Can anyone help with this?

[jblackfish]

I'm brand new and I admit that I'm coming here looking for help - hope that's ok.

It's a S&W Victory 38/200 that a buddy of mine wants to sell and I might buy it just to have an older S&W revo. He thinks that it was Parkerized when sent back to the US. That may blow any historical value the piece has – don't know. Also, he hasn't put 150 rounds in it since he's owned it and he's had it for 25 years or so. One question I have is can I shoot .38 special ammo in it? Neither of us has any idea what it's worth and we're just looking for a price that's fair to both of us. I'm attaching several pics for reference that he sent me:

Any help or pointers to the right authority on this would be appreciated.

 

[opoefc]

None of your pictures came through. Many of the 38/200 revolvers were imported back to the US after WW2 and the cylinders were bored out to allow the longer .38 Special round to chamber. You can tell if the gun has been modified by inserting a .38 Special cartridge. If it goes in the chambers all the way, it's been converted, and will shoot .38 Specials. Some say that's not good, but I've never had any problems shooting guns with that conversion. It is possible that some cartridge case may swell or split, as the .38 Special rounds are slightly smaller than the 38/200 rounds the gun was made to shoot. The collector value of these guns is based on originality and condition. Bored out cylinders, refinishes, etc, reduce the value to shooter value, or about $200- $250 in most areas. Ed.

 

[jblackfish]

Thanks, Ed. Don't know why the 8 pics don't show for you. I see them fine. It took me 30 minutes to downsize and re-save them to no more than 800 wide x 600 tall. Anyone else unable to see the pics.

 

[flightsimmer]

Nope! no pictures.

 

[delta-419]

Photos

Cann't see them here in Florida!

 

[bobsdad]

I can't see them either. Where each photo should be, is a photobucket message: "This image or video has been moved or deleted". For a chance at estimating value, having it in hand is best. But I'd say photos are needed at minimum.
If your .38 Special cartridges fit in the cylinders, you should be OK.

 

[DWalt]

There have been a lot of postings here on the V-Models in the past, also a great many other websites discuss it in great detail. It's in no way rare, and if converted to the .38 Special, has but nominal value, except as a shooter. I wouldn't turn one down for $150 or so if in fair or better condition. The one pictured seems much better than Fair, so I'd say the $200-$250 range would be a reasonable range for negotiation. I doubt that any dealer would pay more than that, and probably somewhat less. The .38/200 bore may be a bit oversize in diameter for the .38 Special bullet, so accuracy may suffer with factory ammo. One can use .38 S&W ammo, but it's more difficult to find and more expensive than .38 Special.

The finish on the one pictured is almost certainly Parkerized. If one wants a black finish, Parkerizing makes an ideal base for application of one of the spray-on and bake Teflon finishes. I believe the original V-model factory finish was a hot blue or Parkerized over a brushed or sandblasted (not polished, as would be normal in peacetime) surface, but I'm not sure about that. Yours is almost certainly refinished.

 

[jblackfish]

Thanks, all. I don't know what happened but I think I gottem out there now.

 

[Buford57]

I see a decent, clean example of the Victory Model as reimported by Vega Arms in Sacramento. Shows FTR/MA 54 Stamp and SN in the V433XXX stamp. Looks more like Parkerizing than Black Magic. Grips are period correct and still has lanyard loop. It would go fairly quickly at $300 in my area if not rebored. Pics show nothing to indicate either way.

Shoot .38 S&W and enjoy.

 

[H Richard]

You have a Victory model that went to Australia. From the angle of the picture I can't tell if it is a 5" gun, and should be in the 38 S&W, not 38 Special. They are two different rounds, and the "Special" is longer and should not fit into the 38 S&W chambers "unless someone has reamed out the chambers to accept 38 Special". It is not a good idea to shoot the Special round in them as the cases will bulge and get stuck and sometimes split. 38 S&W ammo is still available, but is a little pricy. The markings on the right side of your frame, indicate it had a Full Thorough Rebuild in 1954 and would at that time have been "re-parkerized". Vega, Sacramento Calif. was the importer. This looks to be a very nice condition gun and would be in the $300 range.

 

[Texas Star]

The stamping above the trigger on the left of the frame shows importation by the Vega co. in Sacramento. THe right of the frame shows that the gun was refurbished (FTR= Factory Thorough Repair) at MA (Munitions Australia ; Lithgow Arsenal) in the year shown. The arrowheads are the Broad Arrow, indicating Crown property.

This is at least the fifth or sixth time that I've responded to a question about these guns in the last couple or three weeks. Scan over the topics here and read more.

Bear in mind that these guns were made to shoot 178-200 grain bullets, and point of impact with the lighter US ammo(145-146 grains) may be different.

Offer $225-250 if in great condition. He'll counter, wanting $300 or more. I would settle for maybe $275 if you really like the gun and appreciate its history.

The finishing was done by the arsenal, and may well be Parkerizing. S&W called their version of the dull gray finish Midnight Black. But this gun was refinshed in Australia.