Identify S&W with no model number

[taylorh1077]

Got a hand me down revolver this past month and was told this was the place to get it identified. It does NOT have a model number by the yoke. I think I have followed all the guidelines to make it easier for yall. Pics are attached. IF you need anything else at all, please let me know, and thank you so much ahead of time for the help. barrel states .38 S&W. Special CTG
Serial: SV 810731
Yoke Number(if you need it) 74140

 

[ImDrRich]

Caliber?

 

[taylorh1077]

So sorry, barrel states .38 S&W. Special CTG

 

[jbtrucker]

Post War 1944 Military Police ( M&P ) 5 screw. They are called Pre 10's model numbers didn't start till 1950's. The Smith & Wesson 4th Edition catalog has all the information ,purchased mine from Amazon.com. Nice revolver you did good !

 

[taylorh1077]

Post War 1944 Military Police ( M&P ) 5 screw. They are called Pre 10's model numbers didn't start till 1950's. The Smith & Wesson 4th Edition catalog has all the information ,purchased mine from Amazon.com. Nice revolver you did good !

You guys were so fast! Thank you so much for the response!! any chance you know the date of MFG?

 

[jbtrucker]

You guys were so fast! Thank you so much for the response!! any chance you know the date of MFG?

Can't help with exact date book says the V in serial number was dropped 1945

 

[JP@AK]

Hi and welcome to the S&W Forum.

You have a postwar .38 Military & Police model. It almost certainly shipped from the factory in either March or April 1946.

The stocks it is currently wearing are much later than the gun. That style is no earlier than about 1967. The management order requiring elimination of the smooth diamond at the screw location was issued on January 11, 1966.

 

[taylorh1077]

Thanks yall so much. Made my day!

 

[Goony]

I'd just add that from a collector's standpoint, these earliest postwar Military & Police models (identified by "SV" prefixed serial numbers but finished to commercial standards, with the butt swivel hole plugged, and fitted with magna grips) are especially interesting as they represent a shortlived practice of using up surplus, leftover "Victory" frames from wartime production. According to the company's advertising of the period, these initial guns were intended to be preferentially supplied to law enforcement agencies.

 

[JP@AK]

According to the company's advertising of the period, these initial guns were intended to be preferentially supplied to law enforcement agencies.

Yes. The earliest shipment I've been able to identify was to the Cleveland PD, in February 1946. After that, a ton of them went to the NYPD.

 

[Tom Garrett]

VERY cool revolver. I don’t think i would run +P ammo in it. A piece of history. A whole bunch of victory models were butchered up. Turned into snubbies, nickel plated, etc. The extended ampersands on both sides of the barrel are a dating tool also. That thing bleeds history. S&W made like, 6 million revolvers for the war. This one was at the tail end of a very long line.

 

[taylorh1077]

Out of curiosity now that I have the complete biography of this weapon, whats the value? Judging from the comment, this may be one to clean up really well, put in a display box and get some paper work to display with it

 

[Lt.Donn]

Out of curiosity now that I have the complete biography of this weapon, whats the value? Judging from the comment, this may be one to clean up really well, put in a display box and get some paper work to display with it

Excellent idea

 

[Riposte1]

My Victory Model has a V in the serial # but it is much closer (spacing) to the first # and is a lot lower - yours might be a later Victory model?

Min is a .38 Spl. ( a lot of them were indeed .38 S&W for British use) and it was issued to the USAAF in 1939 (according the hand engraved inscription).

Riposte

 

[MelvinWalker]

My Victory Model has a V in the serial # but it is much closer (spacing) to the first # and is a lot lower - yours might be a later Victory model?

Min is a .38 Spl. ( a lot of them were indeed .38 S&W for British use) and it was issued to the USAAF in 1939 (according the hand engraved inscription).

Riposte

How about a pic of that? I'd be interested to see that one.

 

[Muley Gil]

My Victory Model has a V in the serial # but it is much closer (spacing) to the first # and is a lot lower - yours might be a later Victory model?

Min is a .38 Spl. ( a lot of them were indeed .38 S&W for British use) and it was issued to the USAAF in 1939 (according the hand engraved inscription).

Riposte

Well, the "V" prefix didn't appear until 1942. The owner may have served in the USAAF in 1939.

 

[MajorD]

My Victory Model has a V in the serial # but it is much closer (spacing) to the first # and is a lot lower - yours might be a later Victory model?

Min is a .38 Spl. ( a lot of them were indeed .38 S&W for British use) and it was issued to the USAAF in 1939 (according the hand engraved inscription).

Riposte

Some things don’t match here, as victories didn’t go into production for American use until 1942, my suspicion is the markings were added by an owner who started service in 1939? Pictures would be great!

 

[JP@AK]

My Victory Model has a V in the serial # but it is much closer (spacing) to the first # and is a lot lower - yours might be a later Victory model?

Min is a .38 Spl. (a lot of them were indeed .38 S&W for British use) and it was issued to the USAAF in 1939 (according (sic) the hand engraved inscription).

First, the OP's revolver is not a Victory Model. It is in the same serial sequence, but it was not shipped to the military, nor was it assembled during the war.

As for yours, it would be helpful to know what the serial number is. If it is a V prefix serial number, it cannot have shipped in 1939. The V prefix numbers did not start until April 1942. Prior to that, they were in the original M&P sequence that did not have a letter prefix. Show us a picture of the butt, if you can.

 

[JP@AK]

Wow! We all jumped on this one at the same time. "On the testimony of two or three witnesses . . ."

BTW 1939 is actually the year the Army changed the name of the air branch from US Army Air Corps to US Army Air Forces. So, that part rings true.