38 special Information

[Fordfan]

I have a 38 special Victory model serial # V 219566 numbers are on under side of barrel , bottom of handle, rear face of cylinder, back side of ejector but it has markings on side of cylinder in between each chamber looks like a BNP with a shape above the BNP letters may be a crown. has this same markings on left side on barrel strap just in front of cylinder. Has markings on frame looking on left side under barrel behind cylinder hinge that is D2 then under that a number 39358. it has some more markings below hammer on top of the handle wide part of handle frame that is K and a dot then another K and another dot then another mark don't know what it is. Now that is the markings on the gun and it is a 2 inch barrel with a bone handle grip just trying to figure when it was made and what those markings mean. Can someone tell me about this pistol?

 

[Muley Gil]

Welcome to the Forum.

S&W built thousands of Victory model revolver for the British gov't during WW II. Most had 5" barrels and were chambered in .38 S&W, which is a shorter, fatter cartridge than the .38 special. After the war, these revolvers were surplused and many were shipped back to the States. As the .38 special was a much more popular round here, most were rechambered to .38 special. Snubnose revolvers were becoming popular and many had the barrels cut down to 2"; some had a tinny ramp sight added. During the bobjob, the lug under the barrel that secured the end of the ejector rod was removed. A lot were also nickel plated.

There is no collector's value to these. Average price is around $200. Shooting .38 specials can result in bulged or split cartridge cases.

 

[DWalt]

V 219566 suggests yours left the factory in early 1943. BOATLOADS of the WWII British .38/200 military revolvers were imported as surplus into the USA during the 1950s and 1960s, many of which were refinished, rebored to .38 Special, and had their barrels chopped. Cheap plastic grips were sometimes added to the mix. They sold at essentially giveaway prices, many by mail order, legal at that time. They have no collector value due to the various mutilations. $200 is about a maximum value, but I often see dealers asking $400-$500 for them as traps for the unwary who do not know what they are buying. Many of the stampings you see are mainly British proof marks. Proof testing was required by British law before they could be sold to the public after they had been declared surplus.

Perhaps the most famous of the chopped and bored Victories was the one allegedly used by Lee Harvey Oswald (SN V510210) to kill Dallas police officer J. D. Tippitt after the JFK assassination.

 

[hanno]

"BNP" stands for British Nitro Proof. As noted above it means your revolver was "proofed" (tested) to ensure it was safe for sale, exchange, export, etc.

Corrected: As noted by DWalt, should be "Birmingham Nitro Proof".

 

[DWalt]

"BNP" stands for British Nitro Proof. As noted above it means your revolver was "proofed" (tested) to ensure it was safe for sale, exchange, export, etc.

BNP means Birmingham Nitro Proof (i.e., using smokeless powder proof loads). Most proofing was performed at the Birmingham Proof House, also sometimes proofed in London.

 

[hanno]

BNP means Birmingham Nitro Proof (i.e., using smokeless powder proof loads). Most proofing was performed at the Birmingham Proof House, also sometimes proofed in London.

It does indeed. Apparently, I wasn't thinking while typing.

Next time, I'll have my second cup of coffee before logging in.

 

[Absalom]

......it has some more markings below hammer on top of the handle wide part of handle frame that is K and a dot then another K and another dot then another mark don't know what it is.....

As the others have already explained, most of the markings you describe are post-war British proof marks that were required by British law for commercial sale and are not related to the gun's service history.

The exception are the marks I quote above. I don't know the meaning, but the upper backstrap is not a location for proofmarks; on guns of this type, that's where one finds military ownership marks, country codes and such.

If you are able to, a close-up picture of those would interest me, just for educational purposes.

 

[Fordfan]

Here are some of those pictures of the stamps on the 38 Special.

 

[Absalom]

Here are some of those pictures of the stamps on the 38 Special.

Thanks for the photos. As I suspected, the backstrap markings have nothing to do with the Birmingham proofs. They are definitely older and date back to the gun's active service. I can't tell you what they mean, though.

 

[Muley Gil]

Show us a picture of the barrel and the front sight, please.