You now have a choice between War Daddy and Indy
Smith & Wesson went the extra mile for wheel gun enthusiasts this week, paying tribute to the famed M1917 while also adding a revolver fans have waited years for.
As we have detailed in the past, the U.S. Army Model 1917 revolver in .45 ACP was one of the company’s first big N-frame “triple lock” revolvers. Using two 3-round “half-moon” clips or a single six-shot “full moon” to accommodate the rimless .45 ACP, 150,000 S&W M1917s were delivered to the Army before the end of the Great War, and they were often standard-issue for specialist soldiers such as dispatch riders, military police, tankers, and machine gunners through WWII.
Wartime S&W M1917s had plain wooden grips and a lanyard ring. (Photo: U.S. Army Signal Corps image circa 1918, via the National Archives)
The new “no lock” S&W Model 22 is headed to market in both a 1917 clone with much the same features as the original, along with a Classic variant that recalls the common conversion often seen with such “war babies,” primarily a shorter 4-inch barrel as seen in the famed “Stembridge” guns used by Dr. Jones in the 1981 classic, “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
The new S&W Model 22s, with the more “Indy” 4-inch Classic on the left, and the more “Fury” 1917 on the right. (Photos unless noted: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Side by side, you get a better idea of the differences. Both are N-frame .45s, but the Classic can use either .45 ACP or rimmed .45 Colt in its cylinder. Meanwhile, the 1917 is ACP only.
Both have smooth wood grips and a lanyard ring, recalling the revolver that was originally meant to fight the Kaiser.
Note the barrel-profile differences: the M1917 uses a simple half moon, while the Classic carries a red ramped front sight, like what you would see on a more modern combat magnum.
Either way, these are great-looking revolvers that look like they “belong in a museum” while still being range-ready.
Plus, with the Classic especially, you could make a case for it as a good sidearm for those headed into dangerous predator country when loaded with heavy cast bullets.
The MSRP on the new Smith & Wesson Model 22s in .45 is $1,299.