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Smith & Wesson’s Model 1917 revolver was essentially a Modified version of the .455 Second Model Hand Ejector that the company had built in large numbers for the Commonwealth nations. In addition to chambering the revolver for the .45 ACP round, modifications to the gun included shortening the barrel to 5-1/2 inches and slightly reducing bore size to better fit the .451" diameter .45 ACP bullet. Other changes were mainly cosmetic. Gone was the commercial grade finish of the .455, replaced by a faster, more utilitarian soft blue. Instead of being finely checkered, the walnut stocks of the Model 1917 were left smooth, another concession to increased production speed.

Those measures taken to expedite manufacture of the Model 1917 didn’t diminish the gun’s functional qualities. It proved to be a rugged, reliable substitute for the 1911. Packing the same ballistic punch as its semi-auto counterpart, and quickly re-loadable by means of the half-moon clips, Smith & Wesson’s service revolver apparently was the side arm of choice for some U.S. troops. In the December 1999 issue of the NRA periodical Man At Arms, firearms historian Charles Pate presents a detailed study of the Smith & Wesson Model 1917. Author Pate writes that Military Police units reportedly preferred the Model 1917 revolver to the 1911 pistol.