Is the Victory data base still active? I have three I'd like to submit.

Yes, post the info here. Ed

I have one-V723884, marked for .38 S&W, and info appreciated.

A very late gun, probably shipped in 1945. Any marking on the top strap? Probably worth investing in a factory letter on one like this. Sure would like to see a photo.

__________________
SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

Yes, Virginia, the database is real and still actively seeking submissions! You may post your information here on the forum or e-mail me directly ([email protected], removing the "NOSPAM," of course). Please include the full serial number and a description of all markings. (Quality photos never hurt.)

Re SN V723884: It is, indeed, rather late production, but I'd estimate its shipping date closer to November/December, 1944.

Steve

this is my first time is this where i ask a question

I have a USN, Ser. # 238863 w/ original Boyt air holster and Lend-Lease Ser. # 151994 w/ British BNP proofs. I think the USN dates to 1942, but how about the Brit? It has original (I think) brush blue finish. I intend to letter them soon.

Thanks -

I am looking at a S&W 38 special ctg I think it is a victory model ,but would like to know about how old it is # at base of grip by lanyard is V136745. has walnut grips and entire # is on right side of lanyard ring.

Late 1942, probably shipped in October or November. Any more precision would take a factory letter. Yours sounds correct. A picture would be good, as people here love pictures. And lots more details.

HI, I have a snubnose serial V 282576 with an unusual mark under the "MADE IN THE USA" mark under the M. I will try and post my pics of the gun. Gum has no other unusual marks besides serial numbers and the one mark under the M, it has no model # no caliber.

Seems like a butchered British .38/200 Victory from your description. If there is no latch on the bottom of the barrel ahead of the ejector rod, there is no doubt that it is. Yours would date from about May 1943.

can i get some info on my victory model

Need your opinion. Just got in the grips for my latest Victory model. See attached. Looks good even with the lanyard ring I installed. What do you think?

I also posted a picture from another Victory model I have. I didn't notice the "P" under the grips. Any ideas?
This piece is a pre Victory BSR purchased by the Canadian military thru a defense contractor. I asked you the info earlier in this thread. S/N 9488**.

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I have a Lend Lease Victory with the following characteristics:

SN:V268491
Cal:38 S&W, 5" barrel
Birmingham proof marks on barrel, frame and cylinder. Marked "united states property"on left side of bridge and "not english made" on barrel and frame. "Made in U.S.A" is stamped on the right side of the frame over the front of the trigger guard. Below that in large letter and numbers is "P1118". There is a large letter "P" ( 3/8" high) at the bottom of the backstrap. The gun was not parkerized and hastily made judging by the milling marks visible on the frame, especially on the right, side plate, side. I have been unable to locate any reference to the P on the backstrap and the P1118 marking. If anyone can further my education I would much appreciate it! (Pictures to come A.S.A.P.)

The gun is from the first half of 1943. Victorys were not literally "parkerized"; the finish on your gun looks like a standard original Victory finish, just very tired with a lot of smoothing off by use wear. All markings are standard except for the backstrap P and the P1118. We have seen at least the latter type of stamping here before, although I do not recall whether anyone had an explanation. It is most likely a British or other user's unit or service marking, maybe post-war.

Thanks so much. If I can unravel the mystery I'll let you know.

I recently picked up an odd Victory I thought I'd have it added the the DB . I'm hoping for some info on it and the aftermarket sight. I'll try to post up pics later.

# V174369 Barrel, cylinder and frame all match. It's also marked P.D. Mansfield 8 With a westinghouse logo above it. There's an "S" on the frame and what looks to be the #8 stamped on the butt and under the grips. It's marked 38 special CTG. 4" barrel, unfortunately it has aftermarket grips and has been reblued sometime in it's life.

Lastly it has an adjustable sight attached to the side plate where the upper most screw near the hammer is located. I'll admit I've been out of the S&W scene for a bit. It's really not where my collection is going, but I couldn't pass it up.

It appears to be a F.D.L. "Wondersight"


thanks
bob

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Howdy All,
I am new to the sight I have a Victory in .38 S&W serial number V743875. Does anyone know when it was made. I also just picked another one up. It has a hole for the lanyard ring, but the serial number does not have a V. It is also in .38 S&W. The serial number is 946453.

