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.
