2in. British marked Victory?

[papabyrd]

Hey boys and girls.I picked up a keeper at the gunshow in Bessemer,AL.this last weekend. It is a m&p 2in. barrel with British markings all over it.just above the trigger is a crossed sword with what looks like c 2 6 inside the swords and it has BNP under a crown all over the place. The barrel is marked 38" special 1.150" and 4 tons per square". There are no Smith markings other than the logo and made in USA, No Smith address on barrel. Ser# is 787411 and there is a hole in the butt for a ring but the ring has been removed. also there is no V prefix in the ser#.is this a pre Victory or what. Thanks ( ps it is blue not parked) p[IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG]apabyrd

[papabyrd]

Hey boys and girls.I picked up a keeper at the gunshow in Bessemer,AL.this last weekend. It is a m&p 2in. barrel with British markings all over it.just above the trigger is a crossed sword with what looks like c 2 6 inside the swords and it has BNP under a crown all over the place. The barrel is marked 38" special 1.150" and 4 tons per square". There are no Smith markings other than the logo and made in USA, No Smith address on barrel. Ser# is 787411 and there is a hole in the butt for a ring but the ring has been removed. also there is no V prefix in the ser#.is this a pre Victory or what. Thanks ( ps it is blue not parked) p[IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG]apabyrd

[Art Doc]

It's not original. Barrel was cut (likely from 5") losing the front locking lug for the ejector rod. This can sometimes make the gun unreliable as the cylinder wobbles. Front sight is also not correct.

The chambers were probably reamed for the longer but smaller in diameter .38 Special. The correct caliber is .38 S&W (not Special).

A couple of the British gun companies "sporterized" thousands of these revolvers after the war. I would have to replace the barrel on this one and stick with correct .38 S&W ammo.

[papabyrd]

This one is a true 38 special a 38 S&W will not go in any of the chambers. It may be rebarreled but all numbers match and there is no v in the ser#. I also think it has been blued because the logo looks like it has been buffed a litle to hard.Also what is the address for getting a letter from Smith? i have 2 that I would like to know more about Thanks papabyrd

[mikepriwer]

As SP notes, the barrel has been cut. Or, that may be a replacement
barrel of some kind. Either way, the extractor lug is missing. If the
roll-marking only says .38 Special, then its probably a replacement
barrel. Originally, I think it would have said .38 S&W Special Ctg.

Later, Mike Priwer

[cgt4570]

Looks like a typical Griffin & Howe converted ex-British Military. Those grips, the soldered-on ramp sight, and the lopped-off barrel are just like I've seen on several done by them. If the barrel & cylinder are actually .38 Spl, then it's done better than most.

Chris

[walnutred]

Originally posted by papabyrd:
This one is a true 38 special a 38 S&W will not go in any of the chambers. It may be rebarreled but all numbers match and there is no v in the ser#. I also think it has been blued because the logo looks like it has been buffed a litle to hard.Also what is the address for getting a letter from Smith? i have 2 that I would like to know more about Thanks papabyrd

The cylinder ser no matches as well? I have a Brit Victory that was converted by fitting a 38 Special cylinder is why I ask.

[Art Doc]

Some 38 Special guns were sent to England early in the war as they accepted whatever was in inventory and could be shipped so it may be an original 38 Special gun. That would be a plus.

But the barrel still needs to be replaced IMO.

Used to be barrels were $5-$10 on ebay but now they don't allow those parts to be listed so I don't know what to suggest. I had an old 38 with a bulged barrel and a replacement was found for $5 but the smith wanted over $100 for labor so I did it myself. I know everyone says it's a bad idea but I did it and it worked out fine.

[papabyrd]

yes The cylinder ser # matches the # on the butt.

[j38]

I've always liked mutts... and that's a VERY nice one. That's the kind of gun that I would like to follow me home. Regards, Jerry

[Bell Charter Oak Holsters]

Seems positively doubtful that the barrel is an original 2 incher, for all the reasons already mention by Mike, SP and others. For my two cents it has been modified, probably by Cogswell & Harrison when surplused after the war. It has the typical C&H front sight and the very same grips as those I have owned in the past which had a brass plate engraved with "Converted by Cogswell & Harrison" on the frame. The proofs are British civilian Birmingham proof house markings. The cylinder was rechambered for .38 Special. The fact that it is not a "Victory" is not particularly significant since we shipped everything imaginable the Brits could lay there hands on when it hit the fan in '39. Still, it is a peculiar looking creature and may bring some pleasure to those who care for that sort of oddity.

[Texas Star]

What you have is a Lee Harvey Oswald gun. Not his, but the same thing. Good way to ruin a formerly good gun. Surplus dealers made a lot like that. Thought they'd sell better as snubs, I guess, and were too dumb or uncaring to know about the front cylinder lock.

Oswald shot Officer J.D. Tippett with his like this.

T-Star

[papabyrd]

Thanks T S. I did not know that bit of info.I don`t remember having heard that he had a handgun.