Smith and Wesson historians.

[Magus]

I am looking for information on a Smith I have heard rumors of, but do not know the name of. A Vietnam era military pilot's pistol, it might be either blue or parkerized, a revolver with a lanyard loop, I have heard smooth grips, checkered grips, or plastic grips, always in 45 L/C with moon clips. I've heard of this unicorn several times, but nobody can tell me the model number. It came up again the other day, and it's driving me nuts! One guy suggested it might be a 29 modded for tunnel clearing, but those were smoothbore.

 

[tubota3kd]

Based on everything I’ve seen or dealt with, nothing S&W made during that era really checks all those boxes. The only thing that comes close is the old Model 1917 but that’s a WWI/WWII piece, not something from Vietnam. It feels like you might be mixing a few different tales.....A dash of 1917 lore and a sprinkle of tunnel-rat rumors. If someone ever finds a real photo of this unicorn .45 LC pilot revolver, I’d be super curious to see it but right now, it feels more like a campfire legend than an actual S&W model number.

 

[Magus]

There were still 1917s in inventory at the time as tunnel rat guns. I've heard three different guys talk about them. Maybe they were a private purchase, but did Smith even have a 45 with a lanyard ring back then? Two of the stories have them as being in 45 LC using moon clips.

 

[Magus]

GPT said:
I'm a bit of a gun historian, In my life I have heard three different guys speak of 45 caliber revolvers carried in shoulder holsters and with lanyards, only one account said it was parkerized, two agree it was 45 Colt with ACP moons, One report had one with pearl handles, so it had to be a factory gun. ALL were talking about helicopter pilots, could it be they all met the same pilot?

Short answer: yes, it is entirely plausible they all met (or heard about) the same pilot—or the same type of pilot—and what you’re seeing is oral-history convergence, not proof of a standardized issue weapon.

Now the deep, careful historian’s answer.

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1. The​

This is the keystone that tends to mislead people.

Smith & Wesson did offer factory pearl stocks, but:

• They were special-order, low-volume, expensive
• Almost never paired with martial or duty finishes
• Strongly associated with presentation, personal purchase, or civilian guns

A parkerized S&W with pearl grips would be deeply atypical as a factory configuration, especially for any government contract. That combination screams private purchase + personal modification, not issue.

So the “it had pearl grips, therefore factory” conclusion is actually backwards.

Pearl grips were popular with pilots for the same reason engraved pistols and ivory grips were:

• Status
• Personal superstition
• A visible “this is mine, not Uncle Sam’s” marker

Pilots, especially helicopter pilots, were notorious for this.

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2. Parkerizing: rare but not impossible — and often post-factory​

S&W did not normally parkerize revolvers in this period outside of:

• Specific military contracts (e.g., Victory models earlier)
• Occasional special orders
• Later refinishes by military depots or civilian shops

A parkerized N-frame .45 in Vietnam could easily be:

• A commercial blued revolver refinished for corrosion resistance
• A gun sent through an armory refinish
• A field expedient “make it dull” job

So the single parkerized account does not imply a different model—just a different finish history.

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3. Lanyard rings + shoulder holsters = aviator culture, not regulation​

This part is extremely consistent.

• Shoulder holsters were the pilot carry method
• Lanyard rings were common on personally carried sidearms for aircrew
• Many pilots added lanyard rings to guns that didn’t ship with them

The Air Force and Army:

• Did not standardize lanyards on revolvers for pilots in Vietnam
• Did not prohibit them either

Again: personalization culture, not TO&E.

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4. The .45 Colt / .45 ACP moon clip combo is the smoking gun — but not in the way people think​

Here’s the crucial point:

There is no known U.S. military program or S&W contract that issued a .45 Colt revolver cut for ACP moon clips to helicopter pilots in Vietnam.

None. Not USAF. Not Army. Not Navy. Not Marines.

However:

• S&W N-frames in .45 Colt existed
• Moon-clip conversions absolutely existed
• .45 ACP logistics were ubiquitous
• Pilots loved redundancy and ammo flexibility

This exact setup makes perfect sense for:

• A single influential pilot
• A small social cluster
• Or a flight school / unit legend

Once one respected pilot shows up with a “hand cannon that eats anything,” others notice.

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5. Why helicopter pilots specifically?​

Helicopter pilots in Vietnam were:

• Closer to ground combat than fast-jet pilots
• More likely to be shot down in hostile territory
• More likely to privately arm themselves beyond issue

They also:

• Had more informal norms
• Traded stories constantly
• Passed around “that guy’s gun” lore

This is how micro-traditions form.

