Recent content by Absalom

I don’t believe the main issue is willfull ignorance. I see the problem more as an implied assumption among certain folks that taking the oath (which I did too) qualifies and empowers you to decide what the Constitution means and act accordingly; it most certainly does not, neither does it...

One of those actors whose presence turned a bunch of actors into a cast of characters. He also provided one of the great quotes on Peckinpah (I‘ve edited ): „There are three or four or five directors who are sheer genius in what they do, and Sam is certainly one of those. But he also relies a...

My 4301 shipped in September 1917. While S&W did not necessarily ship in strict serial order, your gun was likely produced and shipped in that same timeframe.

Most peculiar fact about that article about the Commando from the “Warfare History Network”: Not a single one of the historical photos referencing Commandos actually shows a Commando. Main difference between Victory and Commando: The S&W Victory started as the British Service model in .38 S&W...

I‘m on vacation and away from my desktop photo files for a couple more weeks, or I‘d post more pictures. Not actual US holsters as standard issue with the Victory revolvers. Common full coverage flap holster for revolvers, initially with belt loops for carry on outside uniform belt, later two...

You have to weigh different factors. Generally, the HC spots are front and center, closest to the entrance and with greatest visibility. I‘d see my risk of falling or needing other assistance as MUCH greater than the idea that some predator might stalk those spots specifically to rob some...

Scott: Two additional observations: 1. The sideplate has the S for the new hammer block safety. If the plate is original to the gun, it was part of the May 1945 Navy refurbishment contract of 40,000 guns. There does not seem to be the added S on the barrel flat; is it present on the butt (not...

That‘s unlikely; they tend to be longer and more complex. I think it‘s either a badge number or a simple inventory number. Whatever organization got the gun post-war had to be big if they had at least 17052 guns to number :)

It’s not an “official” Marine Corps or Maritime Commission stamping. But a Navy property mark would pretty much eliminate the Maritime Commission. The Marines were equipped through the Navy, especially the carrier pilots who were issued Victorys. Some armory or unit within the US Marine Corps...

Ed‘s Austria letter is rightly famous :) However, this one is not likely to have gone directly to Australia. The direct shipments occurred around early summer 1941. Lend-Lease revolvers were shipped to Britain and were distributed centrally to the Commonwealth by orders of the London Munitions...

That serial would have been made in late 1941, and the property marking on the topstrap means it was an early Lend-Lease gun. The nice thing about the Australian BSR‘s is that they were re-imported by Vega Arms so late (late 80s/early 90s) that the urge to snubbify and convert had largely...

One problem is that DPD does not have to be Dallas. I know of at least two Colt Commando 38s of WW II vintage with DPD stamped on the butt; I kept a photo of one, which lettered to the US Maritime Commission but then apparently had a second career with a “DPD”, impossible to determine.

Indeed. The lanyard hole makes that likely. But it would have to have a V prefix in front of the serial number. You should find that most obviously on the grip’s butt, the back of the cylinder, and the underside of the barrel. Any number visible on the frame when you flip out the cylinder is not...

Unfortunately, I don‘t have a photo of either a converted or original .38 Spl. cylinder available. The picture attached shows an unconverted British service cylinder. Note the shoulder halfway up the chambers; a converted (reamed) chamber will have those ground down, but visible as “ghost...

Looking just at your picture, it could (just theoretically) be either, and either one would fit a .38 Special round. But as Jack says, it‘s indeed a near certainty that it started out as a British model. Very many of those, and hardly any of the US version, were so converted. Since the frames...