Well, it was usual for surplus dealers to ream British surplus .38-200 (.38 S&W) out to take Specials, why would not a VC?

I once read that the British had a problem with sticking bullets in those guns when they went from the original 200 gr lead bullet to 178 gr jacketed.

There was an American Rifleman article about government trials with .38 Special +P not for more power but to avoid sticking the jacketed GI bullets.