information on a Victory model

[mtu164]

I just purchased a Smith .38 S&W Victory model. The first one I have owned , and don't know much about this one. It is a 5 inch bbl. roll marked 38 S&W CTG on the right side , and Smith & Wesson on the left. Also on that side is "not english made" and three proof marks. One is what appears to be BV in a circle with a crown on it. The other two proofs are the same style one is possibly BP , the other I can't make out. On the frame on the left side next to the bbl is "not english made" and another BV proof. On the cyl. are proofs between each chamber , being both BV and BP. There is a mark on the frame over the back of the trigger guard that appears to be two crossed swords with a "B" and possibly some other letters. Serial no. is also on the back of the cyl. and bottom of the bbl.
The old gun is in pretty good shape for it's age . I believe it was made in 1943 possibly. Serial no. is 347640. Any info is welcomed as to the background of it.

 

[DWalt]

The SN is probably V347640, and it would likely have shipped around July-August 1943. It is a British Service Revolver (BSR) and at that date it would have been supplied to them by the USA through the Lend-Lease Program. It should have the "U. S. PROPERTY" stamp on the topstrap. All of the proof markings on it were applied when it was sold out of military service as surplus. A great many of them came to the USA in the 1950s-60s. I am not sure about the "Not English Make" stamp, but that marking is common for foreign guns sold in England. You might check to see if the chambers have been bored to accept .38 Special cartridges. If not modified, you will need to find some .38 S&W ammunition if you wish to fire it, which can be somewhat difficult.

 

[mtu164]

No US Property on it anywhere. Cyl is unmodified , It is still a 38 S&W. I shot it yesterday and it was very pleasant. Very smooth and functions perfectly.
Thanks for the information . It does have the V in the serial no. I just forgot to type it in.
Looking with a magnifing glass on the top strap just now, I believe that something was removed along the left side of the strap.

 

[DWalt]

If it has been refinished, the property stamp was probably buffed off. It is usually stamped fairly lightly. The best way to tell if the chambers have been deepened is to try inserting a .38 Special case or cartridge to see if it goes in all the way. Elongated chambers can be used for both .38 Special and .38 S&W.

 

[mtu164]

It is a 38 S&W . NO modification to the cyl. I believe you are right about the US Property stamp . While the gun has not been refinished , with a magnifying glass , I can see where something was removed. The finish is not perfect , so it doesn't jump out . Had you not mentioned that it would be there , I would never have noticed it. Thanks for all the info.

 

[Absalom]

The NOT ENGLISH MAKE was part of the commercial proofing of the old Rule of 1925 which was replaced by a new Rule in 1955.

This indicates that your gun was released from service relatively early. Most re-imported BSR's were not Birmingham-proofed until the later 1950s and therefore do not have that particular inscription.

 

[mtu164]

Neat gun , even with the US Property removed. I completely disassembled it and cleaned it up. It shows almost no wear on it inside, and the bore is pristine.
Thanks for all the information on it. I guess I will have to buy a set of dies for it , and a mold.

 

[gordonrick]

Nice catch!
You can find 145-146 grain .360" bullets from the usual suspects online. I've used Magtech and Missouri Bullets with success. Bullseye powder works well for this load (at least for me). Really fun caliber to shoot. I would like to load up some 200 grain lead to match the old British loads some day.

I've also used .357" JHP's but I don't have any useful data on terminal performance. Buffalo Bore makes some legitimate self defense rounds if you lean that way.

 

[DWalt]

If you reload, regular .357-.358 lead bullets will work fine. I currently use the .360 Missouri Bullet Company bullets, but for a long time I used 125 grain .357 lead bullets. I load using a set of .38 Super dies. A .38 Special shell holder should fit the .38 S&W rim.

If you are using only a Victory, it is not difficult to handload .38 S&W to to .38 Special-equivalent performance. I wouldn't use such loads in any of the old top-break revolvers.

 

[mtu164]

I cast my own bullets , so I will add a mold for this one. I'm casting for my 32-20 now, so I will leave lead in the pot. I guess I will have to run down a set of dies for it also. I ordered a lanyard loop for it also , to make it look right. This was a lot of really good information about my gun , and I appreciate all off you. Thanks, Tom

 

[Mk VII]

The letters and numbers inside the crossed swords will tell us what year it was proved in.

 

[mtu164]

All I can tell for sure is on the right side is the letter B and on the bottom between the hilts is either a 1 or an I . Doesn't look like there is anything on the left hand side of the swords.

 

[Absalom]

All I can tell for sure is on the right side is the letter B and on the bottom between the hilts is either a 1 or an I . Doesn't look like there is anything on the left hand side of the swords.

That's odd, and unfortunate. The B is for Birmingham and the 1 on the bottom denotes the inspector's rank, but the letter in the left space (the I In my attached example) would be the year code.

 

[mtu164]

Got my magnifying glass out and looked again . The stamp is sharp and clear , but there is nothing visible there. Maybe it was tilted when they applied the stamp.
I borrowed a mold from a friend of mine that casts . It makes 200 grain replicas of the original British round. I cast about 60 of them yesterday and will load them up today . Hope to match the old velocity and see how it shoots.

 

[Muley Gil]

"I'm casting for my 32-20 now..."

A man after my own heart.

 

[mtu164]

32-20 is one of my favorite rounds. I have a Win 53 takedown , a Rem Mod 25R carbine and a Smith HE. with a 6 inch bbl. As much fun as I can take. All shoot extremely well.