Thank you. Although my Victory doesn't appear to have won any battles, I'm mighty proud to own it.

It's not a flaming bomb. The stamp on the cylinder is the same as the two on the frame and barrel. It's the German "definitive nitro proof mark for all guns," according to an international proof mark list I have. It's from the Ulm, Germany, proof house, as is the "stag horn" on the frame next to the number 65. (There are six regional German proof houses, and each has its own unique proof -- the one for Berlin is the city's bear.) The number is for 1965, the year the Victory passed through the Ulm proof house so it could be sold.

The Army issued many of these to municipal police departments after the war. Thanks to Absalom's in depth knowledge of such things, he broke the code for the stamp on the back strap. It is "sk fürth mun," which translates to stadtkreis (sort of a city/county government entity), the name of the town in Bavaria, and municipal or municipality. I've been to Fürth; it's gorgeous.

It's believed that when the municipal police departments were able to obtain German made firearms they gave the Victory models to U.S. rod 'n' gun clubs. As Absalom suggests, I sure wish we knew more.

I have the sales receipt from the U.S. Army Rod 'n' Gun club and the Army paperwork the Air Force civilian had processed for permission to bring the revolver back to the U.S. It's sort of a neat package, but it leaves me with more questions than answers.

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Wrangler of stray Chiefs
Bob