . . .

Yeah my Dad had a Model of 1989, 5". I loved shooting it, I was mad when he sold it before offering it to me. He regretted selling it later. He just bought a 625JM, plans on keeping that. (We'll see)

[hudson29]

Yeah my Dad had a Model of 1989, 5". I loved shooting it, I was mad when he sold it before offering it to me. He regretted selling it later. He just bought a 625JM, plans on keeping that. (We'll see)

What is a JM? I know Smith made a number of special editions with somewhat different features. Mine is just Plain Jane which is fine by me. I enjoy handling & shooting it.

[SA1911a1]

I can't speak to the Colt but I do have a Smith & Wesson 625 in Stainless with a 3" barrel. The Smith is magnificent to handle & shoot and its a real tack driver. The only issue is the moon clips. It is tough to get the 45ACP in & out of them with just fingers & thumbs. There is a plastic two piece tool that allows simple easy rotary loading & unloading of the clips. Once this is done, the revolver itself is very quick & easy to load. One more nice thing, with a revolver, you can shoot 45 ACP and not have to chase brass . . .

Yeah my Dad had a Model of 1989, 5". I loved shooting it, I was mad when he sold it before offering it to me. He regretted selling it later. He just bought a 625JM, plans on keeping that. (We'll see)

If I buy a JM could I shoot like Jerry Miculek?

[entropy]

No, Steve, you'd still just shoot like Steve. But you'd look cool doing it.

[qz2026]

OK.... I did it