.45 Colt. 6.5" barrel. SN: 8494. Blued finish, color case hardened hammer and trigger, checkered square butt S&W medallion walnut grips. Double action, fluted swing out cylinder, 6-chambered revolver with frame notch rear and rounded blade front sights. Left side of barrel roll marked SMITH & WESSON, top of barrel with two-line Smith & Wesson address and patent date markings, ending with the "FEB. 6, 06" date. Matching serial numbers on the butt, rear face of the cylinder and under the barrel where it is concealed by the ejector rod. Matching assembly numbers 2997 in the frame cut out and on the crane. Right grip mismatched, numbered 152474. Left grip unnumbered, as appropriate. Birmingham proof house proofs on left of frame forward of cylinder, between the cylinder chambers and under the barrel where the proof load is listed as well as the .45 COLT caliber designation. Originally produced in the British military .455 Mk.II service cartridge chambering, some 69,754 of these revolvers were produced for sale to the British and Canadian governments between 1915 and 1917 for World War I use. After the war many, like this one, were rechambered for .45 Colt to make them more appealing on the commercial secondary market.