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S&W Hand Ejectors: 1896 to 1961 All 5-Screw & Vintage 4-Screw SWING-OUT Cylinder REVOLVERS, and the 35 Autos and 32 Autos


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Old 04-14-2017, 05:03 PM
0-65 Springfield 0-65 Springfield is offline
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S&W Victory U.S.Navy Value? "Updated Information With Pictures" S&W Victory U.S.Navy Value? "Updated Information With Pictures" S&W Victory U.S.Navy Value? "Updated Information With Pictures" S&W Victory U.S.Navy Value? "Updated Information With Pictures" S&W Victory U.S.Navy Value? "Updated Information With Pictures"  
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Default S&W Victory U.S.Navy Value? "Updated Information With Pictures"

I know this is probably going to be hard to get a accurate value because of no pictures or serial number.I have a chance to pick up a very nice looking 38 caliber S&W Victory marked U.S.Navy.I would say the finish is 95% with light holster wear at the muzzle.The bore is excellent and there is no rust on the outside.This revolver has a parked finish.The wooden grips look original,but i did not remove them to see if they matched the serial number.Were both grips stamped with the serial number or just one side? Any idea what this might be worth.The asking price is $800.00? Any help would be great.Thanks for everyone's time.
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Old 04-14-2017, 05:48 PM
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Where is the U.S. Navy marking at? If on the top strap I think that price is high. If on the left side plate in red letters that price isn't unreasonable.
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Old 04-14-2017, 06:27 PM
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I paid $ 810.00 for a very nice top strap marked Navy with a WWII holster on this forum , that number included my FFL fee . In my opinion if you want this piece of American history buy it . They don't make them any more .
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Old 04-14-2017, 06:37 PM
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Depends upon what "very nice" means, but $800 is a possibility for some buyers, especially if the grip SN matches (only the right grip). Navy-marked Victory (and pre-Victory) specimens are not uncommon, but those in high levels of condition are.

Last edited by DWalt; 04-14-2017 at 06:40 PM.
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Old 04-14-2017, 08:19 PM
0-65 Springfield 0-65 Springfield is offline
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This one is stamped on the top strap U.S.Navy and also has the original holster for what i was told? Any way of identifying that?
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Old 04-14-2017, 08:36 PM
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$800 is a ball park price today for these Navy guns as they seem to have become a 'Cult" gun almost. Which is, of course, why there are fakes out there, so be sure what you buy is the real deal. Holster are not identifiable as to which gun they might have been used with, unless the user happened to inscribe his name or the gun's serial number thereon. two types of holsters are correct for a navy model - (1) A shoulder holster, sometimes seen with cartridge loops added by the ship's sailmaker, and usually issued to aircrews, (2) a belt holster with metal hooks for a web belt. various contractors made these holster in WW2 and marked then with dates and contractor numbers and usually a "US" stamp on the front of the holster. Ed.
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Old 04-14-2017, 09:14 PM
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About as high a SN you will see with a marked Navy Victory is around V267xxx. If it's higher than that it is probably a fake. The Navy topstrap stamping is generally fairly lightly struck.
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Old 04-15-2017, 12:03 AM
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After observing the market for a while, I find that the US NAVY top strap marking doesn't command nearly the premium which conventional wisdom ascribes to it. The 50 to 100% premium given in the SCSW is a bit out of the ballpark.

This is not surprising, since there is really nothing at all special about them other than the word Navy. Before the label change in 1943 the Navy-shipped Victorys were mostly stamped US NAVY, after approx. April they all were stamped US PROPERTY and still went mostly to the Navy. Whoop-de-doo.

As noted by Jeff above, the sideplate-marked guns are different due to their relative rarity.

I would discount any connection between holster and gun. The holster may well be authentic, but as Navy revolvers were not, as general practice, permanently "issued" to any one individual, but handed out for specific purposes like dock-side guard duty or a flying mission, and then collected again, the whole concept of the holster belonging with this specific gun is dubious.

Last edited by Absalom; 04-15-2017 at 12:47 AM.
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Old 04-15-2017, 05:25 PM
0-65 Springfield 0-65 Springfield is offline
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I am going back to look at it again on Monday.Is there anything else i should be looking for besides the serial number range and the U.S.Navy stamp to make sure it is the real thing? I would hate to buy a fake.
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Old 04-15-2017, 05:42 PM
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Checking that it is in the proper SN range and that the topstrap stamping looks correct is about all you can do without getting a letter. You should also ensure the grip SN stamping matches. There are some Navy-stamped pre-Victories.

