# Were (or are) military personnel allowed to customize their Government issued firearms? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 16, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-or-are-military-personnel-allowed-to-customize-their-government-issued-firearms/712858 "2015-02-16T21:35:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-or-are-military-personnel-allowed-to-customize-their-government-issued-firearms/712858/21 "2015-02-18T20:36:56Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Forgot to note that if you somehow managed to cram a .45 Colt into a 1917 revolver, get the cylinder closed, and fire it off, you could count on the gun failing in a most catastrophic fashion. Did you mean “cram a .45 ACP into a 1917 revolver …”? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-or-are-military-personnel-allowed-to-customize-their-government-issued-firearms/712858/22 "2015-02-18T21:13:24Z")
> [@Yarster](#): > > The owner is a family friend and his father served during the Korean War - not in theater, but rather, ferrying supplies back and forth between different Air Force bases in the country via aircraft. He died when he crashed his plane into a mountain in the fog carrying supplies from a California base destined for Nellis Air Force base in Nevada, which are all the details I have about the incident. Isn’t this a fairly famous crash, perhaps involving early personnel or cargo flights to Groom Lake? Or am I confusing this general instance with a more famous/notorious one? A C-something crashed on a mountaintop between Nellis and Groom? Still there at least until the 1970s-80s? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-or-are-military-personnel-allowed-to-customize-their-government-issued-firearms/712858/23 "2015-02-18T21:45:02Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Did you mean “cram a .45 ACP into a 1917 revolver …”? Nope. The 1917 revolver takes the .45 acp. The .45 Colt is much longer and rimmed. I think you would need a hammer to fit one in a 1917 cylinder. A somewhat interesting bit of trivia: 1917’s were made by both S&W and Colt on existing platforms from their product lines. They were required to share common ammo and moon clips, but have no common parts. The govt wanted to get .45 acp handguns to the troops quickly until production on the 1911 could catch up. 1917’s are some meaty revolvers and they served well in close combat both as gun and bludgeon. In WI I they served well again, though they typically were issued to troops other than front line infantry. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-or-are-military-personnel-allowed-to-customize-their-government-issued-firearms/712858/24 "2015-02-18T21:56:34Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Nope. The 1917 revolver takes the .45 acp. The .45 Colt is much longer and rimmed. I think you would need a hammer to fit one in a 1917 cylinder. > A somewhat interesting bit of trivia: 1917’s were made by both S&W and Colt on existing platforms from their product lines. They were required to share common ammo and moon clips, but have no common parts. The govt wanted to get .45 acp handguns to the troops quickly until production on the 1911 could catch up. 1917’s are some meaty revolvers and they served well in close combat both as gun and bludgeon. In WI I they served well again, though they typically were issued to troops other than front line infantry. Ignorance fought. Thank you. I never followed the history of .45 revolvers closely and assumed the problem would be firing the modern more powerful but shorter .45 ACP in a revolver designed for the older, weaker, but physically longer .45 Long Colt. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-or-are-military-personnel-allowed-to-customize-their-government-issued-firearms/712858/25 "2015-02-19T04:14:11Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > The .45 Colt is much longer and rimmed. [Image of that](http://www.hsvpolice.com/Images3/caliber_bullets_4.JPG) (5th and last ones, of course). It’s harder to see the rim difference but you can if you look closely. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-or-are-military-personnel-allowed-to-customize-their-government-issued-firearms/712858/26 "2015-02-19T04:49:57Z")
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