A shorter cylinder was designed to allow use of the half-moon clips designed by Smith & Wesson for their 1917 revolver. 45 ACP cartridge by implementing a wider cylinder stop lug to keep the cylinder in place when the cylinder was swung out to load as well as a tapered barrel. Later acceptance cartouches were an eagle’s head with letter/number codes beneath the eagle used to identify the inspector.Ĭolt’s M1909 New Service revolver’s basic design was modified for the. Later productions have the “GHS” initials of AIO Army Officer Gilbert H. The initials “JMG” of Army Inspector of Ordnance John M. 45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) round adopted in 1911. The Colt M1909 New Service revolver was chambered for the rimmed. 45 caliber M1909 Colt New Service revolver. 38 caliber M1892 revolver was replaced by the. 38 Long Colt (LC) caliber Colt Model 1892 service revolvers lacked adequate stopping power against a determined enemy. The Army’s experience in fighting during the Moro Rebellion of 1899 in the Philippine Islands revealed that the standard-issue. The Colt and S&W designs are totally different only the caliber is the same.Ĭontract discussions began in the spring of 1917, but due to a lack of funding, Colt’s contract was not let until October of that year.

45 caliber revolvers to supplement the standard 1911 pistol. Inadequate supplies of the 1911 pistol resulted in contracts being awarded to Colt and Smith & Wesson (S&W) to manufacture. When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, the standard handgun for the U.S. However, the revolver served in relatively large numbers in both World War I and World War II. The history, use and details of revolvers fielded by the military have often been overshadowed by their semiautomatic counterparts. Early production Colt Model 1917 revolver with serial number 194303.

Colt new service revolver frame size