Thanks,
Mark

Howdy Mark, I'm guessing the second gun is crowding April of 1942, when Lend-Lease took effect. My questions regarding 946453, which finish? Which grips? "United States Property" marked? I have an extreme curiousity concening the Pre-V's.

Thanks,
Bill

Mark, V 743875 would have shipped in late Dec. 1944, or early Jan. 1945. 946453 would be a "pre-victory" , probably shipped March-April 1942. Both guns would have been shipped to Great Britain or a Commonwealth country and imported to the US, as surplus, after WW2. Ed.

I have two; Brit. Serv. Rev S#-V161221, and commercial post war .38 Special with S#-SV809978. Photos below.

The SV809978 was lettered and shipped in March 1946 to the NYPD (see letter below) and bears the officers shield # 12095 stamped on the back strap. I had this gun lettered out of curiosity. As a police officer, I carried the same model 10 for many years and thought I recognized the wear pattern and wanted to see if it had been shipped to a PD.

Other photos available.

British Service Revolver




1946 M&P w/V serial #

letter

__________________
Pay attention...it pays to win

Here is another Victory for your data base. It shows honest wear, but everything matches except the grips. SN is: V159113.

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I just closed a deal on an early Victory Model, serial number V 2983. I will post pics when I get it in a week or so.

__________________
Gary Grace
S&WCA #1837

Here are mine that you can have for the data base,

Pre-Victory model.....

Victory, Pre-Victory, and model of 1917 letters arrived.....

Australian Victory Model.....

Pre-Victory model .38 S&W 6".....South African contract I believe

U.S. Navy & Civil Defense marked Victory model...

Thank you, Lobo. Your data will make a valuable contribution to the Victory Model Database.

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Charlie Flick
SWCA 729 HF 215

Hello guys, have acquired a new 38 Spl Victory model and would like all the information you can tell me about this gun. Not sure how the data base works, so let me know if more info needed.

(1) S/N V 699640 appears on bottom of handle and on cylinder and can be seen when cylinder swings opened. The cylinder also has 3 letters around S/N, P - V - and another letter or maybe symbol, can't tell what it is for sure. Will attempt better pictures when have more time.
(2) 4" barrel has SMITH & WESSON on one side and 38 S & W SPECIAL CTG on other side. What does CTG stand for.
(3) The lanyard ring is missing. Are original's available and where.
(4) Stocks appear to be walnut and in such good condition I wonder if they are original.
(5) 4 screws showing, don't know if a 5th is under stock as have not had stocks off yet. One screw has slight 'bugger' but not bad. Sideplate has trademark. Would call the finish black (maybe its called blue, my first vintage). Finish appears really good to me with only slight holster wear.
(6) Yoke has S 5 0 2 7 and I'm not sure if S or 5 is that.
(7) What is the procedure to get a factory letter. Do you have to belong to SWCA or Historical Society to do that.

Thanks for your time.

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Hello Rob:

I can help with your questions, which are much easier to answer since you provided good pics and a complete serial number.

(1) S/N V 699640? Based on the info in the Victory Model Database, which my pal LWCmdr45 and I administer, I can estimate for you that your Victory was likely shipped in the October, 1944 time frame.

(2) What does CTG stand for? That is the abbreviation for "Cartridge".

(3) The lanyard ring is missing. Are original's available and where? Yes, lanyard rings are usually available on Gunbroker.com and Ebay.com. Don't forget that you will also need the small pin that will secure the lanyard ring in place.

(4) Stocks appear to be walnut and in such good condition I wonder if they are original? Yes, they are walnut. I suspect that they are also original to the gun based on how they appear to fit in your photo. To find out for sure, take the stocks off. There will be a single serial number, without any prefix, inside the right stock panel. If original to the gun that serial will match the gun's serial. Victory stocks were hand-fitted to each revolver which required that they be serialed.

(5) 4 screws showing, don't know if a 5th is under stock as have not had stocks off yet? Yes, you have a 5-screw gun. (All Victory Models were 5-screw guns.) The 5th screw is located on the forward side of the frame just above the trigger guard.

(6) Yoke has S 5 0 2 7 and I'm not sure if S or 5 is that? It is probably a 5. These numbers are of little consequence.

(7) What is the procedure to get a factory letter? Do you have to belong to SWCA or Historical Society to do that? All that is required is a written request with details on the gun and payment of the fee of $50. Follow this link for the thread by Handejector and click on the blue link that says "factory letter request form." http://smith-wessonforum.com/swca-pu...bout-swca.html Print that out, fill it out and send it in. If you do get a letter please post back here with the results so that we can add that information to the Database.

