Good evening gentlemen and ladies, rather than bore you with the backstory, I will simply say I don't know what this gun is and I'm curious to find out. I've called Smith and Wesson M and told a few different stores as to what it may be. The serial number is 257005 it is stamped on the butt of the gun, the cylinder, and underneath the barrel. The barrel is also stamped parker hale of England .The barrel on the other side says the caliber is 38 Smith & Wesson. I have removed the groups because their aftermarket not original .I would like to know what model it is what year it is and any other information.I have attached as many pictures as I could think would be pertinent

Here are more pix

More pictures

Detailed pictures

Otherside of the barrell

The sites picture

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Welcome! You will likely see a V in front of the number on the bottom of the grip frame (covered by the stirrup for the Hogue grip in your photo), making this a .38/200 Victory Model from 1943. This is the same chambering as .38 S & W. At this time these came standard with a 5" barrel; many were converted after the war by shortening the barrel, nickel plating and replacing the stocks. Yours appears to have a 4" barrel and an added top rib.

In addition, the cylinders were also often bored out to accept the longer .38 Special; the Special is of smaller diameter and fired cases will bulge or crack. Sometimes the charge holes were sleeved to prevent this; the best way to tell is if it accepts both .38 S & W and Special it was simply reamed out, but if it only accepts S & W it is unmodified, and if only Special it was properly converted.

Here are a few (hundred!) posts on this gun here:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/searchr...ry+Model&sa=Go

Hope this is helpful.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Very correct sir I just found the V

Is the serial number how you were able to determine it to made in 1943?

And does anyone have a rough value? Id like to know if this goes in the safe or not

Yes, there are published data tables and other public and private sources for this information. The reasons you may have received different answers to your question may have been not including the V in the serial number, the non-original barrel length and finish, and that several different S & W .38s had a six-digit SN.

As a modified gun, even in nice shape, its value is that of a shooter-grade revolver - $250-300.

PS Thanks for the merge Chad!

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Value is low (I picked one up for way under $200 a few years ago). The best thing you can do is to have the barrel crowned as when they were converted, the barrel was simply cut vertically. The front sight is usually silver soldered to the top of the barrel and has Parker Hale embossed in it. Mine is the properly sleeved version and only accepts 38 Special. If you look at the front of the cylinder in indirect light, you should be able to see the contrast between the sleeve and the cylinder. If it will take a 38 S&W cartridge then it was simply bored out and you should only use 38 S&W in it as the 38 Special cases will split. Dave_n

Welcome to the forum, and I hope you'll stick around.

For future reference, model numbers weren't assigned to Smith & Wesson revolvers until 1957.

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Oh well, what the hell.

Sir, did you inherit that S&W revolver or buy it?

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

I actually purchased it today, and when I purchased one I normally call Smith and Wesson just to get any information I can about it. And when they had some trouble figuring it out I decided to dig further

Welcome to the forum.
There is a wealth of information here.

S&W was probably confused if you omitted the "V" when you gave them the serial number.

Never ask the monetary value on a gun you just bought. Most times the answer makes you unhappy.

These modified Victory Models make me want to cry. Dealers sell them to people who are not experts and don't realize the value is very low and the guns sometimes don't function well due to crude gunsmithing (although yours was done by a reputable shop and is of better quality it is still an altered gun that probably won't shoot accurately because the barrel doesn't match the bullets very well).

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No life story has happy end.