S&W Victory Model Info Request

[FireEye]

I posted about this gun previously, but in short I now inherited it from my father and have more info to post. This is a .38 Victory Model with 4" inch barrel, and has NOT been modified to a .38 "special". The markings are as follows:
Right frame: trademark, "MADE IN U.S.A."
Right Barrel: 38 S&W CTG
Left frame top: flaming bomb symbol, "U.S. PROPERTY CHD"
Under barrel: V 416418
Inside of cylinder arm: 6 (or 8) 0339
Cylinder rear: 416418
Bottom of grip frame: V 416418
There is also a "55" impressed into the wood on the bottom of the grip.

I would really appreciate any info I could get about this gun. Can anyone out there help? Any comments about its value would also be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[scha]

Are you sure the barrel is 4 inches? It is measured from the front of the cylinder to the end of the barrel. The reason I ask is that almost all of the later Victory revolvers in 38 S&W were 5 inch barrels. The 4 inch barrels are usually 38 Special.

Hope this helps.

Steve

 

[FireEye]

I am going to try and post some pictures in this reply...

 

[FireEye]

Oops, that was a typo. It is a 5" barrel.

 

[scha]

That is a nice 38 S&W Victory. It is the standard 5 inch model made for the British. This one does not have the after war British Proof marks that were stamped as the revolvers were released from military to civilian use. This could have been a "bring back" revolver that did not get proofed as it was "released".

Others will have a more exact date, but this likely dates from 1944.

Steve

 

[DWalt]

That SN would date shipment to around September 1943. It is what would be called a S&W Victory Model .38/200, made for the British Commonwealth under the Lend-Lease program. It is GHD, not CHD. GHD = (Col) Guy H. Drewry a U. S. Ordnance officer who accepted revolvers produced by S&W.

 

[FireEye]

Thanks all. The replies bring up more questions.
Is there any way to find out exactly who it was shipped to?
What does the "CTG" stand for?
Is the number on the cylinder arm typically different from the others?
Any ideas on value?

 

[824tsv]

"What does the "CTG" stand for?"
It's a short form for "Cartridge"

"Is the number on the cylinder arm typically different from the others?"
Yes, it's an assembly number that keeps fitted parts together. You will probably see the same number on the side of the frame under the stocks.

"Any ideas on value?"
I can't help you on value, but it's one of the nicer ones I've seen in a while.

 

[DWalt]

You will generally find these were first shipped to some military receiving installation, not to an individual or unit. Be aware that .38 S&W ammunition is not the easiest to locate. As previously mentioned, without the British postwar proof marks, it was probably a duffel bag bringback after WWII. Due to the caliber, these .38/200s are generally of lower demand and price vs. the .38 Special versions. As a guess, maybe $400-$500 range in a private sale.

 

[Dave_n]

I have a few of these and reload 180 grain FP heads sized to 0.360-361 for about 650-675 fps. Mimics the 380/200 ballistics. Work well in Enfield Pistol No 2 Mks 1, 1* and 1** plus Webley MkIVs in 0.38. Dave_n