Am I correct in assuming that there are no markings on the left top strap of your Victory? It is a very nice example.

I hope this information is helpful to you.

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Charlie Flick
SWCA 729 HF 215

Hi, Charlie,

I picked up a rather unusual Victory today. United States Property on top strap with British proofs on bottom (milled area) of what seems to be a longer Victory barrel cut down 2". US inspector proof and flaming bomb on butt.

I presume the .38 Caliber markings on the bottom side of barrel indicate British .38/200 and not .38 S&W as was presented to me by seller.

It surely is not a .38 Special even though the shortened barrel has no markings on either side. Butt has hole for lanyard ring stud but no lanyard ring. Hole is open, not plugged.

Butt SN: V 119989 (cylinder # 137199 with what seems to be an improved star (rotational gear) and smooth walnut (nice condition) grips # 487328. By SN on butt I'm guessing originally manufactured appx mid-1942. Is that near correct ?

It further appears the outer surface of the barrel (only) had been lightly turned in a lathe, a groove machined flat to clear the LERK. No spring loaded forward catch on barrel. Barrel re-blackened along with the top strap that may have been lightly sand blasted as if some very light attempt may have been taken to disguise the US Property stamp. The balance of the gun seems as properly worn original finish.

Barrel seems front sight installation is pressed in to machined groove. Front sight remotely reminds me of a Chief Special Target front sight except not quite as tall as the CST1. No serrations atop the front sight.

I purchased this only because it seemed odd, possibly a conversion of necessity rather than for post-war surplus sale.

Is it common for British proofed Victory models to have a US Property stamping on the top strap ?

I didn't pay enough for it to matter. I only purchased it speculating it may have been British conversion to short barrel and .38/200 for a specific war time purpose, e.g. for pilots or special ops.

What's your insight ? Sal

__________________
ANTIQUESMITHS
LM1300 SWHF425

Good morning all, what a find!
I know of gun that I would like to Identify.
38 Spl Victory S/N V 4429XX Not marked U S Property
The Pictures of everReady Rob’s gun are identical to this pistol, except it has the lanyard ring. All # match thru-out.
I just wonder when it was likely shipped?
Also know of a .45 APC model, but will have to find the serial and get some pics on it.

S/N V 4429XX likely shipped late October-early November 1943, but only a factory letter would provide an exact date. Yours was probably intended for stateside civilian use, such as police or defense plant guards. A small percentage of wartime M&Ps produced were sold to the Defense Supply Corporation for such non-military purposes, and have no military markings.

Thanks DWalt
That exactly matches the story behind this particular gun. Supposed to be issued to someone working w/ FBI. Had my doubts about that tall tail!

Thanks Charlie for your prompt reply. This is great news for me as it fits perfect with my search for a birth year Victory. I will pursue the factory letter and forward that information.

There are no markings on left top strap.

Yeah, mine too

Recently acquired 2 more, though the 38/200 I know is not an actual "victory". Hopefully y'all can shed some light on that one. Never seen that rollmark on the hammer. Assuming its an after market part?

Have 2 butt swivels on the way and looking to swap the checkered medallion grips for a set of victory grips on the 38/200.

No acceptance stamps or property marks on either one. Perhaps the V model is a DSC gun?

SN's 746990 P and V 508708

Thanks!

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The patent marked hammer was used on pre-war guns, I have no good idea when it was stopped, I think late 1930s. It referred to the finish, not the hammer itself. My guess is that the hammer is a replacement. 746990 would date it as shipping in probably mid-1941, maybe a little earlier. V508708, probably around early 1944. In mid 1941, there would have been no factory-applied property stamp. That came after the Lend-Lease act in late 1941. With no property stamp on V508708, chances are high that it was a DSC gun.

Hello all, I just found this forum, and have done some quick research. I believe my question belongs here. I was given my Grandfathers .38, years ago and not being a gun person it's been in a drawer until this morning. the serial # on the butt and cylinder match and is V 742150. On the right side of the barrel is 38 S&W CTG. On the same side of the barrel near the cylinder there appears to be another stamp that I can't quite make out, what I can says NP 3.5 38 "767". Above the NP appears to be some sort of hallmark maybe an eagle with out stretched wings. If anyone has any info I'd greatly appreciate it.

