Looking on GunBroker for a Victory (among other places). I don't need a museum-grade piece...just something that looks decent and works perfectly. Will even consider a nickeled one (gasp!) if it looks ok.

But here's my question: What calibers were they made in?

I know .38 special. And 38/200 for the Brits. And the Cogswell conversions back to .38 special (which I will not consider after reading a bunch of posts here).

But some sellers are posting them in 38 S&W....which is different than .38 special. Did they make 'em in just 38S&W? Or they just misstating the caliber?

Thanks in advance.

I have 2, (1) is Brit proofed, (1) Aussie proofed, both are
38 S &W.

Sent from my SM-J727V using Tapatalk

The ones made for the USA are in 38 special with a 4 inch barrel the ones for the British were in 38 S&W with a 5 inch barrel.

.38 S & W and .38/200 are the same round. The British used 200 gr lead and 178 gr jacketed bullets (the latter during WW II), but in the U.S. it usually has a 146 gr lead bullet.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

The 4-inch models should say .38 Special and are that caliber.

On the others, the confusion arises from the fact that, more out of vanity and marketing considerations than anything else, the factory stamped the barrels of the British Service Models “38 S&W”, pre-Victory and Victory.

That’s fine as far as the dimensions are concerned, as the round is indeed the same size, but the problem is that nobody at the time who received and used the BSRs actually called the caliber by that name. The official name was .380 Mk IIz (with the then current 178gr) or Mk I (with the older 200gr), or .38-200, which is what Colt actually put on the barrels of its Official Police revolvers made for the British.

The British themselves, on their Enfield and Webley revolvers, just stamped .38, and apparently everyone was smart enough over there to know what that meant.

After the war, many BSRs, as has been mentioned, were converted to .38 Special. However, only on relatively few was that noted by an additional caliber stamping 38 SPECIAL, usually on the frame.

On the rest, you need to examine the chambers or try inserting a round to be sure what it is now.

You will find them as a .38 Special and as a .38SW. Both of my Victory's are 5" .38SW.

This one shipped in 1943



This one shipped in 1944 and was refinished and the trigger and hammer chromed.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

I thank you for this. Now I know.

Gonna keep with .38 special....don't want to add another caliber.

The .38 S&W is dimensionally the same at the British .380 Mk1 or Mk2, and is both shorter and of a slightly larger diameter than the .38 Special. .38/200 is sort of a shorthand designation. The .38 BSRs were stamped as .38 S&W on the barrel. Most BSRs were shipped with 5" barrels. The US versions were mostly 4" with barrels stamped as .38 S&W Special.