The Savage automatics were very well made guns, and the 10 shot magazine was a plus. The trigger mechanism was a bit delicate and finicky. Old gun books said that if heavily used, they could start to fire more than one shot per trigger pull. I don't recall seeing this in newer works.
The thing that looks like a hammer is not a hammer. It is a cocking piece attached to the striker (this is a striker fired gun). When the striker is down, apparently the tip of it rests directly on the primer of the cartridge in the firing chamber, which is not good. It is better to keep it "cocked and locked" if it is loaded.
They are not very hard to take apart. You lock the slide to the rear with the safety catch, pull the cocking piece back as far as it will go, and rotate the rear part of the slide, which is the bolt + striker assembly, about 90 degrees. You can then pull it out to the rear and take the slide off to the front by releasing the safety catch. IIRC, the trigger bar can fall out now, so watch it.
This one is a 32ACP, unless my sense of proportion is really shot. Early on, Savage had ammunition made under its own name, so you can find some rounds marked "32 ASP", for "Automatic Savage Pistol". They are not common.
barnetmill's second photo above shows all three models of the Savage pistol. The middle gun, with the concealed "hammer" and the grip safety (and last-shot hold-open) is the Model 1915, which was made for just one year (which was 1916, for some reason, just like your Model 1917 did not go into production until 1920). The 1917's were made in smaller numbers than the 1908, and the 1915 is the really rare one.