Welcome to the forum. Your gun sounds like a Victory model that was shipped to the Allies during WW2. Our Allies, England, Canada, etc. all used guns in 38 SW caliber rather than 38 Special. The markings on the side of the barrel are most likely British proof marks that were applied when the gun was sold as surplus post-war. Is this a 5" barreled gun? Measure from the end of the barrel to the front of the cylinder. Many of these guns were converted to 38 Special and reimported to the US, if it is converted there may be problems shooting 38 Special ammo as the dimensions of the two calibers are different. Pictures of the gun and markings would be a considerable help with positive identification. You might want to start a new thread in this section of the forum describing your gun to elicit more responses and information. I hope this helps a bit.

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John. SWCA #1586

London proofs indicating the .38 S&W cartridge. If it will chamber .38 Specials (many do) the chambers were further reamed afterword. The problem is the British round was in the .361 diameter range not the .357 of the special.

It is best to start a new thread specific to your gun with pics if possible.

Welcome and Happy New Year.

Thanks for the info so far guys, working on getting pictures. It will not chamber the 38 special rounds, they only go about half the way in. Top strap left side, I can very faintly read US PROPERTY_ _D, can't make out the 2 spaces, second might be an H

The mark you refer to is GHD the initials of Guy H. Drewry, the Army inspector at the Springfield Armory.

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John. SWCA #1586

Thanks, I started a dedicated thread for this with pics,

Here is a Pre Victory model in .38 S&W, sn 946227.It has commonwealth proofs, I believe, Canadian. The broad arrow inside the C is poorly stamped, though. It sports a 5 inch tube. It too shows honest wear, but it is all matching. Do you know what the WB on the heel stands for?

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Ole:

Thanks for the information you supplied for the Victory Database. Every bit helps to improve the scope and accuracy of the Database.

The WB marking on the bottom of the grip frame indicates that your revolver was "accepted" by the Ordnance Department. The WB letters are the initials of Col. Waldemar Broberg, who served as the Inspector of Ordnance for the District in which the S&W factory was located.

On your 4 inch .38 Special Victory can you please tell me if there are any markings on the left top strap? My crummy monitor here does not give me the necessary clarity to see if there are any markings there. On your 5 inch gun are there any markings on the top strap? Where is the Canadian Broad Arrow C property marking located on the gun?

__________________
Charlie Flick
SWCA 729 HF 215

picked this pre victory up on one of the local gunboards. serial 7511**.
crossed flags on frame in front of cylinder on left side. there is only an "h" in the flags unlike most i have looked at that have and H,4,B. very small,lightly stamped marks on side of frame towards the rear and above grips,large arrow,what looks like a crown,z4 ans what appears to be an "m",although i know its something else.
does not have all the heavy british proof stamps. will be putting a proper set of stocks on soon.

Charlie,
No US Property, or other markings on the left top strap of either revolver. The 'broad arrow inside the C' is on the bottom of the grip frame of the pre Victory, adjacent to the WB mark. It is a poor stamping, only about half there, and difficult to make out. If it were a complete, legible mark, it would have almost overstamped the ordnance flaming bomb.

dlbleak, sounds like your K-200 got the full treatment at Royal Enfield.

Rightside pics?

Any insight on mine: v464083? I inherited it from my father-in-law, who inherited it from his father-in-law, who was a merchant marine in the war for Gulf oil. I have the original leather holster to go with it, the holster and gun were used as a woods gun for about 50 years, but considering its history is in good shape with 90% bluing and little pitting, but some Holster wear.

One more thing, is it generally considered safe to use +p ammo?

NO! According to S&W if the firearm was manufactured before 1977 +P ammo was not recommended.

Another serial number for you - SV786640. Probably already in the data base, I gave Charlie Flick the number on another forum a year or so ago. I was issued one identical to this in the mid 80s at Ft. Campbell, wish I had written the serial number down.

One of my Victories for the data base.

SN is V321740 (V is to the left of the lanyard ring, number to the right). Numbers match on the butt, cylinder and barrel.

It came home with an Army officer from the CBI theatre following WWII. It was obtained in a "trade" with an RAF pilot. Been in the sock drawer since 1946.

Has the usual "US Propertry GHD" on the top strap. No proof markings found.

Any idea of DOB and where it was originally shipped?

Thanks.