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6. Oral history pattern recognition (this is the historian’s part)​

What you’re describing matches a classic oral-history phenomenon:

• Multiple witnesses
• Same unusual configuration
• Minor differences (finish, grips)
• Same role (helo pilots)
• No paperwork trail

That usually means one of three things:

They literally encountered the same man​

Very possible. Vietnam aviation communities were small and rotated people through the same bases.

They encountered​

Also very likely. A respected pilot’s sidearm becomes “the cool setup.”

A single story propagated and became “I saw one”​

Common, but less likely here because of the technical consistency (moon clips + Colt).

My judgment, given your details?

Option 2 is the most likely.
One or two early adopters, copied informally.

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7. Why there’s no paper trail​

Because:

• It wasn’t issued
• It wasn’t contracted
• It wasn’t standardized
• It didn’t break rules

The military didn’t track:

• Private purchases
• Gunsmith mods
• Grip swaps
• Refinishes

So historians later go hunting for a unicorn that never officially existed.

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Final verdict (clean and honest)​

• Not a standardized Vietnam-era “pilot survival pistol”
• Not a documented S&W factory military model
• A very real, very plausible private-purchase S&W N-frame
• Modified to accept .45 ACP moon clips
• Carried by helicopter pilots
• Likely spread via aviator culture and imitation
• Pearl grips are evidence of personalization, not issue

And yes—it is absolutely possible they all met the same pilot, or men copying him.

 

[Brucer41]

Well, back in those days you could get all kinds of work done on guns. Quite possibly it was a gun that was passed through some hands and got worked over. Pilots tended to have flamboyant tastes on things.

 

[Brucer41]

Here is something that I got an answer along the lines of your question. I tried for giggles to find your unicorn and here is what I found out.

What actually exists: Smith & Wesson M1917 (.45 ACP)​

The closest real revolver that checks many of your boxes is the Smith & Wesson M1917:

• Large-frame double-action revolver
• Chambered for .45 ACP with moon clips (plus later .45 Auto Rim ammo) — so exactly the moon-clip thing you mention.
• Often has a lanyard loop on the butt — a common military feature.
• Originally blued, many later military refurb guns were parkerized.
• Grips varied — early military smooth walnut, later commercial/arsenal refits with checkered or aftermarket grips are common.
• Served from World War I through WWII and into Korea and Vietnam (to a limited degree) — especially in secondary roles such as training, MPs, or tunnel rat-type units who picked up old revolvers.

Key point: This gun is .45 ACP, not .45 Long Colt. People sometimes see old surplus pistols and assume “.45 caliber,” and combine that with moon clips — but classic M1917s are ACP, not Long Colt.

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So why might people misremember it as “.45 LC with moon clips”?​

Memory/rumor overlap​

1. .45 ACP vs .45 Long Colt confusion – both are “.45,” and non-shooters sometimes conflate them.
2. Commercial conversions – some people converted surplus M1917s with new cylinders to shoot other ammo, which leads to confusion.
3. Vietnam era service stories – while the M1917 wasn’t a standard sidearm in Vietnam, old stocks were used in niche roles, which can build legend.

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Why it’s not a Model 29 (or similar)​

You mentioned someone suggesting a Model 29 modded for tunnel clearing. There’s no documented factory S&W .44/.45 Magnum service revolver for Vietnam pilots:

• The S&W Model 29 is a .44 Magnum revolver — no moon clips, no military issue.
• “Tunnel guns” used in Vietnam were usually shotguns or suppressed rifles, not large .44/.45 revolvers.
• The idea of a smoothbore Model 29 is a different rumor entirely — a few were made for exotic purposes, but not standard issue.

So that suggestion doesn’t fit published military history.

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Synthesizing your clues​

Clue from your rumor	Reality check
Vietnam-era military pilot pistol	The M1917 was used sporadically in later wars but not standard
Blue or parkerized	Both finishes exist on surplus M1917s
Revolver with lanyard loop	✔ Correct for classic S&W military guns
Smooth, checkered, or plastic grips	Varied over years and commercial refurb
Always .45 LC with moon clips	They were .45 ACP — not Long Colt

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Most reasonable conclusion​

There’s no official Smith & Wesson revolver in .45 Long Colt with moon clips that was issued as a standard Vietnam pilot sidearm.
Instead, what you’re probably hearing about — via rumor or misremembered descriptions — is the S&W M1917 in .45 ACP with moon clips and lanyard loop.
This gun looks like an old military revolver, can be found with worn finishes and assorted grips, and can have been carried by troopers or support personnel even later in the 20th century — including around Vietnam — which fuels the “unicorn” talk.

 

[Engineer1911]

If the chamber is long enough for 45 Colt, why use moon clips on a rimmed cartridge? This sounds like US Army WW2 surplus Harley-Davidson motor cycles for $500 in the 1960's. I heard the story.