I have a Victory revolver, Ser # V69XXX, I understand most were sent back to the factory to have a hammer block installed. There was another letter added to indicate the block had been installed. This one does not have that additional letter. Looking to find out when it was manufactured/shipped and an estimate of the value.

Not "most." Some, and the number doesn't seem to be high, relative to the total number manufactured.

This one was made in 1942, May or later (the V prefix started on April 24, 1942). Production of the revolvers with the improved hammer block safety (sliding block) began in December, 1944, and shipments started in January, 1945. The retrofits happened in 1945, but as mentioned above, there weren't that many of them.

Yes, an S. New production with the improved hammer block got the SV prefix. An S was also added to the rear portion of the sideplate to indicate the sideplate had the extra machine work to accommodate the new safety mechanism. Retrofits also had that S.

The SV shows up as early as SV732261 (lowest one I've located). By somewhere in the SV76xxxx range, it was virtually universal. I do show one in the V765xxx range that lacks the S, but I show numbers on either side of that with the SV.

Hope this helps.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Here is an example of the "S"on the rear portion of the sideplate.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

The closest SN I have listed to yours is V673xx which shipped in 3/42. You did not state whether yours was chambered in .38 S&W (the British version) or .38 S&W Special. It is impossible to even make a guess as to value without considerably more information and some pictures. Relatively few of the earlier (pre-1945) revolvers were converted by retrofitting the 1945 hammer blocking drop safety improvement. It was just too expensive and difficult to perform on all existing guns just to achieve a rather minor benefit (all Victories already had a hammer drop safety). Having an S stamp on the sideplate does not necessarily mean that a gun was converted. S&W used that stamping for awhile as a simple method to easily distinguish between old sideplates and newer ones as they are not interchangeable.

I seem to remember there were about 40.000 guns in that 1945 Navy refurbishment contract that included adding the hammer block, and that was it. No other guns were retrofitted; in fact, the factory seems to have shipped guns from inventory without the hammer block for several months after new production got it installed. I have one shipped in June 1945 without.

As DWalt says, without pictures your Victory could, value-wise, be anything from a cut-down $150 shooter to a $600 pristine unissued specimen.

DWalt:
Are you sure about March? Seems too early for any V prefix.

Yes. March does not seem probable. All the information we have points to April 24th as the date on which the V prefix was begun. A gun bearing the V prefix and five digits could not have shipped a month before V1 was assembled. I could believe 5/42, given the factory's rate of production at that time, but 3/42 stretches the imagination to a breaking point.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

My mistake, it's 8/42. I think I hit the wrong key.

Minor point: V1 through V5 and serial number 1,000,000. were assembled by the Service Dep't, in high polish brilliant blue, with fancy grained stocks, by special order of Carl Hellstrom, to be used as presentation guns for VIPs ( V1 went to Lt. Gen. Wm. Knudsen, who returned it after WW2 and it was rebuilt to add the "S" modification and presented to Pres. Harry Truman in 1947. ) Assembly line production of Victory models V6 and continuing, started in the April 1942 time frame , so they actually were produced before V1 to V5. V-16, formerly in my collection, was shipped June 16, 1942 as part of the first shipment if V series guns. V3 is in the NRA Museum, 1,000,000 and V5 are in the Springfield History Museum with the S&W factory collection. Ed.

Yes. The sideplate in post #3 above is off of a 1946 "S" prefix M&P. It shipped in Aug 1946.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

Great info, Ed. Thanks very much for posting that.

I knew about #1 million and V5, but not about V1 through V4. Or if I did know, I had completely forgotten.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

V5 - sent to Maj. William Weingar, Springfield Ordnance District, 5/16/42, and returned 8/43. Why, and where it went after it was sent back I have no idea, except it is now in the Springfield history museum. Regarding Lt. Gen. Wm. Knudsen, he was Director of all wartime defense production. He had formerly been President of General Motors, and was promoted directly to such a high rank because FDR felt he needed the clout of having three stars to get the job done without interference. His importance to the winning of WWII cannot be overstated. The man was a production genius.