Pre-10 Victory Lend-Lease? but Nickel

[UltraCarry45]

I have a BSR that is still in its original configuration except for the finish. It has been Nicole plated.
The grips aren't original either. It had diamond magnas, but now it has 1905 style grips until I find the right grips for it.

 

[shovelhead]

One was sold to the shop I work at a couple of weeks ago. Still in 5" configuration, I think it's the black and not blued finish, 38/380 stamped on the right side of the barrel. Marked as .38 S&W, not changed to .38 Spl and has the lanyard loop on it. Grips are a slightly shrunken Franzite stags. S/N ship date was February 1941. No U.S. Property markings but it does have the C and the arrows on it. And the best thing, NO import marks.

It never made it to the floor, it's in layaway.

 

[DWalt]

One was sold to the shop I work at a couple of weeks ago. Still in 5" configuration, I think it's the black and not blued finish, 38/380 stamped on the right side of the barrel. Marked as .38 S&W, not changed to .38 Spl and has the lanyard loop on it. Grips are a slightly shrunken Franzite stags. S/N ship date was February 1941. No U.S. Property markings but it does have the C and the arrows on it. And the best thing, NO import marks.

It never made it to the floor, it's in layaway.

If it dates from early 1941, it would not be a Lend-Lease BSR, rather it is one purchased by the British Commonwealth. It has a Canadian property stamp, the C with the broad arrow inside. The first L-L revolvers shipped much later in 1941. It would originally have a blued finish and checkered wood grips with silver medallions, but no topstrap property stamping such as appears on L-L BSRs. I am not sure if the Canadian BSRs were ever proof stamped when sold off as surplus after the war, but I would guess that they were not.

 

[erikpolcrack]

I have a nice "unconverted" BSR/Brit Victory that I bought years ago because they were a lot cheaper than the US 38 Spl Victories. With the ridiculous prices and scarcity of 38 S&W a few years later, I scrounged around on eBay and found a cheap Victory 38 Spl cylinder which I was able to install myself without too much trouble. Accuracy seems fine. I've since obtained a 38 Spl Victory barrel, but I don't know if I will ever install it, given that it seems to shoot OK with the original barrel. Either way, I'll keep all the parts with the gun. BTW, I always thought it was kind of neat the simple bored out conversions will shoot both kinds of 38.

 

[shovelhead]

I have a nice "unconverted" BSR/Brit Victory that I bought years ago because they were a lot cheaper than the US 38 Spl Victories. With the ridiculous prices and scarcity of 38 S&W a few years later, I scrounged around on eBay and found a cheap Victory 38 Spl cylinder which I was able to install myself without too much trouble. Accuracy seems fine. I've since obtained a 38 Spl Victory barrel, but I don't know if I will ever install it, given that it seems to shoot OK with the original barrel. Either way, I'll keep all the parts with the gun. BTW, I always thought it was kind of neat the simple bored out conversions will shoot both kinds of 38.

I'll probably leave this one in .38 S&W as I might have found a small quantity of that ammunition. I don't like to make irreversible changes and if I found a cylinder the finish and patina would probably not match and that would bother me even though that would be reversible by swapping the cylinders.

 

[DWalt]

I'll probably leave this one in .38 S&W as I might have found a small quantity of that ammunition. I don't like to make irreversible changes and if I found a cylinder the finish and patina would probably not match and that would bother me even though that would be reversible by swapping the cylinders.

While .38 S&W ammunition is difficult to find in most areas, it is still available from internet sources. Many .38 S&W revolver owners reload ammunition. For use in more modern solid frame revolvers, it is not difficult to make handloads which are ballistically equivalent to the .38 Special. Some boutique ammunition manufacturers such as Buffalo Bore and Underwood also offer somewhat more powerful .38 S&W loadings, but they are costly.

 

[TheBigGuy64]

To gunbarrel- Definitely Romantic Impulse buy: I've been watching my buddy fill up a nickle collection with pristine model 19, 586, 29 that I'm finding for him but don't have the disposable $. Saw this in a small town pawnshop that seems to get a lot of "I found this in Grampa's drawer" guns. So, with no visible blemishes and lock-up tighter than most of the guns in my safe, I bought it for 400 OTD figuring if it wasn't a lucky treasure I'd polish it and carry it for the romance.... So that's what I'm doing

 

[TheBigGuy64]

I've had a couple of these in my checkered accumulating habit...Mine were beautifully done, I'm assuming overseas before importation...I can't tell from the pics whether your trigger and hammer are still case-hardened, or whether they got nickeled...Most I have seen are like yours in which the front locking lug was removed in an effort to make the barrel as short as possible...Therefore it won't be as strong over a long period of regular use, but still these make dandy carry guns...

Jack's comment about the Magnas referred to their value on another, more collectible post-war gun...Overall, I'd recommend saving the Magnas for another gun that can really use them, choose an aftermarket pair that fit your hand well and start carrying it...My favorite carry piece right now is similar to yours, but began life in 1927 as a 6" M&P Target model......Ben

To Truckman, The trigger and hammer are also nickled, and yes for the price asked (400 OTD) and the operating condition I figured if nothing else I could polish and carry it for the romance.....and the function, lol. So that's where I am. Seems like somebody loved it enough to care for it all these years, I'll be the next guy that does so!

 

[gmborkovic]

Just cant believe a vendor at a gun show would spin a yarn about a gun.

 

[Truckman]

Seems like somebody loved it enough to care for it all these years, I'll be the next guy that does so!

That's the spirit!...

Just cant believe a vendor at a gun show would spin a yarn about a gun.

Unbelievable!...What depths of depravity will they sink to next?......Ben

 

[SG-688]

An ad for one of the .22 conversions and - poor quality cell phone pictures of one of the .22 conversions spotted at a show several years ago. Price was near to a real K-22.

And then a 1942 New Zealand marked .38 Special on the frame after conversion and at some point picking up a real .38 Special 2 inch barrel (1948 serial number). The 2 inch barrel made the replacement of the damaged stop, cylinder and yoke worthwhile. DA trigger is very good.
Free with $125 in parts and a couple hundred in labor. Fun.
It came with Sile grips but now wears a Farrant copy seen elsewhere.