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04-20-2018, 08:26 AM
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Location: Springfield, MO
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.38 S&W Victory ?????
my LGS/barber called early this morning with some questions about a Victory model he was looking at. .38 S&W, 5". markings on the right side near the MADE IN USA were FTR MA 55. above that was D broad arrow D. ser nr V501XXX. right side above trigger guard was hard to read but looked like VEGAS CA. he was wondering about the markings. I know what the FTR is and i'm guessing the VEGAS CA. is where it was imported back into the U. S.
thanks in advance. lee
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04-20-2018, 04:09 PM
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A rebuilt and refinished Australian Victory - Factory Thorough Repair (FTR), done in 1955 at Munitions Australia. Vega was a gun importer in Sacramento CA. They imported quite a few of these back in the 1990s, I think. The SN suggests original shipment around late 1943-early 1944.
Last edited by DWalt; 04-20-2018 at 05:04 PM.
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04-20-2018, 04:52 PM
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I don't know anything about the revolver, but just wanted to say how much I admire the fact that your barber is also a gun shop. Makes me wish I still had hair.
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04-20-2018, 06:01 PM
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DWALT is correct . These are fairly common in the US, as Vega apparently imported a great many of these from the Australian Gov'ts disposal of these reworked Victory Models as surplus to their needs. They are a subfield of Victory collecting and are usually found in very good mechanical condition, and retain the .38S&W caliber, but with a much darker finish due to a different process used to refinish them, than the S&W " Black Magic" wartime finish. You need at least one specimen if you collect Victories. Ed.
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04-20-2018, 06:04 PM
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Here is a picture of the importer mark.
__________________
Jeb
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04-20-2018, 06:10 PM
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GCA-1968 required firearms importers to stamp their names and addresses on the guns they imported. That generally has the effect of reducing collector desirability and market value.
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04-20-2018, 10:50 PM
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thanks guys. I will pass this info on to the owner. lee
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04-22-2018, 01:07 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jebstuart
Here is a picture of the importer mark.
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That is a very rare location. I've heard rumors that these existed, but never seen one. The VEGA stamp on most of these is on the left frame under the cylinder and much smaller and simpler.
The finish on your gun also looks different from the standard Lithgow refinish, much "grayer", although I don't know how much is the lighting. I wonder whether there was a later separate batch
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