Victory Model Question

jeed · #1 06-23-2010, 12:06 PM

Has anyone seen or have a Victory model with this type marking? Any idea what the mark it is? I've just assumed Vermont Civil Defense but certainly not sure. Thanks to all...

canoeguy · #2 06-23-2010, 12:11 PM

Could be "Vermont Correctional Department".....

Maybe someone else has seen one similar...

opoefc · #3 06-23-2010, 02:02 PM

That's not a mark that I'm familiar with. Maybe Charlie Flick (Ordnance Guy) has some data on it, however, there are 100s of after market stampings on Victory Models. I'm assuming you have a "Guard Gun", issued to the Defense Supply Co., and not a military Victory Model, correct? A factory letter might show the Vermont Civil Defense receiving the gun. Good Luck, Ed.

jeed · #4 06-23-2010, 03:08 PM

Thank you Ed. It's on the list for a letter, but at 50.00 a whack I've got to go slowly. I look at it like 4 or 5 letters = another Smith. I've been under the impression that the none of the Defense Supply revolvers were marked on the top strap, as in this example, and only the military issue revolvers were marked. Is that correct???? Thanks again.

lenb · #5 06-23-2010, 05:19 PM

Jeed,
You're correct that the Victory revolvers issued to Military units had the US Property GHD stamp on the top strap as yours does, and the ones issued to defense plants, etc typically did not. Yours could very well have been a military issue gun that was then surplussed after the war, when those markings were stamped on it, either by an organization such as those mentioned, or by a law enforcement individual that was allowed to provide their own carry weapon. I'm of the opinion that a letter will only show shipment to the Military, and not to anything matching the letters stamped on it. I also have one similar to yours, with different letters stamped on the butt strap, and chose not to spend the money on the letter for the same reason. It's too bad these old Victories can't talk, they might have quite a history to tell. Just my two cents.

Len

ordnanceguy · #6 06-23-2010, 07:24 PM

Jeed:

LenB has it right. Your Victory was shipped to the military. (If you want to know the estimated ship date, you're gonna have to give me the serial number so that I can check it for you on the Victory Model Database which LWCmdr45 and I maintain.)

The VT.C.D. marking shows up on five guns in the Database. All of these five guns were shipped to the military from the factory. I believe that these guns were surplused post-war by the US Government to the State of Vermont where they were used as prison guns by the Department of Corrections. I believe also that these guns were later traded in by the Department for new guns which is how they came to be back on the civilian market. That info came to me from a collector in VT who had purchased one of these guns from a dealer who had a pile of them and related the foregoing facts to the collector.

Hope that helps you.

jeed · #7 06-23-2010, 08:04 PM

Thanks Mr. Flick & LenB. The serial # of the VT. CD Victory is V 693229. Your information is greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

opoefc · #8 06-23-2010, 10:36 PM

Charlie, Sorry, I didn't notice the US Property stamp on the top strap, or I would have commented that here's another example that when it comes to S&Ws, Never say Never! A military gun with a civilian stamping. Fortunately, Charlie Flick's data base has solved the problem again. Shortly after the Korean war, I found a stash of US Navy Victory Models in the Arms Locker at my local Sheriff's Dep't. Back tracking their acquisition, I found they had been turned over to the Sheriffs by the Navy Shore Patrol when the Navy dropped their patrols in San Diego. The Sheriff told me the Navy said the paperwork to donate them was much less than the red tape of trying to return them to Navy Small Arms stores. The right grip panels were stamped SDSO (San Diego Sheriffs Office) on the bottom. They also had a few Victory Models donated from Convair ( Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Plant) that were Guard guns in WW2. Ed. #15

ordnanceguy · #9 06-24-2010, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeed

Thanks Mr. Flick & LenB. The serial # of the VT. CD Victory is V 693229. Your information is greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

Thanks, Jeed, for providing the complete number. Incomplete serials are pretty much useless when it comes to the Database. Based on the information in the Victory Database I can estimate for you that this Victory was likely shipped from the factory in the September-October, 1944 time frame.

Ed, thanks to you for the tip on the "SDSO" marking. One of these days someone is going to ask what that means, and because of you now we all know!!

jeed · #10 06-25-2010, 01:07 AM

Thank you for the additional information Mr. Flick. I'm planning on getting a letter on this one too, but I have several others on the list before it. If it has shows anything interesting, I'll post it. Please look for another post from me on yet another Victory. Thanks again!