Growing up, I didn’t have a whole lot of common interests with my father. Sure we hunted deer in the fall and birds once the winter chill began, but otherwise, we were relatively different people, and while we spent plenty of time together, shared passions weren’t very common. One thing that we both loved however, was Indiana Jones.
My father grew up in the Lucasfilm era, when Star Wars and Indiana Jones dominated, and a young George Lucas and Steven Spielberg were at the top of their game. Like all fathers, he took pleasure in sharing these films with me and my brothers. Indy was a bridge, and the character always reminded me of my father. Gruff and standoffish at times, but quick with a bit of sardonic humor. Rugged but knowledgeable. Even today when I toss one of those movies on, my Dad comes to mind instantly.
June 2021 marked 40 years of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and it returned to theaters in celebration. I of course invited father to join me, and the two of us saw the debut of Indy in the way it was meant to be seen. By 2021, I was in my mid 20’s, I had been in the firearms industry for six years, and had been running a blog on pop culture firearms (namely 007’s) for about a year. Seeing Indiana Jones like that reignited my interest in the revolvers that appeared in the movie, as well as a desire to own and use them.
The gun that caught my interest the most appears in one of the most iconic sequences in the film - the famed Cairo market shootout. Originally the sequence was meant to be an epic whip / sword fight. A nasty bout of dysentery had Harrison Ford unable to leave his trailer for more than 10 minutes or so at a time, leading to Ford famously asking, “Why don’t I just shoot the son of a bitch?” What followed is of course an incredible vignette in the film that encapsulates the character so well.
His weapon of choice - a cut down Smith & Wesson 2nd Model Hand Ejector. These pistols were manufactured by Smith & Wesson for the English in the First World War during the Lend-Lease era. The firm modified an existing pistol, the more expensive 1st Model Hand Ejector to be more budget friendly, removing a third lock from the cylinder, and the shroud that would encase the ejector rod - the British feared mud from the trenches would foul up that shroud and render the pistol useless. The revolver was also converted to accept the British .455 Webley cartridge.
Based on stills from a 2018 prop store auction, Indy’s gun began its life as such a pistol, before having its barrel cut down from 6” to 4.” Smith & Wesson’s “half moon” front sight was replaced with a ramped front sight, a modification that was popular to prevent holster snagging. Roughly 70,000 total units were manufactured by S&W for the contract by late 1916. Over the last few years I’ve hunted for an example revolver with little success - Smith & Wesson 2nd Model Hand Ejectors aren’t the cheapest surplus guns out there, or the easiest to find. That hunt continued up until recently, when in a moment of blind luck, I managed to find one for an absurd price at Guns.com
Somehow, I stumbled into an insane deal for a World War I, British proofed, Lend-Lease era pistol - in pretty stunning condition as well. The gun has a shaved cylinder, a practice common in the Post-War era, done to reconvert the revolver back to American cartridges instead of the .455 Webley. Unfortunately this modification has caused irreparable damage in some cases, blowing out the cylinder when firing. I intend fully to use this tool, and will be dropping in a .45 ACP 1917 cylinder to remedy the situation. I will also be working with my friend and renowned gunsmith Keith Ford to accurately modify the barrel and sight. When we are done, the Raiders revolver will be back in action and ready for daily carry. Guns carry with them history, and this one will now carry the memories of the Lend-Lease era, Post-War era, and its new lease on life and a lifetime of use and enjoyment in my collection. Just like that day in the theater in 2021, I am immensely looking forward to sharing the first moon clip of .45 ACP with my father.
The question of course has been raised, both by myself upon seeing just how well preserved this piece was and of course, by the internet - should I really be cutting up a piece of history?
To that I say, "Of Course!", Why? “Fortune and glory kid, fortune and glory.”