Everyone likes a good visual S&W story, right?
Alright, I see folks on here that very occasionally will show their New Zealand Victory models, and I admit that I have been a little covetous because I don't have one and I never see any decent ones for sale anyway...I think because the NZ Victories were sparsely encountered and basically a flash in the pan that were offered for a short period of time in the US 20+ years ago by Navy Arms.
So a few months ago, I am in a semi-local gun store that had featured an estate sale from Texas... Within this eclectic group of firearms, I noticed that a commonwealth five inch Victory was in the auction, but I just figured it was a standard UK model and it would end up bringing more than I wanted to pay anyway... I didn't bother to look at it so I didn't bid on it...Fast forward about a month, and I was going through his town to pick up another gun and his prior estate auction got brought up, he mentioned that someone bid on that "old Smith and Wesson", but the buyer refused to pay for it, probably because the auction had listed it as .38 Special instead of .38 S&W...So I then asked to see it.
When he brought it out, I ended up making a deal on it sub-$300...The gun looked honest and clean and had the right amount of wear for what it was.. Action was very smooth for a military issued gun, and had original finish on the grips too with hardly any dings...When I got it home and really looked at it, I noticed the NZ markings and the journey began....Serial number is 909563 with no or pre- "V"... United States Property marked, Ordnance bomb and WP inspection...Matching number grips, crane, and cylinder and "NZ 1065" on upper backstrap...No UK tattoos on the gun anywhere. I don't think the grips have been off in 75 years.
Through several months and other auctions, I sourced the best non-repro Commonwealth gear I could find a piece at a time to put her back as close as she would have been carried back in 1940 or so...There are so many P37 repro web belts around, that I wanted to go something that was used more in the colonies and definitely original, so I went with a Pattern 39 leather belt that was only used for about a year and a half just around the start of WW2...The New Zealand marked lanyard was a little gem too. The holster was new-old-stock and the P37 pouches already had the suspender strap removed and are broad arrow 1943 marked.
As always, there is a moral to every story...Always look at the fine print and never assume anything.
More importantly, a certain rock band of the 70's and 80's once said "On the eighth day God created rock and roll"....I submit to you, that they were incorrect...On the eighth day, God created K-frames.
Alright, I see folks on here that very occasionally will show their New Zealand Victory models, and I admit that I have been a little covetous because I don't have one and I never see any decent ones for sale anyway...I think because the NZ Victories were sparsely encountered and basically a flash in the pan that were offered for a short period of time in the US 20+ years ago by Navy Arms.
So a few months ago, I am in a semi-local gun store that had featured an estate sale from Texas... Within this eclectic group of firearms, I noticed that a commonwealth five inch Victory was in the auction, but I just figured it was a standard UK model and it would end up bringing more than I wanted to pay anyway... I didn't bother to look at it so I didn't bid on it...Fast forward about a month, and I was going through his town to pick up another gun and his prior estate auction got brought up, he mentioned that someone bid on that "old Smith and Wesson", but the buyer refused to pay for it, probably because the auction had listed it as .38 Special instead of .38 S&W...So I then asked to see it.
When he brought it out, I ended up making a deal on it sub-$300...The gun looked honest and clean and had the right amount of wear for what it was.. Action was very smooth for a military issued gun, and had original finish on the grips too with hardly any dings...When I got it home and really looked at it, I noticed the NZ markings and the journey began....Serial number is 909563 with no or pre- "V"... United States Property marked, Ordnance bomb and WP inspection...Matching number grips, crane, and cylinder and "NZ 1065" on upper backstrap...No UK tattoos on the gun anywhere. I don't think the grips have been off in 75 years.
Through several months and other auctions, I sourced the best non-repro Commonwealth gear I could find a piece at a time to put her back as close as she would have been carried back in 1940 or so...There are so many P37 repro web belts around, that I wanted to go something that was used more in the colonies and definitely original, so I went with a Pattern 39 leather belt that was only used for about a year and a half just around the start of WW2...The New Zealand marked lanyard was a little gem too. The holster was new-old-stock and the P37 pouches already had the suspender strap removed and are broad arrow 1943 marked.
As always, there is a moral to every story...Always look at the fine print and never assume anything.
More importantly, a certain rock band of the 70's and 80's once said "On the eighth day God created rock and roll"....I submit to you, that they were incorrect...On the eighth day, God created K-frames.
