Inherited this from my grandmother when she passed on. No-one else in the family has any interest in guns and since I was the only one in the family that remembered that she had it, I got it.

Serial - V573116
Stamped Austrian Police (in German)
Numbers match all around, all original condition (has not been re-chambered)

**Updated attachments to show pics**

Last pic shows the only rust on the gun. I will be cleaning that shortly. Just need to get some 0000 steel wool to polish it off.

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The pictures are not set up right.

Mike Priwer

Really? I see them just fine on my screen... Hmm...

I can't see them either.

OK, I just posted the pics as attachments in the first post. Here are a few others...

Last picture shows the rounds that fit (left) and a standard .38 Special (right)

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wow' very clean original looking 38 , greate score for sure

Any idea of a value? Although it has sentimental value, the collector value of the gun makes me not really want to shoot it. I was initially told this was a .357, so I assume that there is a .357 still in their old house. Just need to find it.

That revolver is in excellent shape. Hard to believe that a war-issue service revolver could look that good. Maybe my understanding is false that the Austrian Victories were re-issued guns. Could they have been re-parked before entering their post-war use as service weapons for the Austrian police? (Just thinking out loud here.)

I believe that serial number would have been used in the course of 1944 production.

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David Wilson

I have heard '43 and '44 production, seems it depends on where you look. I have been thinking of doing the letter from S&W, but haven't decided...low of funds.

I would never try to talk someone out of lettering a gun, but I would point out that a letter on a military contract revolver won't hold a lot of surprises. The designated receivers for contract guns were few, and the dates usually don't vary much from what you would expect from the production sequence. (That isn't always true of commercial production.)

I mentioned 1944 because I don't know any Victory Models with serial numbers over V500000 that date from before that year. There is an outside possibility that V571xxx may have languished in inventory for several months, in which case it might not have shipped until 1945. But 1943 seems to be excluded.

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David Wilson

The British may have never issued that revolver until they gave it to the Austrians. German and probably, Austrian police tend to take care of their weapons, and some may have never left inventory before being sold.

I'd sure get some Break-Free CLP on that firing pin bushing as well as steel wooling it.

This Victory seems a little better finished than some. Sideplate fit varies, and this isn't the best. I think some were disassembled by armorers who may not have gotten the right sideplates back on the right guns. I bet that some never knew how important that is.

Any thoughts on value?

Not that I know what I'm talking about, but $400-450? There are hundreds of thousands of victory models, so there is no scarcity premium; an average Victory in shootable but not special condition is probably a $250 gun. But few Victory models look this good, and few of them are marked for postwar police use. A collector might even think this worth a little more than I suggested. If so, you should see other value suggestions here.

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David Wilson

Congrats, that's a nice looking Victory, and a great family "heirloom".

Congratulations on your new Victory! It's a very nice looking one!

Beware, they are addicting!

By the way, is the top strap of the frame stamped "U.S. PROPERTY" ?

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Linda
SWCA #1965, SWHF #245

Yes, it says U.S. PROPERTY G.H.D... Not sure what that exactly means.

If I were to try and sell, where would be a good place? I am not really a collector, mainly was going to use it for home defense. My main issue with it is the cost of the rounds. $35 (on average) for a box of 50 isn't cheap. .357 and .38 special are a lot cheaper (considering I got 200 rounds of .38 special when I picked up the Victory) and a lot more plentiful.

All the other relatives said that she had a .357, no one knew about this one. I was hoping for the .357 as it would make a far more effective HD/SD gun and I wouldn't feel guilty firing it.

G.H.D - Col. Guy H. Drury, the Army's man in charge of weapons inspection and acceptance.

You could list it here in the classified section; The members of this forum are your likeliest target audience anyway.

CORRECTION: He spelled his name Drewry. I should look that up every time I write it, because it seems to me I almoste always pick the wrong spelling.

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David Wilson

And THAT'S the truth!
f.t.

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South Carolina-God's country

Great looking revolver. I've been jonesing for one of these for awhile. Some day...

Nice gun! I have a few and have paid from $250-$450 for a really nice one.

That's good to hear. Now I have thinking to do.

If it's primarily for home defense as you say,hopefully one box of that $35 stuff should hold you for a while,unless the zombies come out in force.;-P

Just a little food for thought here seeing as this was your Grandma's gun.
Don't sell it.
You'll regret it in the long run.

Never would have thought of that. Will look at it closer tonight.

