UPDATED: new info and serial# - 1942 Victory I may refinish…. need advice on bluing

[ChargerBill]

So how does this reconcile when the gun has a v stamped into it and is chambered in .38 S&W?

Does the v stamp not correlate to Victory?

From what I have read and been told, many of these were repatriated and most of them were converted to .38 Special.

Can someone give a better explanation of the timing of these guns coming back and the likelihood of one remaining .38 S&W?

 

[Absalom]

So how does this reconcile when the gun has a v stamped into it and is chambered in .38 S&W?

Does the v stamp not correlate to Victory?

From what I have read and been told, many of these were repatriated and most of them were converted to .38 Special.

Can someone give a better explanation of the timing of these guns coming back and the likelihood of one remaining .38 S&W?

I'm not clear what it is you don't understand, so here is the basic thing:

Between 1942 and 1945 the .38 M&P (which is the only term S&W officially used for it) had a serial number with a V prefix and was produced in both .38 S&W for Lend-Lease to Britain, and in .38 Special for US use.

The V is not a separate stamp, but part of the serial. The "Victory" is not the model name, but just a marketing moniker.

The guns sent to Britain were surplused out in the 1950s/60s and sold for scrap value. Many were reimported to the US by various international dealers and converted to .38 Special to make them more attractive to US customers as cheap shooters.

Some were not converted. Collectors prefer those. The one you are considering apparently was not converted, although I'd confirm that since converted guns were not usually marked as such.

 

[ChargerBill]

I put the .38 S&W round into the cylinder myself, and I have 2 boxes of it. The chambers in the cylinder are shouldered (have a step in them). The .38 S&W round is considerably shorter than the .38 special. I know this gun has not been converted, so apparently it is not an actual Victory.

Since it will have no real collectors value due to it's finish being gone and needing refinish, I am considering the possibility of converting it… it really won't be a functional shooter for long if I only have 100 rounds to shoot.

Does the barrel need to be swapped out or altered? Can the cylinder be made to shoot .38 special by simply removing the internal step / shoulder? I know some are saying the cases will expand and may get stuck.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Bill, generally speaking, any S&W revolver with a V prefix is called a Victory model. A subset of those are chambered for the British in .38 S&W and are also called the British Service Revolver. As previously stated, many BSRs were returned to the US on the surplus market and were either modified in the UK before being imported or were modified in the US to chamber .38 Special. This was typically done by reaming the cylinder to allow the longer .38 Special cartridge to chamber. Guns so modified will have two shoulders in each chamber and can shoot either cartridge. Accuracy with the .38 Special may be affected because the bullet is of smaller diameter. And cases will swell and may crack. The .38 S&W cartridge is still being manufactured although it may be hard to find right now as practically all cartridges are and it is more expensive than .38 Special. There is also the option to reload the .38 S&W cases. If you intend to shoot it a lot, this may be the cheapest option.

 

[cmansguns]

Military Black Magic finish on Victory revos WWII

My Victory is 4" 38 Spl, US Navy stamped and shipped December 17, 1942. Note the Letter of Authenticity uses the terminology "Victory Model" in several places and with caps, so maybe not "official" during WWII time, but I'm not arguing with anyone that it isn't used profusely these days.

Also note the rough appearing finish on my 4" and on 2 pics of my buddies 5" BSR. According to the LOA it was called Military Black Magic". I believe it was in Pates Book that I read that S&W was sued and enjoined from using true "parkerizing" (for not paying royalties to Parker Co.) so they switched to the black magic terminology.

In any event both finishes look, and feel alike on both my friends BSR and my Navy. Both have V prefix serial no.s and grips match. My buddies has an interesting story of wartime. The gun has no British proof marks, is GHD inspected, and has no import marks whatsoever. It has been in his family since WWII in that his father-in-law was captain of an LST and was given this gun by a British officer who evac'd off Normandy aboard his ship around D-Day.

Maybe the above will help in your determinations of what to do with your Victory.

 

[ChargerBill]

Wow, some great info… thanks guys!

So now I must say that I am royally confused. I attempted to put a .38 special cartridge into this 38 S& W revolver end it actually seats properly. I don't know if this means I can shoot .38 special through it, or if I can't. But the reality is that both rounds chamber properly.

I think I may need to post phots, but it will be a little over a week before I have the gun in my possession. I'll update this post when I get those pics.

 

[Absalom]

So now I must say that I am royally confused. I attempted to put a .38 special cartridge into this 38 S& W revolver end it actually seats properly. I don't know if this means I can shoot .38 special through it, or if I can't. But the reality is that both rounds chamber properly.
.

And that just means somebody already converted it by reaming the chambers. The. 38 S&W is a bit fatter, but shorter. So the chambers just get lengthened a bit to make the .38 Special fit, but the original caliber still works too.

As mentioned, these conversions weren't marked on the gun, so unless you have experience looking at these cylinders, you don't know for sure unless you do the test you did.

You can safely shoot both calibers. Don't expect tack-driving accuracy, expect some bulging with Special, and stay away from +P higher-pressure ammo.

 

[ChargerBill]

Ok…. I think.

So I went and finished my paperwork today and the gun is stamped as follows on the barrel:

".38 S & W Special CTG"

The .38 Special cartridges do chamber. There is a dark ring 2/3rd of the way inside each chamber which I miss took for a shoulder.

Also, SADLY, some file happy goon in the past life of this gun tried to turn the square butt into a round butt. It has been wearing old 50's style blacl plastic Pachmyr grips, and I just figured I would find an old set of stock wood ones (which I did for $10) and put them on. Not possible with the butchered frame. Now I figure I'll put on a set of the old wood target grips from a model 10 or 19…

Serial number 559xxx