Your barrel may look bulged from the outside, dont be alarmed, mine has the same contour. I had the same reaction upon first glance at mine and got reassurances from other members on this site that the barrel is fine as some of them were just manufactured that way. You have a really nice looking revolver and holster there. Shoot it a few times and you'll have a great appreciation for it and some personal connection to it too.

Thanks all for the replies. I checked the bulge out, and it is the way the barrel is machined... there I felt no variance in the barrel when swabbed. I bought the gun more as a shooter and like the grip adapter feel, so I'll probably leave it on, particularly since it's so easy to remove. I checked with the seller on when it was added, and her mother assured her that her husband received the gun that way from the uncle during WWII... but who knows. I'll send off for the letter on this gun, along with my Model 686 Nickel .357 Mag, then post the results.
Mr Flick...Do you pick the info for your database off the posts or should I get you the info some other way? Any idea roughly when and were it was originally shipped based on the SN???

quote:

Originally posted by cac957:
Mr Flick...Do you pick the info for your database off the posts or should I get you the info some other way? Any idea roughly when and were it was originally shipped based on the SN???

Hello CAC:

My collaborator on the Victory Database, LWCmdr45, and I get the information for our Database from a variety of sources. The largest source is probably from individual collectors who email us with their information, and sometimes questions. Other sources include online sales, catalogs and gun show observations.

From the Database I can estimate for you that your Victory was likely shipped from the factory in the August, 1943 time frame. As you may know S&W did not ship their guns in strict consecutive serial number order so today we have to make some educated guesses. Even so the Database has proven to be pretty accurate in these estimates.

Of course, the only certain way to get a precise ship date and destination is a factory letter. If you get one I hope that you will share its information with us so that we can further refine the Victory Database.

By the way, are there any markings on the left top strap or the butt (besides the serial) on your Victory?

Hope this helps you.

Regards,
Charlie Flick
S&WCA #729
NRA Life

Mr. Flick,
Thank you for your preliminary info on the ship date... I will certainly forward the letter details after I receive them for your database. On the top left strap it is stamped
6 U.S. PPROPERTY GHD. After reading a number of the posts regarding Victories, I suspect that 6 may be an ordinance bomb... but I can't find any pictures to confirm. The top loop of what I think is a 6 may be in fact a lit fuse on top of a bomb... does that sound correct?
Thank You,
Craig

Craig:

Yes, what you are seeing is the Ordnance Department's "shell and flame" insignia, or what is sometimes referred to as the "flaming bomb".

Your revolver was a military purchase and was not a Defense Supplies Corporation gun. It has a high probability of lettering as a US Navy shipment. The Marine Corps obtained their Victory Model revolvers from the Navy.

Hope that additional information helps you.

Regards,
Charlie Flick
S&WCA #729
NRA Life

quote:

Originally posted by gunbarrel:
Bill,

I'm talking about customizing, not modifying equipment. I mean, like this grip adaptor, or installing a set of stag grips, or having it nickle-plated, for example. Unless it was George Patton , I just can't see it. Just my 2¢ worth.

GB

In first persons narratives of WW2 there are many references to personalizations of issued firearms. Relief carving of the stock is probably the most common but mechanical changes also are recorded. An example that has been recently in the public eye is mentioned in the book BAND OF BROTHERS. One of the members of the unit had figured out how to modify the trigger group of a M1 Garand so it fired full auto. Winters mentions taking one of the custom trigger groups home with him and using it again in Korea.

If that grip adapter is contemporary with the revolver I see no reason to doubt they've been together since shortly after issue.

Once when talking to my dad about non standard firearms in the Pacific during WW2 he mentioned knowing a Marine pilot who carried a Colt SAA in a shoulder holster when he was on Guadalcanal.

Craig:

In follow up to my comments above on the Ordnance Department "shell and flame" insignia, here is a better image of what this insignia looks like. It was adopted in 1832 and is the oldest branch insignia in the US Army.

Regards,
Charlie Flick

Mr. Flick,
When I put on my Walgreen Drugs cheater specs I could see the insignia better. It matches your attached image ( it sure looked like a 6 to the naked eye). I then also noticed that he had filed the groove down in the fixed rear sight. There are a couple of additional small file scratches prox 1/2 way forward in between the sight and the barrel. I'll have to run some rounds through it to figure that one out. Probably his personal sighting preference, but we'll see. Adds a little flavor to it's history for me.

Thanks,
Craig

quote:

Originally posted by gunbarrel:
Bill,

I'm talking about customizing, not modifying equipment. I mean, like this grip adaptor, or installing a set of stag grips, or having it nickle-plated, for example. Unless it was George Patton , I just can't see it. Just my 2¢ worth.

GB

Hi GB,

I agree about the nickel plating. When you turned it in it could be a bit dicey convincing the Sarge in the armory that it was shiny because the Parkerizing had been worn off. The grip adaptor is another matter. All that needs to be done is remove the grips and the adaptor pulls right off. Replace the grips and the weapon is back to original. Even with all of that, a friend of mine was a platoon leader in Viet Nam. One of the 1911s in the inventory was nickel-plated. He and the platoon sergeant had a fistfight, er a private negotiating session to decide who got to carry it. While not our issue, I acquired a Tokarev pistol with a shoulder holster. The nickel-plating and the holster were both the work of local artisans.

Bill