S&W. it's a .38, On the barrel it says ".38 S&W CTG". Right under that it says "3.5 TONS". I don't even know what model it is.

The serial number is V 734378 P. All the stamps are worn so it's hard for me to tell what everything says. Any info you can give me is extremely appreciated. I'd love to learn about it

I bought it for 100$. Their is some tarnish, but it shoots great. Here's a pic! Sorry about the size.

WW2 "Victory", Brit issue, I suspect. Wait for someone who knows to give you a real answer though.

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NHI, 10-8.

I can't tell you what all the marks mean. Others here will know. However, it is a lend-lease gun made for the British Commonwealth for WWII. It was originally chambered for .38 S&W with a 200 g. bullet (.38-200). Many of these revolvers were rechambered for S&W .38 Special. If your chambers have a shoulder in them, it has not been modified. If there is no shoulder, it likely chambers .38 SPCL. You can shoot either cartridge in it if so, but the .38 SPCL is slightly smaller in diameter and may swell or rupture. Nice price!

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

Yes, it's a wartime British Service Revolver. It probably shipped in late 1944 or the first half of 1945 -- one of the last British contract guns produced. The 3.5 tons stamp is a proof stamp required by British authorities when their military armaments were released to the commercial market. You probably have other British proof markings on the gun if you look closely for them. You should also see the serial number stamped on the back face of the cylinder and the flat underside of the barrel. A couple of other places too, but those are harder to see.

The .38 S&W cartridge is not the same as .38 Special, but some of these BSRs that came back to the United States were modified to take the longer round. If yours accepts a .38 Special cartridge, it has been modified. If it does not, it still shoots .38 S&W (or .38 Short ("corto"), as they call it in Europe). The British referred to the round as the .38/200 because the original specs called for a 200 gr lead bullet, somewhat heavier than the bullets typically provided in .38 Special loads.

That barrel has been shortened to about 3.5 inches and the front sight relocated. The vast majority of BSRs came with five-inch barrels. This is an unusual barrel length mod, as many of the BSRs were cut to two inches, which entailed loss of the front locking lug for the ejector rod. That loss made for an inferior handgun from an engineering point of view, so whoever cut this barrel did it the right way.

You didn't lose any money at $100, but this will never bring as high a price in the market as an unmodified gun or an original Victory chambered in .38 Special.

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David Wilson

WOW! Thanks for the information. Two questions,

1.) How can I tell if it has been re-chambered for a different round,

2.) What is the official name of the gun in terms of model number, i wanted to look at some parts.

1) Drop a .38 special round in a chamber and see if it goes in completely.
2) It is a .38/200 British Service Revolver Model K-200.

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

Victory Model.

If reamed for 38 Special I would still only shoot the proper 38 S&W ammo in it. Problem if you don't load your own as 38 S&W is hard to find and pricey when you do.

It's worth a C note as a shooter (if you make your own ammo).

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No life story has happy end.

You guys think any grips from Pachmayr would work for this?

Yes, any K-frame grips by any maker should work. The wartime K frame is slightly longer than the postwar frame, but to my mind not by enough to matter.

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David Wilson

You need to try to get that rust off. It isn't "tarnish."

The good news is, you didn't get taken too badly on the price.

I hope the rust doesn't come back if you can get it off, which will take some doing.

Don't fire Plus P .38 Special ammo in it. The chambers are oversiize and this will be worse than firing the already overloaded (for .38 S&W) std. .38 Special.


I hope that some surplus dealer didn't ream out those chambers.

Oh: if David is correct about the mfg. date, it originally had smooth walnut grips. Over 568, 000 were supplied to the British. Some they bought; others were furnished as Lend-Lease.

If the gun is blue, not dull gray, it has been refinished. A poor polish job probably blurred or removed those marks that you can't read.

I and others have been answering this question almost every day lately. Can't we please get a Sticky about .38-200's? I'll write it, if someone can guarantee that it'll post as a Sticky.

