WW1 US ARMY M1917 OFFICERS PISTOL BELT RIG ROSTER

WW1 US Army Officer's Pistol Belt with Leather M1917 Holser. Belt rig is in excellent condition still retaining the three pocket ammo pouch for M 1917 revolver, that is maker marked R. H. Long and dated 7-18. Leather holster is still very supple and is maker marked to the reverse G.& K. 1918 and was inspected by L.A.G. The pistol belt itself is manufactured by Mills and is dated 1918 as well. Excellent Military service and later use From 1917 to 1919, Colt and Smith & Wesson produced 151,700 and 153,300 M1917s in total (respectively) under contract with the War Department for use by the American Expeditionary Force. The revolver saw prolific use by the "Doughboys" during World War I, with nearly two-thirds as many M1917s being issued and produced during the war as M1911s were. The military service of the M1917 did not end with the First World War. In November of 1940, the Army Ordnance Corps recorded a total of 96,530 Colt and 91,590 S&W M1917s still in reserve. After being parkerized and refurbished, most of the revolvers were re-issued to stateside security forces and military policemen, but 20,993 of them were issued overseas to "specialty troops such as tankers and artillery personnel" throughout the course of U.S. involvement in World War II. During the Korean War they were again issued to support troops. The M1917s were even used by members of the "tunnel rats" during the Vietnam War. Overall, the two variants of the M1917 enjoyed over fifty years of service in the U.S. armed forces.