I think the good colonel's name was Guy H Drewry. He was the chief of the Ordnance Corrps district that included Springfield, MA, where Smith & Wesson was located. His counterpart to the south was Col. Waldemar Broberg, who had the district that included Hartford CT, where Colt is located. His initials. WB, are found on some Colt weapons.

In your opinion, how badly would I kill the value if I turned this into a shooter? I have had a couple of folks interested in buying it, but if this is new and not a huge collectable, I could keep it as a shooter and HD gun. I know the .38 S&W isn't the most powerful round, but an intruder won't feel so great getting shot with one.

Thoughts? If I sold it, was going to ask $400+shipping.

Anyone think it's a bad idea to turn this into a shooter?

Go ahead: It isn't pristine, and a little shooting and proper care will have it looking about the same.

I would shoot it a little and definitely keep it. You'll probably have trouble selling it for what you want, and you're unlikely to come across another for the price.

Does this year have the hammer block? I read somewhere they were added in the course of WWII. Might make a difference to you; might not.

No, this one doesn't have the updated hammer block. I meant to ask about that. Other than dropping the gun, is there any other way the gun could accidentally discharge?

Not that I know of, but out of an abundance of suspicion I would never say never.

Remember that the predecessor safety block wasn't a worthless design. Lots of guns with the old safety block must have been dropped without going off. But if a gun was dirty inside, it was possible for the old safety block to get stuck in its recess, leaving the hammer unblocked.

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David Wilson

I'm almost sure that some Colts were also inspected by Drewry.

Had the gun looked at by a gunsmith / shop. He compared it to two others on hand (mine was far nicer) and pulled out the bluebook. He and another employee placed the value between $400-500 range. Between the employees and the 5 old-timers (customers) that looked at it all thought the gun was in supurb mechanical condition.

Now I get to determine if I keep or sell. I am not a collector, these are tools to me. I wish this was a simple model 10, would not have any qualms keeping it. If anyone is interested in buying, shoot me a PM and we can talk.

Finally got the nerve to pull the sideplate off and take a look inside. I was surprised when I looked at my pile of screwdrivers that I had a perfect bit for the job. Fit like a glove in the slot. Pulled the grips off and was pleased to see that they are serial number matched to the gun. Unless they were stained, I would almost believe that they are mahogany wood. The color on the inside is a rich redish color. Next was removing the three screws on the sideplate (I did not touch the one by the hammer, I remeber reading that I shouldn't). I did the one over the trigger first and pulled out the cylinder. I noticed that there was some congealed oil there and on the crane. I removed the other two... One thing I noticed is that all the screws appeared the same. I didn't take a real close look though. I have seen many techniques on removing the sideplate but when looking at mine, I just lifted from the main spring area and with a little wiggle, it came off without any fuss. It was snug to be sure, but not tight. Inside is a sticky mess. I will need to get some brake cleaner and give it a bath. I also looked at the timing. Nothing looks worn, but it is a degree or two short of locking up. I think it's the cogs on the extractor that are disengaging before the hand finishes pushing up. Is this a fix I can do or will it need to go to a smith? How much to fix? It only is out of time if I do a slow pull either in SA or DA. If I do anything remotely fast, it locks up fine.

Gave her a bath today. Talk about a mess. Spent about an hour cleaning her and re-oiling. Now everything is nice and smooth...



cleaned_01 by Kevin.Woodard, on Flickr


cleaned_02 by Kevin.Woodard, on Flickr


cleaned_03 by Kevin.Woodard, on Flickr


cleaned_04 by Kevin.Woodard, on Flickr


cleaned_05 by Kevin.Woodard, on Flickr


cleaned_06 by Kevin.Woodard, on Flickr


cleaned_07 by Kevin.Woodard, on Flickr


cleaned_08 by Kevin.Woodard, on Flickr

Oh, and she is for sale. I am not a collector, I would rather this go to someone who is and will take care of it properly. PM if interested. I have two pistols that I am looking at that I think will fill my needs a lot more closely. (looking at a 10-5 and a 36-2)

Texas Star: You're right; I did some digging and found that Col Guy H. Drewry did inspect some Colt 1911A1s. I don't know how that happened, and would be glad for some more information on just how it happened. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1942 and presumably went to a post somewhere else in accordance with his rank.

I found very limited biographical information on Broberg. He was an MIT graduate, class of 1925. In 1928 he was a 1st Lieutenant, an instructor in the Ordnance Department at West Point. There was a Waldemar Broberg in the Canal Zone during the 1920s. He had a son who was born there (from the son's obituary).