"As noted by Jeff above, the sideplate-marked guns are different due to their relative rarity."
True, but adding that frame engraving would be very simple for a faker to perform, as it was not done by S&W.

Last edited by DWalt; 04-15-2017 at 05:43 PM.
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Old 04-17-2017, 09:00 PM
0-65 Springfield 0-65 Springfield is offline
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Well,i went back today and looked at the S&W Victory U.S.Navy revolver again and had to buy it.The serial number on the bottom of the frame is V2181XX.The serial numbers on the inside of the right wood grip,bottom of barrel,rear of cylinder,and the inside face of the extractor all match the frame numbers.I do not see any letter P or S anywhere on the revolver.It looks to have never been re-parked.The left side of the top strap is lightly stamped U.S.Navy.The bore looks like new and the barrel is 4 inches long.The only thing that bothers me is someone messed up a couple of screw heads on the right side of the frame.I do not know why,but may have been possibly taken apart,any answers or reasons why? I was told for what it is worth that this Victory was purchased from the daughter of a WW2 Navy pilot.Could he have brought this back? I am not sure if the lanyard is original,but it appears to be stamped Hickok 1943.I am not sure if the holster is original or not either.The only markings i see are U.S.on the outside.I added pics for members to see.Now if someone can tell me what i have here meaning original or not and what it is worth will be a big help.I ended up paying $650.00 for the revolver,lanyard,and holster.
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Old 04-17-2017, 09:11 PM
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You scored. Hickock lanyards, used by the USMC i believe, are rare as well. Rigger- modified victory holsters usually fetch around 100-125 bucks online.
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Old 04-17-2017, 09:25 PM
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Based on your photos, it looks original. Don't know anything about the holster or lanyard, but for an all-matching all-original Navy-stamped Victory in that condition $650 is an excellent price, so any value of the accessories as indicated by jpage above is frosting on the cake.

As for the back story, the gun looks too good to have seen much action, particularly the lack of dings on the stocks. The holster looks significantly more used than the gun. If it comes from a vet's family, it is still more likely that he picked the gun up some time after the war, though maybe the holster was his.

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Old 04-18-2017, 12:53 PM
0-65 Springfield 0-65 Springfield is offline
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New information and pictures added.
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Old 04-18-2017, 01:08 PM
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At $650 for all of that, you did well. As for the buggered screws, it's very common for someone with the wrong screwdriver wanting to see what's on the underside of the plate. Since the screws are buggered it most likely wasn't a gunsmith. Replacement screws are available.
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Old 04-18-2017, 03:25 PM
0-65 Springfield 0-65 Springfield is offline
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Can someone tell me where i can purchase the original parked side plate screws?
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Old 04-18-2017, 03:33 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 0-65 Springfield View Post
Can someone tell me where i can purchase the original parked side plate screws?
Nice score there.

You can get parts at:
VICTORY S&W. Accessories | Numrich Gun Parts

but I am not sure if any of them would be parkerized.
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Old 04-18-2017, 04:31 PM
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Look on eBay for screws. Also check with SARCO. They sometimes have Victory parts. It is possible to salvage buggered screw slots by pounding down the upturned areas with a hammer and punch.

You did very well at $650 for all you got. Now you need to find some WWII issue Remington ammunition. It came in standard civilian boxes, not military, 158 grain steel jacketed bullets, copper plated. Box is easily identifiable as it has no index number printed on the front. Headstamp is the standard civilian REM-UMC 38 SPL. Cases have no cannelures. Tracer ammo was also very common for use in Navy-owned Victories, but a box of WWII .38 Special tracers can be VERY hard to find. But it is not too hard to find single examples with red bullet tips.

Could it have been used by a Naval aviator? Yes. That was one of the Navy's main purposes in procuring them. The idea behind issuing the tracers was so that the revolvers could be used as emergency signaling devices by downed flight crews at night.

Last edited by DWalt; 04-18-2017 at 04:39 PM.
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Old 04-18-2017, 04:37 PM
0-65 Springfield 0-65 Springfield is offline
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Speaking of ammo,i want to go to the range and fire this.Is the 130 grain FMJ ok to use or should i look for something else.
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Old 04-18-2017, 04:42 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 0-65 Springfield View Post
Speaking of ammo,i want to go to the range and fire this.Is the 130 grain FMJ ok to use or should i look for something else.
Anything you want to use will be OK, but I wouldn't recommend +P. Cheap is good.
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Old 04-18-2017, 05:38 PM
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John Spangler has a box of WW2 tracers for sale. I'd post the link, probably get a butt-chewing from a mod though. Guess You could PM Me.

Last edited by jpage; 04-18-2017 at 05:39 PM.
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