I work part time in a local gun store, and I just picked up a S&W Victory model, .38 Special, 4 inch, lanyard ring, walnut grips, with a V serial number and all matching numbers. I does not have "US Property" on it. It is blued, rather than parkerized. The serial number is around V161000, so it was probably 1942 before they were parkerizing them.

The back story is a guy older than me (I'm 70) brought it in. It was his father's duty revolver. He was a cop starting during World War II, and it was his duty weapon, even after the war until he retired in the 70s.

It is tight as a drum. Its still in Commiefornia 10 day gun jail, but I can't wait to shoot it. Really sweet trigger pulls, too.

A side note, my Dad fought on Iwo Jima. He was was an NCO with the Army advance party of the 142nd AGF, and landed on day 6 of the invasion. He was issued an M1 Carbine (Inland) and a 1911. He hated the 1911, and traded is for a Victory Model, which he said he shot much better than the 1911.

Except for a very few early Victories, they were all hot oxide blued, not Parkerized, mostly over a bead blasted surface. The bluing was called Black Magic. It is what is called a DSC (Defense Supplies Corporation) Revolver. Even though there were no sales during the war to ordinary civilians, essential users, such as law enforcement agencies, defense plant security forces, etc., could still purchase handguns through DSC, which was a government agency. The DSC guns did not have property stampings as the Military revolvers did, at least most of them.

And more pictures! I love my Vs

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When words fail, music speaks.

The Police Department I retired from in CA had Victory Models in our Armory until 1990 or so.

My friend was telling that when he started as police officer in a small NH town back in ten 60s his first duty gun was a victory model.

It seems most Victory Models were 5 inch barreled .38 S&W model, and went to Commonwealth countries. Many of the .38 Special 4" ones were used domestically for plant guards and police. A comparatively small number went to military members overseas.

If your gun is blued then it is probably refinished. Can you post some pictures?

From Pate: there were 775,359 revolvers in .38-200, mostly for Commonwealth countries, of course. In .38 Special there were only 22,500 shipped on direct DSC contracts. The Navy bought 65,000 directly and there were another 264,815 bought on Army contracts.

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

400 bucks huh?..…. Not in my neck of the woods

The gunshop owner set the price based on some closed gunbroker auctions. We think it may be a re-blue, and it had ugly fake stag grips on it when it came in, though it had the wood grips with it. I do think it was a screaming deal, though. It is as tight as a drum with a slick action.

Definitely refinished but a great deal at $400.

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

Yeah, I though $400 was a really good buy. It will live in a pistol lock box in the RV with three speed loaders of Winchester standard Velocity Winchester 110 grain Silvertip HPs and two Bianchi speed strips of Snake Shot.

I also have a box of Winchester 158 grain RN Lubaloy for plinking.