New to me Colt M1917

[browningautorifle]

I guess what I was really asking was if writing a name or battle locations and dates was "a thing" soldiers did, Has anyone seen this before?

I had a Krag school gun that had obviously been a rifle before and it had names of ports and Chinese cities written inside the stock under the barrel.

[82Trooper]

Nice. Very special and irreplaceable...

Seeing the writing there did make my heart beat a little faster....for me, I don't care if it add's any monetary value to this piece. The value comes from holding this in my hand and wondering if some long forgotten dough boy (forgotten until now) carried this with him across no man's land.... they physical link to history is priceless.

[browningautorifle]

some long forgotten dough boy

Then it came home in his duffle...

[82Trooper]

Then it came home in his duffle...

Seems like a fair trade for what he and his comrades survived!

[RCS]

I have a few Colt Model 1917 and S&W Model 1917 revolvers that were parkerized and rebuilt for WW2 service, that also had inspectors stamps
such as GHD and others.

[mrclark303]

What a unique piece of history, a true piece of American and WW1 history.

I would say the grip inscription adds considerably to its value.