Pawn shop Victory

[JP@AK]

Hi guys
I picked this up the other day at a local pawn shop. It is in pretty decent shape for the price (it was quite cheap - the guy knocked $50 off his tag price before I even started!).
Guy Drewry's initials are on the top strap. All other markings are correct.
Serial number is V 345223. Any of you bright Victory specialists able to zero in on a probable year of production? I assume it is early in the war, since it definitely does not have the new hammer block slide. Nor was it sent back for retrofit. No small s on the sideplate, etc.
Unfortunately, it had some very ugly plastic grips with a thumb rest. Worse still, they marked the frame blue on the left side of the gun. In the attached picture, the revolver is wearing Magnas. This is a temporary measure until I can find period correct grips. I will also have to replace the lanyard ring and pin. They were removed and the hole has been plugged.
Anyway, this gun filled a niche in my HE collection. I've never owned a Victory model before.
Regards,
JP
BTW - if any of you gents has the items I need to bring this gun back to wholeness, and is willing to part with them for a reasonable price, please send me a PM.
Thanks!

 

[Ballarat]

I would suggest early to middle 1943 production from the two I have with close serial numbers. They are usually superb shooters, mine are. The pictures you present, it looks to have been refinished though, edges appear rounded and the shiny overall finish was not what the gun left the factory with. Still a fun gun to own and shoot.

 

[mikelain]

Clean those diamond magnas up a little and it will look great. Nice case color on Hammer and trigger. As stated above should not be polished blue.

 

[Art Doc]

Well, since the V models were made between 1942 and 1945 I will go out on a limb and guess it was made between 1942 and 1945. I think this is pretty much the answer every time someone asks when their V model was made... which is often.

 

[PistolPackinDaDa]

Victory...

Best guess on date would be spring-summer 1943...

P-P-D

 

[Frank237]

It could always be worse....I have a near perfect VM that appears to have been carreid as well as fired, very little. Only issue...it had a RED RAMP FRT SIGHT installed sometime in it's life!!

Rare OSS "night fighter" model maybe?

They tend to be good shooters...plus a nice piece of military History.

FN in MT

 

[ordnanceguy]

Any of you bright Victory specialists able to zero in on a probable year of production?

Hello JP:

Thanks for posting the complete serial number. It can be difficult to give any meaningful help when a poster asks about a gun but only gives us a serial number with XXX's.

From the Victory Model Database, which my pal LWCmdr45 and I maintain, I can estimate for you that your new Victory likely shipped from the factory in the July, 1943 time frame.

Hope that helps.

 

[JP@AK]

As stated above should not be polished blue.

I don't think it is "polished" blue at all. If I put it between a pre-model 27 and a 28, it looks like the 28 (as in Parkerized). It is dull, not shiny. It does not look reblued to me. The roll stamps are way too sharp to have been polished.
Am I missing something?
JP

 

[JP@AK]

Helps a lot!
Thanks, Charlie.

Hello JP:

Thanks for posting the complete serial number. It can be difficult to give any meaningful help when a poster asks about a gun but only gives us a serial number with XXX's.

From the Victory Model Database, which my pal LWCmdr45 and I maintain, I can estimate for you that your new Victory likely shipped from the factory in the July, 1943 time frame.

Hope that helps.

 

[opoefc]

JP@AK, Sorry, but that's definately a refinished gun. It doesn't take much polish to remove the Sand Blast Blue originally on a Victory Model, so the stampings stay sharp. The cost of obtaining the correct grips and the lanyard swivel, will not add any value to the gun - it's still a refinished Victory.Leave it as is and it's a nice shooter. Ed

 

[JP@AK]

that's definately a refinished gun.

You're the boss, Ed. So somebody refinished it with a Parkerized finish? As I said, it is definitely not bright, like a Model 27 or a Model 14. It's dull, like a Model 28.
How much more dull would it look if it were the original Sand Blast Blue or Black Magic?
JP

 

[JP@AK]

One more question. Does anyone know the meaning of an S stamped in the rear face of the cylinder?
It is one charge hole over from the serial number.
Thanks.
JP