Any way to get rid of the rust?

Start with a deep penetrating oil and let it sit overnight. I use Break-Free CLP. Then use very fine steel wool or even a No. 2 lead pencil. Others can add more. The rust may come back. It's very hard to get rid of completely, and you probably have some pitting.

BTW, for parts, you need those for the Military & Police Model, Fourth Change. Or, the Victory Model, which is the rougher-finished wartime version of that gun. Same parts.

Take off the grips and oil under them, too. You may find more rust there.

There's also a cleaning pad called Big 45 Frontier Metal Cleaner. They claim it will do twice the job of steel wool but will not harm blued surfaces. I think I paid $12 for two pads.

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

I apologize for bringing up an old thread, I'm taking this firearm to the smith to get looked over, and to get the rust off of it. I bought it from my father in law as kind of a break the ice thing if you know what I mean.

Just a quick question, what is a chamber shoulder? I'm trying to understand if its still .38 S&W

The best thing to do is to attempt chambering a .38 Special cartridge or cartridge case. If it can be inserted completely, the chamber has been bored to accept .38 Special. If it cannot be inserted completely, it has not been rechambered from the original .38 S&W (or as the British call it, the .380 Mark II) cartridge.

There will be a chamber shoulder regardless whether the cylinder has been rechambered or not. If rechambered, the shoulder will simply have been moved forward.

A rechambered Victory is considered to be a major defect for several reasons. .38 Special cartridges, when fired in such chambers, will demonstrate swelling at the rear. It is usually safe, but occasionally a cartridge case may split. But even so, it is not serious.

I will confirm that your revolver likely shipped some time very late in 1944 to very early 1945.

Thank you for the reply sir. That is some great information. I just put a special round in it and it went in fully. I would like to feel safe firing it though without any rupture. Would .38 s&w still work? I ask because its harder to come by

Yes, you can fire .38 S&W ammunition in it, and it is best to do that. However, finding .38 S&W ammunition can be an expensive pain. You won't find it at the local Wal-Mart.

Thanks again sir. Just one more thing, I'm having trouble finding the pachmayr grips I'm fond of in the frame described above. Do you think you could provide a link so I can get a bases for my search? Once again, thank you for being so helpful.

Just a tip: Pachmayr grips may or may not fit your frame right. I've had more trouble with the current ones than the former two-piece style. Try before buying, if possible.

Either the Presentation or Gripper should fit. Uncle Mike's also made excellent grips for the M&P/Model 10, which is basically what you have. Only the specific chambering differs from those for the US market.

You can also use Pachmayr or Tyler grip adaptors. Gun shows usually have such items.

Contact Pachmayr to see if they'll sell directly or get a list of dealers. I have Pachmayrs on several guns and am very happy with them. They do a good job of staying put in your hand when you have the gun out for reasons of imminent peril. Of course, tney also soften recoil effect, but that isn't a real problem with a .38.

See the post today about Buffalo Bore beginning to load hot .38 S&W ammo.

You'll prob. lose some velocity with .38 S&W fired in a .38 Special chamber, as .38 ammo gives less velocity in a .357 chamber. For most purposes, it won't matter. The new BB load gets the .38 S&W up to pretty good defensive capability.

Get on eBay and look for either Pachmayr or Hogue grips for a S&W square butt K-frame. There are usually a number of them (new and used) listed for sale. Or look at the gun auction sites. Hogues work better for small hands, Pach Presentations are better for large hands. I have quite a few K-frames with both makers' grips, and they have always fit fine for me. For shooting, I remove and put away the factory grips and use the rubber ones. (Note" some are offended if someone calls them grips as they believe that the term "stocks" is more appropriate)

Thank you gentleman! I will purchase them from amazon because they have a pretty stout return policy if the fit is an issue. Great info, and once again it is very much appreciated.

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S&W Model 39-2/S&W K-200/G21