Hey folks,
First time poster.
Looking for any information on this snub nosed Victory model. I picked it up at a sheriff's auction cheap as it was in really bad condition and had planned on using it as a tackle box gun. Serial no. is V 494437 and is matched on the barrel and cylinder. It was rust pitted and the blue worn in many places so I stripped it, sanded out many of the rust pits and finished it with DuraCoat. I believe the grips are original but the number does not match the serial number. My Smith book says the 2" barrels are fairly rare. Any other info appreciated.

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Welcome to the forum!

Your gun has been cut down from its original length, losing the front locking lug in the process. It was probably originally a .38 S&W, not .38 Special. How is the barrel marked?

If it was converted from .38 S&W to .38 Special it is still safe to shoot with normal .38 Special loads, but you might find the empties will swell or maybe split.

A lot of these guns were shortened up when they were plentiful as surplus, to help them sell.

It will probably make a fine tackle box gun.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

The absence of the front locking lug makes me think that the barrel has been cut down and the front sight relocated.
Interesting gun though.
-Regards, Don

Yes, a cut down barrel.Minimal value. Many of these war babies were subjected to all sorts of things after the war: Cut down barrels, cylinders reamed to 38 special, nickel plating,and faux grips.

The caliber marking has likely fallen victim to the shortening of the original 5” barrel, but it was indeed almost certainly a re-imported former British Service model in .38 S&W, which, as has been mentioned, were often mutilated, while the 4” US versions were rarely cut like this. You can check whether both .38 S&W and Special will fully seat in the chamber to be sure that the cylinder has been converted.

The gun, originally from late 1943/early 1944, has no collector value left, but it should be a functional basic shooter with standard loads.

PS: Just noticed the CAL 38 SPECIAL next to the underbarrel serial, which confirms everything. That was applied by the importer/converter.

The barrel is marked with the V sercial number and stamped .38 S&W Special. The cut down barrel makes sense as it measures just a little over 2". Tackle box gun it is. Thanks for the replies.

You are the latest of hundreds of those which have previously asked the exact same question. There were boatloads of these chopped and bored BSRs imported in the 1950s and 1960s. The most famous one was allegedly used by Lee Harvey Oswald to kill Dallas police officer J. D. Tippett after the JFK assassination.

Welcome to the forum. Stick around, you'll like it here.

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Oh well, what the hell.