The accompanying factory letter states that this three digit serial no. 145 S&W Model 1917 revolver was part of the first U.S. contract shipment. The revolver was shipped on November 6, 1917 and delivered to the U.S. Army, Springfield Armory, Springfield, Massachusetts, with a 5 1/2 inch barrel, early style hammer, blue finish, butt swivel, and smooth walnut grips. "UNITED STATES PROPERTY" marked on the underside of the barrel, "GHS" inspected frame, and matching serial numbers on the butt, right grip, cylinder, and barrel. The U.S. Army received approximately 163,000 of these revolvers found in the serial number range 1-169959. As no. 145 this example is an extremely early production gun.