This is my first post
Howdy from Texas

Just got this revolver today at a gun show. From reading on this forum I think it's a model 1905 but am not sure. Can anyone provide me with information as to what I've got and when it was made?

Description:
Barrel left side - Smith & Wesson
Barrel right side - 38 S&W CTG
Barrel top - Smith & Wesson Springfield Mass. U.S.A.
Patented Feb.6.05.Sept.14.09.Dec.29.14
Butt plate - W.B. / sling swivel / serial # V25660
smooth wood grip

British or Commonwealth military issue from April, 1940-on. Some are still held in war reserve.

From 1940-April, 1942, they had blue finishes and either four, five, or six-inch barrels. After that date, they had a dull gray finish called Midnight Black, which resembles Parkerizing. Grips changed from normal commercial type to plain walnut. Only five-inch barrels were used.

It is called the .38/200 revolver, as the early loads were with 200 grain bullets. Germany complained about the plain lead bullets, and bullets were changed to 178 grain FMJ ones. Power is less than .38 Special.

Beware: ,many were reamed out after the war by surplus dealers to take the longer ..38 Special round, The cases are not as wide, and the case may split on firing!

Show a photo for more details. Yes, the gun is a 1905, fourth change, made from 1940-1945.

Describe all markings for more detail. These were used by all Commonwealth countries. The latest big batch to reach here came from reconditioned Australian stocks. I think they all have the dull gray finish.

In all, well over 568,000 of them were made. They were meant to supplement Webley and Enfield .38's. Yours has smooth grips and a V-prefix serial number, so was made in 1942 or later. Some call these and similar US issue guns the Victory Model. Others insist that only the .38 Special US guns are Victories. Correct ammo is .38 S&W , NOT .38 Special. However, because that cartridge has not been loaded with 200 grain bullets for a generation or more, the bullets will not shoot to the sights in most cases. You can reload with the correct weight of bullet to correct that.

T-Star

Welcome to the forum. S&W introduced the .38 Military & Police in 1899, after which there ensued about 15 years of fast evolution in the design that reached a stable point with the Model of 1905, Fourth change in 1915. About 240,000 units had been produced at that point.

From then on through the 1930s, S&W put out about 450,000 more copies. With the onset of WWII and the wartime contracts, the company ran out of six-digit serial numbers in April of 1942 and reset the counter at 1, but with a V prefix. These became known as the Victory models, and you have an early one. The company could pump these out at the rate of about 15,000 a month, so your gun probably shipped in June or July of 1942.

As T-Star mentioned, the units produced for use by the Commonwealth countries chambered the .38 S&W round. Guns in this series that were meant for American consumption chambered .38 Special.

How long is the barrel on yours? Many of the reimported British contract guns had their barrels cut to two inches, a procedure that took away the front locking lug for the ejector rod. If you still have a longer barrel (5", probably), then you should still have the locking lug on the bottom of the barrel. But check to see if the chambers have been deepened to permit use of .38 Special. If so, you will need to decide whether you want to deal with the swollen and possibly split cases that would result from shooting .38 Special in the gun. You could still shoot .38 S&W in it without problems, but that ammo is a little harder to find.

Show some pics if you have them. We like pics here.

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David Wilson