Bought a Victory model at the show today from a nice young Lady I met while standing in line waiting to get in. She said she wanted to sell it because the people with whom she worked made fun of her for carrying it as her service revolver. Anyway, the sn. is V3898xx. I having a tech. difficulty with my camera right now but pics will follow. I have to clean the cosmo and dried grease out of the nooks and crannies anyhow. Does anyone have any info on one with in this sn.range? Thanks, Jeff
Gunshow Victory....Model
- Thread starter Combat
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
Smith357
US Veteran
Kid's what can ya say....
Looks like that fine old warhorse found a loving home. Congrats!
Looks like that fine old warhorse found a loving home. Congrats!
It's likely a 1st year Victory series, c. 1942. It is in the pre improved safety "slide action hammer block" production. Does it have a small 's' near the rear most sideplate screw indicating it has the retrofitted safety block?
Jim, I was with Combat at the show. I didn't see the S stamp, but I didn't pore over it. In fact it didn't have a lot of stamping...the ordinance bomb on the upper left frame and a D.M.C (?) with numbers on the lower left frame. We didn't open the cylinder since it was tie wrapped per show protocol. I do remember being surprised by the condition. Looked to have come straight from the armory.
I can see no "S" stamped anywhere. I cleaned all the big chunks of grease/cosmo I could off the outside with a nylon brush, the action feels like it might be full to. Do not have the correct grips for it. She did not like the grips that came on it so she replaced them with some goodyears. Either gave the factory grips away or threw them away, she don't remember. Anyway they are gone.
The initials on the top strap stand for Guy H. Drewry, the government inspector on the line at that time.
John
John
There she is. But, I don't see the stamping I thought I recalled from the lower left frame. Must have been another gun I looked at yesterday. Only thousands...
mkk41
US Veteran
Yep , looks like it came from S&W and was never issued. Don't think ya can find 'em any cleaner than that anymore. Great find!
I'm sure ya can find the correct grips and a lanyard ring no problem.
I'm sure ya can find the correct grips and a lanyard ring no problem.
Must have been another Victory I remember with the scratching on it. What kind of grips are you going to put on it?
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2007
- Messages
- 27,669
- Reaction score
- 21,359
Nice find! I guess what was good enough for a few hundred thousand Naval aviators, et al, just isn't cool any more. Maybe if you had it coated in black plastic...er, "high-impact polymer" it would be acceptable 
.
.opoefc
US Veteran
Victory Models with close serial numbers, and US Property stamp, not US Navy stamp, were shipped in Sept. 1943, to the US Navy, Oakland, CA. . Ed.
DWalt
Member
Nice to get a good V-model. At the local gun show this morning, all I saw were butchered specimens at ridiculous prices.
John Wyatt
Member
Guy H. Drewry was not actually an inspector on the line, he was an army brig. general and commanding officer of the Hartford Ordnance District at the time the OP's Victory Model was produced. His initials also appear on Winchester produced arms, many Colt produced arms, including 1911A1 pistols and Underwood produced M1Carbines that were made during his time in command.
Knew I should have gone with y'all.
Hey, I was WITH him and I never saw the guns he found. Just not observant, I guess.
Deacon KC
Member
I was about to pm you to check over here from SRF. 
Similar threads
