.45 Acp Revolvers - Back in March 2018, I wrote about my custom Fitz'ed Colt Official Police. 38 exclusively here on these pages. Friends can tell from my story that I have only a passing interest in revolvers that have received the Fitz treatment.
Daryl Boelke also wrote about the Fitz-style revolver here in April 2020. For a more in-depth discussion of what makes a real Fitz, a pseudo-Fitz, and a recreated Fitz, please see these previous presentations.
.45 Acp Revolvers
In this section, I will share the story of my latest acquisition. It goes like this: Once upon a time, I was looking at Gunbroker - that online bait site that occasionally offers bargains, amazing speculative prices, speculation and generic guns, and, every once in a while, a really neat item that just strikes a chord.. The charm of one person.
The Fantastic .45 Acp: Five Inexpensive 1911 Alternatives
I don't go to Gunbroker very often unless I'm really looking for a specific item. But as happens with most things on the Internet, I found myself going down that rabbit hole and ended up six degrees away from my original quest. This particular time, I typed "Fitz" into the search box. This resulted in a general return to one page of new, vintage Fitz brand grips and newly made Fitz-Colt embroidered patches.
But on this occasion, another item was on display - a match for a Colt 1917 double-action revolver. This wasn't just any 1917, this was one that had been fielded at some point during its 102-year lifespan. According to the serial number taken from an auction photo, this Colt was made in 1919.
The US Army Model 1917 was the military designation of two different revolvers - one made by Colt and the other by Smith & Wesson. The Colt New Service (in 45 Colts) and the S&W Second Model .44 Hand Ejector were revolvers in commercial production in 1917 when the United States entered World War I. While the Colt 1911 .45 ACP semi-automatic pistol was the official handgun of the US military, despite increased production from contracts with other companies, there wasn't enough to go around. As a result, two American revolver manufacturers were asked to help by converting their larger caliber revolvers to handle semi-automatic rimless pistol ammunition, .45 ACP.
Smith & Wesson invented crescent clips made of spring steel that hold three rounds each. Two of these cylinders filled all six chambers, and the pump on the ejector rod allowed all six fired cases to be consumed at the same time.
Caliber 45 Hi Res Stock Photography And Images
A crescent clip holds three rounds of ammunition and two of them fill the cylinder and eject all at the same time. Image courtesy of Steve Tracy
The 1917 pistol had a rope ring attached to the stock and both were stamped "Property of the United States" below the barrel.
In recent decades, Smith & Wesson has produced modern revolvers chambered for the .45 ACP pistol, and full moon clips allow all six rounds to be loaded and ejected quickly in these pistols. Full moon pistons serve as speed loaders that stay in the cylinder and load much faster.
Most of the military was killed in 1917 and then resurrected for reuse in World War II. When they came out of storage, they were refinished in a Parkerized, matte gray/black/blue instead of their original, beautifully polished, 1917-era blue.
Shooting The Smith & Wesson 625 .45 Acp Revolver
Both the Colt and S&W 1917 revolvers had 5 1/2 inch long barrels. They were large revolvers, chambered for defensive cartridges for which plenty of military surplus ammunition was available - suitable for civilian use.
At some point, many of these 1917s made it to the civilian market, with their old world, beautiful Colt blue still intact. So it came up for auction during my random internet search. It is easy to tell the difference between World War I use and World War II use because of the two different finishes.
This particular Colt 1917 already had the barrel professionally cut to 2 1/2-inches, and a new Colt front sight was attached. The hammer was drilled to avoid stoppage when drawn from the pocket, and the front of the trigger guard was removed.
The re-crowned barrel muzzle has been shortened to 2 1/2-inches and features a new Colt front sight affixed to the top of the patent dates. Image courtesy of Steve Tracy
S&w Model 25 2 Revolver (model Of 1955) 45 Acp Revolver
These were all hallmarks of Fitz's classic style, as countless guns have demonstrated - both accomplished pros and basement/garage types. The lanyard ring on this revolver has been removed, the hole in the bottom of the grip has been plugged, and the markings have also been removed. The sharp corners of the lower butt were slightly rounded and the original walnut stocks (serial numbers on the inside of the gun) were also contoured to match.
The WW1 bright polished blue still looks great, even with some dings and handling marks. Image courtesy of Steve Tracy
The original bright blue finish appears to have been retained in the online photos, although plenty of staining and handling wear is evident. The protruding Colt horse on the left side of the frame and the Eagle-over-S20 ordnance approval mark looked sharp, and the screws appeared to be "pristine".
I looked at the gun and clicked the "View" button. I went back to it as the auction went down over the next few days. In the description it said that it is tightly closed and has a smooth action and a good opening. A Colt 1917 for a shooter would cost about $800, and sending it to a quality gunsmith—Bobby Tyler at Tyler Gun Works—to do all this custom work would probably triple the cost.
Gun Test: Charter Arms Pitbull In .45 Acp
Both the bold Colt trademark (lower right) and the eagle gunmark above the S20 (above, in the upper rear corner of the cylinder window) were still sharp, indicating that the finish had not been re-red. Image courtesy of Steve Tracy.
And it still won't be as good as this! When was this Fitz style work done in 1917? Maybe in the 1930s or 40s? Maybe even the 50s? Who did the work? None of this really matters. For some it is a "destroyed" gun or its collectible value is "destroyed". I didn't love it for that reason, I loved it because it looked really neat. I wanted to record it. in steel. very close. from the case. The way it was designed to shoot, with its Fitz features.
I waited until the end of the auction and then bid on this big pesky sloth and got it. When it arrived at my local, small FFL store, he was a little confused about what I had purchased. . . and why I tried to explain to him. He's a relatively new gunsmith (some say gun culture 2.0) and didn't know the history of John H. Fitzgerald. When he asked, I explained. I think he felt like Groucho Marx when I continued with my answer, and he might have wanted to shout, "I withdraw the question!"
Newly purchased guns, whether brand new from the manufacturer or old used guns that are new to you, should be thoroughly cleaned and oiled before shooting. Upon inspection, I realized I got a very good deal on a real sweet old man. The gun performed well and the action was as good as the day it left the Colt factory. The finish was original except where the gun had nicks on the hammer, trigger guard, bottom of the grip and barrel. All these places were reddened again and the work was well done.
The .45 Acp: History & Performance
The "United" in "United States property" was removed with the rest of the barrel. Image courtesy of Steve Tracy
While the left side of the barrel is a Colt D.A. kept Marked 45, the front sight was mounted on the top of the barrel with the remaining patent date inscribed and the stamp on the underside now simply reads "PROPERTY OF THE STATE".
My large hands are no match for the factory grip, and the thought of shooting 230 grain factory ball ammo with that grip profile made my hand hurt before I let a single round down.
The rope ring was removed and its hole plugged, the markings "US Army Model 1917 and not" were removed, and the lower sharp edges of the handle were re-contoured and softened. Image courtesy of Steve Tracy.
Revolver Smith & Wesson 625 Caliber 45 Acp Stock Photo
Replacing the old walnut stocks with your own big grips would be a crime. The answer was a grip adapter - either the old Tyler T-Grip (no relation to Bobby Tyler), or the even older Mershon (later Pachmeyer) "Sure Grip" from Glendale, California. I found one of these for sale on eBay. It fills out the grip perfectly and matches the style of this revolver perfectly, while the uniquely curved wooden stock (which may be a little shorter, as the bottom of the right grip is missing a small piece of wood where the locating pin could be. As can be seen - it might be
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