Stamped C V A- E- on backstrap

[An Old Ranger]

This stamping is done with hand stamping, but the weapon appears to have been a "carry" weapon and was no doubt an issue piece. The revolver in question is a 1956 mfg. M&P 4" pencil barrel .38 Spl. It is all original and the interior was spotless! Minor wear on muzzle and grips, but overall a well cared for firearm. But the stamping is what has me puzzled.
C V A - E - and then four digits after the lettering. My research came up with nothing... I had a gun shop for nearly 30 years and S&W's were among my specialities, but I never came across one with this stamping on them.

I won't loose any sleep if I never find what the stamping is rom, but my old cop brain is always wanting to know facts...or in this case, I'm down right curious as to where this weapon was issued. So if any of you fine folks have seen this before and know where it came from I'd be tickled to death. Oh, my Dallas PD buddy thought it was from the Constables of Victoria Aust. as he had heard that country had been selling their old revolvers after replacement with auto loaders. But he was just speculating I'm sure. Either way, it's a fine shooter and just as solid as the day it was made.

Thanks,
Wade

 

[Waidmann]

I believe a CVA is an aircraft carrier. E for Enterprise? As to the legitimacy of such a marking I wonder. But guns turn up with unit or vessel markings occassionally. Most authorities tend to be skeptical.

The Aussies were rebuilding their .38-200 Victories in 1953/54.

 

[Art Doc]

I had a Colt stamped TVA for Tennessee Valley Authority. Most likely CVA is some police or security agency. I have never heard of Navy guns having specific ship types stamped on them. Guns moved around too much.

 

[Jim R]

here is my Victory and I know nothing about this stamping

 

[An Old Ranger]

If I were able to take decent photos, I could post a pic of this stamping. But all I have is a camera in my phone and it is not what one can call great...This stamping runs the length of the backstrap and the lettering is about 1/8th of an inch high. The weapon is a straight up M&P model and not a victory model. Oh well. the mystery may never be explained, but since the stamping appears to be that of an organization of some size (hence the four numbers following the lettering) I'm sure someone will know where it was issued....maybe.

 

[Waidmann]

The U.S.S. Enterprise of that era was CVA-6 which seems more logical than CVA-E when I think of it.

Pate's book shows a Victory stamped VF8, a fighter squadron which seems highly illogical.

Unfortunately one is at the mercy of anyone with a set of stamps and I have owned a British Service Revolver, pre-Victory some fool marked USMC.

I would not get too worked up over it.

 

[walnutred]

Why does it seem illogical for a Victory to be stamped with the unit markings from a Navy fighter squadron? Unless you are referring to a Lend/Lease Victory in 38/200. The designation VF8 was used by the Navy twice, Dec 41-June 42 and Mar-Oct 44. As long as the serial number gave a production date prior to early 44 it seems possible.

 

[Waidmann]

Because usually in the military there are directives on about everything, they typically don't permit other than standard national markings from the WWI era onward. A notable exception are the early Navy revolvers of WWII. The earliest Property of the U.S. Navy, followed by the simple U,S. Navy command premium prices. After the Army assumed procurement responsibilities, United States Property and later U.S. Property were the norm.

Weapons bearing USMC, ship names and unit markings are generally regarded as suspect. Possible yes, likely not, logical no. Why perform a task not specifcally required. Why would someone take such initiative.

A former serviceman's nostalgia. A seller looking to create a rare variant. More likely. It is simply not seen often enough to imply a usual practice.

 

[sceva]

Possibly the import markings for surplus being re-imported by Connecticut Valley Arms

 

[red9]

Not importer, they are required to include their city & state.

Bob

 

[walnutred]

Because usually in the military there are directives on about everything, they typically don't permit other than standard national markings from the WWI era onward.

A former serviceman's nostalgia. A seller looking to create a rare variant. More likely. It is simply not seen often enough to imply a usual practice.

