Originally Posted by grendelbean

After thinking more about the grip frame stampings I wonder if they mean the gun was refinished at the factory in November 1961? That from the Diamond stamped on the heel and the "1161" stamped on the toe of the left side of the grip strap.
This may not be an unreasonable assumption, as I know they were still in use after 1961. I was issued a Victory Model in 1963 as a Naval Aviator, was issued another one (2" barrel) when I first got to Vietnam on the Naval Intelligence Staff, and finally had to qualify with a 4" Victory Model in 1973 when first assigned to the Naval Investigatiave Service Office in New York. So - a Victory Model being refinished and reissued in 1961 doesn't seem too far fetched. Can anyone, who actually knows, add some real knowledge?