Victory Model help

chief915 · #1 07-12-2017, 05:28 PM

Hey guys, I picked this up in a pawn shop a couple weeks ago. I know its a Victory model, the S/N appears to be V761101 and it looks to be chambered in 38 Special.

What can you tell me about it?

Thanks

chief915 · #2 07-12-2017, 05:29 PM

More pictures

DWalt · #3 07-12-2017, 05:30 PM

It's a chopped Victory BSR. No collector interest whatsoever. I hope you didn't pay more than $100 for it, assuming it shoots.

DCW · #4 07-20-2017, 02:54 PM

Well, the preceding was exactly "to the point" in its stated reality, huh? Nevertheless, this multiple Victory pistol owner largely agrees: Although you might have a Victory, it's kinda destroyed and or altered, and neither are exactly a good thing insofar as your revolver is concerned.

At the very least, people have been known to take an appropriate-sized stamp and have at it with pounding in a "V" where none existed previously.

Unfortunately, yours appears to have had someone attempt a number of changes, including the installation of a very short barrel. Given the condition of the finish, a previous owner (uninformed about a number of processes) apparently wished to change the existing finish.

As noted in Jim Supica and Richard Nahas' Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson No. 4 (or, just SWSC4), ppg. 166-168, a "scarce" (rarer than "rare") number of 2-inch Victory models were produced and still-fewer (86) models were produced with a nickel finish - the latter being made as the Victory series was being closed to production. However, these particular guns bore an "SV" serial number prefix.

Now, inasmuch as you might - MIGHT - have a $5,000 gun in your possession (if about new condition and with undisturbed finish, etc.) you may wish to spend more of your hard-earned bucks on "U.S. Handguns of World War II: The Secondary Pistols and Revolvers" by Charles Pate; Andrew Mowbray, publisher. The work has an extensive, some say "the best," rundown of the Victory revolvers.

If there be a collector out there who hasn't been scammed as yet, it's only a matter of time before someone will take a serious run at him or her.

This collector has so many doggone S&W semi-automatics in one safe that he's started filling another safe with revolvers. Thus, some might think I'm hardly a scammer's target.

This writer crossed paths with your inquiry today because he , this very day, has had the offer of acquiring two "Victory" revolvers . . . in .22 caliber.

Believe me, it's past mistakes that makes this collector very wary of acquiring anything about which he knows little. And the only way to combat ignorance is through learning and to which I'll now return.

Later.

DWalt · #5 07-20-2017, 03:17 PM

Every time I see a chopped BSR at a gun show, I feign uninformed interest to see what tall tale the seller will come up with about it.