A Victory Model with a story!!!!

[John Holbrook]

In late 1967, I was in Vietnam doing BDA. One one such mission, as I stepped from behind a tree I came face to face with a 14 year old VC armed with the S&W Victory Model below! He also was carrying an AK 47. As he turned toward me, I shot him twice with my M14.

He fell against a tree, so I walked up to him and kicked the .38 out of his hand...... On examination, I saw a bullet sticking out of the barrel. I dropped the pistol in my pocket and left the scene.

When I got back to Whidbey Island, I removed the barrel and there were obviously rounds stuck in it, so I used a Dremel Tool and cutoff wheels to remove a slice... It has 9 rounds in it. The first round is a tracer and the rest USGI ball!!!! I cutoff the lug and made a barrel so I could shoot it. When I began to work the gunshows, I reinstalled the original barrel.

Notice someone has scratched "CIVIL DEFENSE"on the frame. The barrel is marked .38 S&W CTG so it was a .38/200, however the cylinder is .38 Special, and it had USGI .38 Special ammo in it......

 

[ronnie gore]

VICTORY

WOW! WORST CASE OF BULLETS STUCK IN THE BARREL I HAVE EVER SEEN.

 

[twaits]

Great story! Thanks for sharing. I'm glad the VC didn't get you.

 

[John Holbrook]

You have to admit, HE SHOT A DARNED NICE GROUP that measures .357!!!

 

[PALADIN85020]

Very interesting piece that illustrates the strength of these little revolvers! For what it's worth, I also have a .38 special Victory model on which someone has scratched "civil defense" weakly on the left side. I guess that manner of marking was a common wartime expedient!

For what it's worth, mine also has "U.S. Navy" stamped on the top strap. The serial # is V1167xx, making it an October, 1942 manufactured gun.

 

[jody johnson]

I, too, am amazed at the strength of that Victory. As for the "history" of the thing...wow!!!

 

[John Holbrook]

Here is a closeup of the barrel. You can see where I cut the lug off to make a new barrel....

 

[Art Doc]

I have no idea how this happens other than it was fired 9 times with ammo so underpowered that the 1st bullet never made it clear of the bore and the rest stacked up behind it. Trust me, if these rounds had been normal the barrel would have burst.

Actual 38 Special cylinder or a 38/200 reamed to accept 38 Specials?

 

[John Holbrook]

I have no idea how this happens other than it was fired 9 times with ammo so underpowered that the 1st bullet never made it clear of the bore and the rest stacked up behind it. Trust me, if these rounds had been normal the barrel would have burst.

Actual 38 Special cylinder or a 38/200 reamed to accept 38 Specials?

It is a .38 Special cylinder. I have seen .38 S&W cylinders that that were reamed to take .38 Special and the rounds are very loose in them... When .38 Special is fired in them, the cases are bulged!!!!! I have fired this pistol with a replacement barrel and it shoots great!!!

 

[popgun]

I have no idea how this happens other than it was fired 9 times with ammo so underpowered that the 1st bullet never made it clear of the bore and the rest stacked up behind it. Trust me, if these rounds had been normal the barrel would have burst.

Actual 38 Special cylinder or a 38/200 reamed to accept 38 Specials?

I disagre, I've seen this happen three other times in a variaty of revolvers. the last one was my FL's Colt Python. Had 6 357 's one after the other in a 6 inch barrel. It all depends on chance.

 

[m60]

John, Hello from Lynden. Actually I'm in B'ham right now. Quite a story and picture.
I also have a Victory model I picked up at Kesselring's a few years ago. It has USN, Seattle PD and Civil defense markings. I always thought it would be interesting to know the history of the gun. I don't think it would hold a candle to your story though.

 

[John Holbrook]

Here is a Navy marked Victory with letter... Give me a call sometime and I will buy you a cup of coffee and show you my "toys"!!! Bring your Navy by and we can post some photos of it...

 

[Texas Star]

Fascinating! The RAF often had trouble with S&W .38/200's in match use, where the jacketed bullet stuck in the bore.

This didn't seem to happen with Webley and Enfield .38's, which had slightly looser boring.

The ammo was obviously underpowered. A fellow whom I knew shot some .38/200 ammo at a British greatcoat and said that the bullet wouldn't penetrate the coat! He lost a lot of faith in the .38 after that. As a Rhodesian cop at the time, he thereafter carried a P-38 9mm.

I have a suspicion that the powder charge in British .38 ammo wasn't increased after jacketed bullets were adopted about 1938. (Lead bullets gave less friction.)

T-Star

 

[sheriffoconee]

great story...if you have pics of the barrel you made i would like to see that as well....interesting how you cut the lug off...

 

[John Holbrook]

Here is another view of the lug removal. I was working part time at for a gunsmith and we had a .357 rifle barrel in the shop. So I cut a foot off of it and made a barrel for the VM. The made up barrel is long gone, however it shot well... Then, I found a used .38 Special barrel and installed it. In retrospect, I wish that I had not removed the lug..---

When I started working the gun shows, I re-installed the original barrel with the bullets in it...

 

[sheriffoconee]

that's pretty clever.....using a .357 barrel for your Victory Model....

 

[moosedog]

Very interesting gun and story.
Glad he didn't get you. Thank you for your service sir.

 

[j38]

What a fascinating story - with pics! That's one constipated Victory model - fortunately for you. May your good luck continue and thanks much for the post,

Jerry

 

[whitecoyote]

John Holbrook,
Simply amazing! Thanks for your service.
I salute you!

 

[DRB]

The Civil defense marking is a post war marking applied when the revolver was given to local Civil Defense groups in the US. I attended a meeting of the township trustees in the township I lived in during 1980 and one of the things reported was the transfer of S&W revolvers to them for Civil Defense use. Yes the US kept some victory revolvers in .38S&W after the war. I bet the revolver was taken to Nam by a GI as a personnel weapon and lost to the VC either through theft or battlefield pickup. The private owner probably switched the cylinder. .38 special barrels are .357 bore dia while .38 S&W are .360 inch. SO a .38 special should have less resistance when going through the barrel since it is oversized bore. I bet it was bad ammo.