As a former US Army Armorer I stamped or engraved non authorized numbers on literally hundreds of weapons. We were "officially" not allowed to engrave serial numbers on M16 bolt carriers. We were also not allowed to store the M16s with bolt carriers in the rifle. It was not unusual for sections to do bulk cleaning of weapons and I know our maintenance section simply dumped everything in a parts washer for initial cleaning. Many of us used an electric pencil to engrave serial numbers on the bolt carriers to avoid confusion.

After our cooks came back from maneuvers with one M2 Browning with the wrong serial number I was verbally instructed by my Battery CO to stamp our battery designation on the receivers and tripods off all M2s in the Battery and serial number spare barrels to the receivers. Was this against official policy? Probably. Did I care? Not really. Are these "official" military markings? Maybe. Was I the only Armorer to ever do this? Yeah, right.

However, you are undoubtedly correct that markings are sometimes added to enhance the value of the item and I do not mean to imply otherwise. Just saying you should not automaticaly discount your revolvers markings as being added by an con artist rather than by an armorer for that Unit.

 

[An Old Ranger]

I am quite sure that the stamping on THIS weapon is not that from a G.I. source. At least not our own. That said, I get the impression that it was an issue piece somewhere, and could not be the only one out there as the numbers following the lettering is in the 8,000 range! So there has to be more than one of these floating around....another will turn up I expect and it's new owner will be just as befuddled as me as to where it was in earlier years...The stamping is as old as the weapon itself. Edges worn and all with more wear to the rear where the hand and such would wear more than further up on the backstap.

Will likely never know really as to where this piece spent most of it's time. Oh well, it was worth a try, thinking that if more of these were out there one of our members might have one as well....Gee, does that make me an outcast? (LOL)!

Wade

 

[Waidmann]

I suppose one should expect certain behaviors within the artillery. How pray tell did your cooks "exchange" their M2 and with whom?

I would assume as the armorer one compares weapons to issue cards? Yes we stenciled buttstocks, also electro-penned some internals. I never saw an unit take a stamp set to anything but class 9 handtools. Not single pistol, revolver, shotgun, machine gun, rifle, grenade launcher or recoiless rifle, ever marked with a unit or station stamped into it other than shotguns at the Rod & Gun Club.

Graduate Ranger Class 4-78

 

[walnutred]

I suppose one should expect certain behaviors within the artillery. How pray tell did your cooks "exchange" their M2 and with whom?

Graduate Ranger Class 4-78

I was in Headquarters Battery at the time and our cooks came back from a maneuver with a M2 assigned to B Battery, as I recall. Yes the armorer checked the serial number against the weapons card which is how the mistake were caught. Our cooks often set up together and pooled their resources. Obviously either a cook or more likely a KP loaded the wrong M2 in the truck.

 

[Waidmann]

I'll bite, I had one that confused fire retardant hydraulic fluid with anti-freeze. I marvel they never poisoned us.

 

[Oldiron]

There are some weird folks out there. I googled cva-e and it comes up with some gamers group. (Curatores Veritatis Alliance-EVE) Wouldn't put it past one of them to defile Dad's old pistol with their member number.
There may be some obscure PD or such out there as I have a RHKP, Royal Hong Kong Police, mod 10, but it was easy to find out what the RHKP stood for. The CVA-E search has at least 10 pages on google of this group.
So if I were a betting man I would bet on one of the Eve folks stamping it to make up a costume. JMHO
Larry

 

[An Old Ranger]

Well Larry, if they did, it was done several decades ago!! The stamping is consistant with the patina on the backstrap. Further, the wear can be seen closer to the butt where more hand and fabric contact was made while ridding in the holster. The stamping in not new by any means..it was there for over 50 years or more...I'll do an independant serach I suppose and see what I can find. (Guess I'm back being a detective again LOL!!)

Oh, and we had an E-6 head cook back near the A Shau that could quarter and skin a water buff shot by my Mod 70 in under 20 min outside the wire! We took good care of that cook! He could do a mean BBQ at that firebase...

Wade

 

[Oldiron]

Ahh Yes. The age of the stamping is a little tidbit of info I didn't have. Guess that rules out the Gamers. I will go back to the last page on the google search and start backwards.
Larry