Have owned it for better then 10 years now but fired it very little, 50-80 rounds hard ball in half moon clips. Always thought it was a quality gun but I read in one of the COTW books the barrel is soft, the cly is weak and that's why the low pressure, lead bullet .45 auto rim was developed.
Is this true? Do I just have a wall hanger?
The writers and editor of COTW in the entry for the 45 auto rim section do make some points here that they don't make in the 45 acp section. They also seem to confuse a point or two.
They do not say that the 1917 revolvers either from Colt or S&W were junk though. It's unclear what guns they consider "fragile" and fragile in comparison to what? Make no mistake any revolver made 80 years or more ago is more fragile than wheelguns made more recently. If you want to go to the range and make like Jerry Miculik a 625 would be a better choice than the 1917.
It is true that 98 years ago few revolvers were made with the intention of using jacketed ammo in them and it has long been known that...
1.) Neither Colt nor S&W had a lot of experience at that point in heat treating revolver barrels and cylinders and the metal was softer then it would become later as they got better steels and alloys and heat treating. So the barrels are "soft" compared to later guns. (also true for the early 1911 frames.)
2) It's known that a steady diet of jacketed bullets wore out the barrels on the older guns more rapidly than with lead bullets.
COTW also quotes Bill Falin who for many years was chief ballistician for the powder maker Accurate Arms. Falin is a well respected shootist (google bill falin-accurate arms) and knowledgeable guy. He says that he was experimenting with the old revolvers with jacketed loads with a 230 gr. bullet at a true 950 fps from the muzzle. They say he noted significant muzzle wear after a while of this. Likely true. That's a hot load for the old guns.
COTW then makes the mistake of saying that the load Falin was experimenting with was the original load for the army ammo. But it wasn't. The 230 gr, load went between 825-850 fps from the 5" barrel. About the same from the 1911. That is what the army wanted.
The auto rim cartridge, as folks have said, was developed by the Peters company so folks would not have to mess with half moon clips. They sold it in boxes loaded with lead bullets. It was never loaded to lower pressures than standard 45acp in commercial form unless for target work.
tipoc