Читать книгу Gun Digest 2011 онлайн

113 страница из 495

In his article, Pate also discusses distribution and usage of the Smith &Wesson revolver, saying, “World War I use of the M1917 was fairly extensive, but primarily by combat support and combat services support troops rather than infantrymen or the cavalry…many thousands were shipped directly to ports of embarkation for subsequent shipment to Europe, and the revolvers clearly played a significant role in the war.”

Background research on the Model 1917 in my collection shows that it was shipped from the Smith & Wesson Factory to the Springfield Armory on June 8, 1918. The gun has the standard stampings of “UNITED STATES PROPERTY” on the underside of the barrel and “U.S. ARMY MODEL 1917” on the bottom of the grip frame behind the lanyard ring. It bears the usual Government inspector’s markings. These include a small provisional acceptance stamp on the left side of the frame behind the trigger, as well as the Ordnance insignia final acceptance stamp (a flaming bomb) on the left side of the frame in front of the hammer. Although this Model 1917 has obviously seen use, the overall condition of the gun is excellent. Regrettably, other than the information obtained from Smith &Wesson factory records, little is known about the history of this particular firearm. What role this revolver may have played in the War effort will probably forever remain a mystery.