Looking to identify S&W .38 spcl

[risajohnson]

Hello! I am looking to identify the model of this S&W revolver.



Here is the information I have:
Type: Hand Ejector
S/N: V 575727
Caliber: 38 S&W Special CTG
Barrel: 4"
Sight: Hand Ejector Fixed
Other: Butt swivel, 5 screw, It is stamped top left with what looks like "U.S.PROPERTY G.H.D."

Please let me know what you guys can help me find!


Thank you,
Risa

 

[DARE]

Smith & Wesson did not use model numbers until 1957.
S&W called your gun the .38 Military & Police.
It is also called a Victory Model. Made mostly for the U S and British military during WWII.

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Howdy, Risa, and welcome aboard from ol' Wyo.

First and foremost: you did a spectacular job of identifying and
photographing your World War II Victory Model.

The folks who follow and track those should be along soon with
more details.

 

[DWalt]

Not all of the .38 Special “Victories” went into U.S. military service, but it is likely yours did. The U. S. Navy was the recipient of most of them during WWII. They were used mainly as personal armament for Naval aviation flight crews. Some remained in military service through the Vietnam era.
G.H.D. is a military acceptance stamp, it stands for Col., later General, Guy H. Drewry, who was in charge of the Army’s Hartford Ordnance District.

 

[Gun Relics]

Also, yours looks original, grips, parkerized finish and all, although there is considerable wear. The military markings are a plus when it comes to value. If you take the grips off, you should see military stamps on the frame. From the serial number, it is late WW2. FYI it looks to me like the serial number starts with a 6.

 

[Goony]

It looks to me like what's being taken for a "5" is in fact an "S" which was added to denote its having later been updated with the new hammer block. V75727 would be a early example of the type with that top strap marking.

 

[DWalt]

I see V675727. That would be well before the improved hammer drop safety was incorporated into the design.

 

[DWalt]

Also, yours looks original, grips, parkerized finish and all, although there is considerable wear. The military markings are a plus when it comes to value. If you take the grips off, you should see military stamps on the frame. From the serial number, it is late WW2. FYI it looks to me like the serial number starts with a 6.

The finish is not Parkerized. Hot oxide blued over bead blasted steel (Black Magic). Only a very few received a factory phosphate finish, and those were not military.

 

[Goony]

I see V675727. That would be well before the improved hammer drop safety was incorporated into the design.

Looking at the photo more closely, I agree.

 

[two-bit cowboy]

I am not familiar enough with the Victory Models the Navy sent
back to Smith & Wesson to have the safety installed to know
where the company stamped the S in the serial number.

Didn't S&W also stamp an S on the frame for those guns?

Here's a "shopped" look at the butt.

 

[JP@AK]

I am not familiar enough with the Victory Models the Navy sent back to Smith & Wesson to have the safety installed to know where the company stamped the S in the serial number.

One example that I've examined is SV23541. Notice that it is an early Navy gun (five digits). The S is stamped on the butt before the V, just like all the post-December, 1944 units that had the new hammer block from the get-go.

This unit also had an S on the side plate, in the upper rear corner, indicating that the side plate had the appropriate machining on the inside. Unfortunately, I did not record in my database whether the SV is stamped on the barrel flat and/or the cylinder, and I just don't remember.

Didn't S&W also stamp an S on the frame for those guns?

Not that I'm aware of - other than on the grip frame (butt).