Can anyone help me find the production date of my s&w model 10 victory 38 special? the number on the butt is V 661345 and on the inside of the frame where the model number usually is it is marked 45695 with the letter "C" above the number. I know it was produced between 1942-45 I woould just like to narrow it down and I'm really more curious about the "C"......thank you all

Welcome to the Forum.

You have a .38 Military & Police Victory Model. S&W did not assign model numbers until 1957. The number on the frame is an assembly number. The "C" is a fitter's mark. Is it a .38 S&W or a .38 special? Is the barrel 4" long or 5" long? The US used the 4" .38 special and the British Commonwealth troops used the .38 S&W.

Someone will be along soon to narrow down the shipping date.

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Welcome to the Forum. Close serial numbers to your Victory model were shipped from S&W in late August, early Sept. 1944. The C stamp is a fitter's mark. The 45695 is a work/assembly number used in house to reassemble fitted parts after they were disassembled for finishing in the dull wartime "Black Magic" finish. A Victory Model is a Model 1905, 4th change, and not a Model 10. Model 10s began in 1957 when S&W changed their nomenclature for their gun to Model numbers. Model 10 actions are different than Victory Models. Ed.

And as for your specific question, you may notice that Ed referred to the likely date it shipped. We do not have information as to the actual production dates, although the general assumption is that during wartime the guns were moved out at a reasonable pace and your gun, at least probability-based, was produced not too long before the timeframe Ed gave you.

Thank you guys, you guys are awesome. I believe it is a 38 special? whats the difference? a 38 special fit into the cylinder but the gun is so worn on the exterior that I cant read the writing. which leads to my next question, is it worth restoring if I do the work myself? what do you guys think it's worth? roughly

it does have a 5" barrel as well

At that serial number with a 5" barrel, it would be a British Service model, originally chambered in .38 S&W which was identical to the British military caliber. There should be a US PROPERTY stamp on the topstrap above the cylinder, since these were shipped overseas under Lend-lease. Many, if not most of these, were converted to .38 Special after the war, so if yours does fit a Special round, that would be the case.

For value, we'd need to see photos, but if it's as worn as you make it sound, plus converted, so no longer original, the value is likely pretty low. If you want to work on it as a project, there isn't any collector value to ruin.

The closest SN on my list to V 661345 is V 6623xx which shipped in 8/44. At that time the correct finish would be phosphate, usually called "Military Midnight Black." "Black Magic" is actually an oxide blued finish used only for a short time prior to the V-series. Some factory letters mistakenly refer to the finish used on later Victories as being "Black Magic."

You didn't mention anything about any stampings on yours. Pictures would also help in making a better ID.

thanks again everyone, you guys really know your stuff, I can barely see the s & w markings on it, that is how rough the finish is so I will probably just make a project out of it and not worry about resale value.

Would anyone help me determine the year of manufacture of two S&W Model 10 Victory revolvers that I own? Both have the following features/markings:

1) 5" barrels
2) Five screws on the frame (near the grip)
3) Lanyard rings at bottom of grips
4) Walnut grips
5) Etching on right side of barrels reads: .38 S&W CTG
6) Etching on left side of barrel: Smith & Wesson
7) Etching on top of barrel:
SMITH & WESSON, SPRINGFIELD, MASS, USA
PATENTED FEB 6.06, SEP 14.09, DEC 29.14


The serial numbers of the revolvers are:

V576925 (with walnut smooth grip)
V318480 (with walnut chequered grip)

Double post.

See the other thread

WW2 Victory Model

Serial numbers are different aren't they?

__________________
Randy

Not on the new post.

The new member attached his identical query to two old threads about different guns.

Thanks my mistake i did not look at the date stamp on the original post...One more reason not to piggyback on a previous thread.

__________________
Randy

Just be aware, I have a British Service Victory that shipped in Dec. 1944 and doesn't has the US Property mark, so not all were marked. It does have some British proof marks that were added later for civilian sales, like the.mark "Not English Made" above the Made in USA mark on the right side.of the frame.

While a gun slipping through and skipped in the marking process can never be entirely excluded, every gun shipped to Britain at that time should have had the property mark.

Every “unstamped” example presented here as far as I can remember has turned out to be a “likely scrubbed” once we examined pictures. There was a time when certain gun writers panicked people into not wanting to own guns marked US PROPERTY.

The stamping was thin and pretty shallow compared to other marks.

Attached Images

20FDFFE5-98A8-4BEB-AF53-D7A6CC9EF6F1.jpg (56.2 KB, 11 views)

Welcome to the Forum.

Model numbers weren't assigned to S&Ws until 1957. You may see someone post about "pre Model 10s". These refer to revolvers that are the same as Model 10s, but built before model numbers are stamped on the revolvers. In 1948, S&W introduced short actions in their revolvers, which were different from the older long action revolvers built prior to and during WW II.

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!