The Postwar Commercial Victory Model

Goony · #1 08-02-2011, 08:02 PM

For those of you who are not familiar with these, the Commercial Victory is an interesting variation of the Military & Police model.

Made up from surplus wartime Victory frames, these were the first M&P's to be released for civilian purchase after the cessation of hostilities. I know of at least one that is marked as being issued by the NYPD. Their key identifying characteristics are an "SV" prefixed serial number along with a plugged hole where the butt swivel would have been affixed. The accepted serial number range for these runs from about SV769000 up into the middlle of the SV812000 block. I don't know of any reliable estimate for how many were produced.

The blued finish (I don't believe any of these were factory nickeled) varies a bit, some guns being a bit more highly polished than others. I have seen only magna style original stocks, some of these being evidently prewar leftovers. I suppose service style stocks are a possibility but that would be atypical. 4 or 5 inch barrels are the norm, but I would not be too surprised if a 6 inch one turned up. I think it's unlikely that any 2 inch versions were made.

One thing I find curious is that all these Commercial Victory revolvers seem to have shipped in March 1946. It's as if Smith & Wesson was hoarding them for release all at the same time, perhaps to forestall any perception of favoritism as to who got them first. Their distribution was certainly shortlived, as I know that by April 1946, the company was already shipping the subsequent "S" prefixed M&P's.

As you can probably discern, there is a lot of extrapolation and even some conjecture in this account. There just isn't a lot of hard information on these to be had. I won't mind being proven wrong on any of this if it advances our collective knowledge regarding this intriguing chapter in S&W's history.

As for the two pictured here, #SV7702XX has a 5 inch barrel, with early postwar style (blued machined stock circle insert) magna stocks numbered with larger numerals in two lines. It is somewhat more highly polished than #SV8124XX, which has a 4 inch barrel and prewar type (unmarked machined stock insert in the white) magna stocks that are numbered with smaller numerals in a single line. These small differences are suggestive, albeit not conclusive, of the latter revolver having been completed before the former. Despite their disparities, though, both shipped in - you guessed it - March 1946.