Quote:
I have a S & W .45 ACP w/ "S & W D. A. 45" stamped on the right side of the barrel...
It is nickel plated.
Checkered wood grips.
SN#634XX
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It's a .45 U.S. Army Model of 1917, commonly known as an M1917, made in 1918. A correct original one should have the text U.S. ARMY MODEL 1917 oriented vertically on the butt and the text UNITED STATES PROPERTY underneath the barrel flat. All M1917s originally had 6-1/2" barrels.
The military M1917s, which accounted for the vast majority of production, had blued finish and usually had smooth walnut grips. A few commercial-market M1917s were sold with nickel finish and checkered grips, which could make yours valuable if the finish and grips are original, but I'll caution you that they're probably not. Many M1917s were sold off during the 30s and 40s when military surplus guns were regarded as cheap tools. Distributors often gussied them up to squeeze a few more bucks out of them when they were resold. A few pictures may reveal whether the gun was refinished, because a low-quality refinish (and most were low-quality) is usually easy to spot.
FWIW one of the common modifications was to cut the barrel to a more carry-friendly ~4-1/2" length; such guns are known among collectors as "Indy Specials" after a famous fictional character who carried one.
