Need advice on repairing/restoring a S&W 1917

[Preacherman]

Hi, all. I think this is my first thread in this forum! Ah, well, better late than never...

I've been offered a S&W 1917 revolver in .45 ACP (of course). It's rather a strange gun... let me tell you about it. It looks to have been nickel-plated at some point, but a previous owner apparently blew up his barrel with some defective ammo. He installed a blued barrel (NOT the original 1917 barrel - looks like something from an early Model 25), with a ramped, serrated front sight. The front 1½" of the barrel has been plated with what looks like a rough, matte silver paint, but isn't paint - it's definitely a plating of some kind. The rest of the barrel is blued, going into the frame, which is still nickel-plated.

After that ghastly description, now comes the good part! There seems to be a small amount of cylinder play and end-shake, but basically the action seems fine. I've been offered the gun for $200. I need to know roughly what it will cost to do the following:

1. Action job, including rectifying any "normal" wear and tear on the gun;

2. Re-finishing the gun, probably removing the plating and re-blueing it, since that was the original finish (although I'm open to alternative suggestions);

3. Any other "tweaks" that you knowledgeable ones would like to suggest to make the S&W 1917 a safe, usable firearm with modern ammunition. (I know not to use +P ammo in it, due to the early metallurgy - but what other areas need attention?).

Finally, is it worth undertaking this restoration, or is $200 simply too much money for this revolver? I've never owned one of the old 1917's, and am interested in this one as a piece of history: but I don't want a high-cost lemon-flavored piece of history!

Please advise. Many thanks in advance for your help.

 

[C.R.Sam]

Personal opinion....
200 bucks is way way too high.
After spending a few hundred on it the resale would be as a 50 percenter and retail for around 200 bucks.

With patience...
A shooter with bout 80 percent original finish left and good working condition should run about $220 if Gvt. $320 if commercial. And bout $100 if a bring back from Brazil.

Sam

 

[stans]

I have to agree with C.R. Sam, you are going to be paying $200 for what amounts to a parts gun and do you know the gunsmith that did the work? You would be amazed at the amount of poor quality gunsmithing out there and this specimen does not sound particularly promising. You will probably spend $200 to $300 in gunsmithing and a very basic bluing job, plus the $200 for the revolver, so you would have spent $400 to $500 on a parts gun. For that you could buy a nice model 1917 that needs little more than a new home. Just my two cents.

 

[JoeHatley]

I went through a similar exercise a few months ago. Picked up a pretty good 1917 commercial model off an auction site for $300. Needed some work on the cylinder and I decided to have it matt re-blued while it was in the shop. Total gunsmith bill was about $200.



So... now I've got $500 in a gun that's probably only worth $400 (on a good day). Would I do it again? Probably. It's a pretty good shooter, tons of fun, and I now know it's mechanically sound.

Heck... it's only money.

Joe

 

[C.R.Sam]

It's a pretty good shooter, tons of fun, and I now know it's mechanically sound. Heck... it's only money.

Well said Joe.
I would knock yours way down due to the re-finish if buyin, but if already had it, would treasure and enjoy it too.

Sam