Victory data base
- Thread starter zonker5
- Start date
Four victory models for database and date of production request
Hi, new member with four victory models I'd like to add and also to find when they were made approx:
1)5" 38 S&W united states property marked, wb and flaming ball butt marked, #918094, smooth right grip marked inside matches, original blue or midnight black finish, NZ and 2445 marked on backstrap hump. .358 bore.
2)5" 38 S&W united states property marked, wb flaming ball marked, #V25237, parkerized and MA 53 FTR D^D marked, smooth grips, right grip does not match, vega import marked. .357 bore.
3)5" 38 S&W united states property marked, wb flaming ball marked, #V138580, parkerized and MA 54 FTR D^D marked, smooth grips, right grip does not match, vega import marked, .361 bore.
4)4" 38 Special not united states property marked, flaming ball only on butt, right smooth grip matches, V164920, worn matt blue finish, .358 bore.
As a note, all of the 38 S&W's shoot .358 lead RN hornady swaged very well, the .361 bore shoots .358 Hornady hbwc's better as would be expected with the skirt blowing out a bit to seal the bore beter. Also, both of the ftr'd revolvers have their spring loaded hammer safety removed..I wonder if they did this in refurb for some reason.....These are the only two I've handled...
Thanks for any additional info.
Frank
Hi, new member with four victory models I'd like to add and also to find when they were made approx:
1)5" 38 S&W united states property marked, wb and flaming ball butt marked, #918094, smooth right grip marked inside matches, original blue or midnight black finish, NZ and 2445 marked on backstrap hump. .358 bore.
2)5" 38 S&W united states property marked, wb flaming ball marked, #V25237, parkerized and MA 53 FTR D^D marked, smooth grips, right grip does not match, vega import marked. .357 bore.
3)5" 38 S&W united states property marked, wb flaming ball marked, #V138580, parkerized and MA 54 FTR D^D marked, smooth grips, right grip does not match, vega import marked, .361 bore.
4)4" 38 Special not united states property marked, flaming ball only on butt, right smooth grip matches, V164920, worn matt blue finish, .358 bore.
As a note, all of the 38 S&W's shoot .358 lead RN hornady swaged very well, the .361 bore shoots .358 Hornady hbwc's better as would be expected with the skirt blowing out a bit to seal the bore beter. Also, both of the ftr'd revolvers have their spring loaded hammer safety removed..I wonder if they did this in refurb for some reason.....These are the only two I've handled...
Thanks for any additional info.
Frank
Last edited:
gordonrick
Member
Burkefj
FTR is "Factory Thorough Repair" and MA refers to the Small Arms Factory in Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia, with the '53 and '54 representing the dates they were refurbished prior to going to surplus.
FTR is "Factory Thorough Repair" and MA refers to the Small Arms Factory in Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia, with the '53 and '54 representing the dates they were refurbished prior to going to surplus.
Bohica793
Member
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Victory .38 S&W Spl 2"
Submitted for your consideration and comments, V669868. This belonged to my grandmother's second husband and has been sitting in my gun safe for the last 10-15 years. It is very accurate to 15 yards and has probably had no more than 100 rounds fired through it.
Submitted for your consideration and comments, V669868. This belonged to my grandmother's second husband and has been sitting in my gun safe for the last 10-15 years. It is very accurate to 15 yards and has probably had no more than 100 rounds fired through it.
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ordnanceguy
Member
Bohica:
First, welcome to the Forum.
Second, nice gun. We don't see a lot of legit 2 inch Victories around here because there just never were many to begin with.
A question, please. Is your barrel underside serial numbered to the gun?
The stocks are replacements. The gun would originally have shipped with smooth walnut stocks.
Your revolver's serial number falls into the upper end of the range of the second batch of 2 inch Victory Models. It likely shipped in 1944. Those guns would have been shipped to civilian users with DSC authorization. Most of these 2 inch guns ended up going to law enforcement agencies.
Hope this info helps you.
First, welcome to the Forum.
Second, nice gun. We don't see a lot of legit 2 inch Victories around here because there just never were many to begin with.
A question, please. Is your barrel underside serial numbered to the gun?
The stocks are replacements. The gun would originally have shipped with smooth walnut stocks.
Your revolver's serial number falls into the upper end of the range of the second batch of 2 inch Victory Models. It likely shipped in 1944. Those guns would have been shipped to civilian users with DSC authorization. Most of these 2 inch guns ended up going to law enforcement agencies.
Hope this info helps you.
Bohica793
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Thanks for the welcome and thanks for the compliment. Yes, the matching serial number is on the underside of the barrel under the extractor pin.
I am disappointed to hear that the stocks are replacement and not original. The quality of the fit made me believe they were factory.
digi-shots
Member
Bohica,
Yes, very nice looking! and welcome to the forum!
I didn't notice if the top strap is stamped "US PROPERTY"...
is it?
Thanks!
Yes, very nice looking! and welcome to the forum!
I didn't notice if the top strap is stamped "US PROPERTY"...
is it?
Thanks!
DWalt
Member
You might also want to remove the grip panels and check for a serial number there. It will likely not match the other SNs. Original smooth grips can be found, and it would be good to get a pair, even though they are not factory original. Ditto for the lanyard swivel, but I do not know if the 2" Victories were shipped with a swivel or not.
Bohica793
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There is no property stamp. There is the flaming ball ordinance stamp on the butt and the "P" inspection stamp at the top of the left side of the receiver.
And I removed the handles. Serial # 66933 on them. Oh well....
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DWalt
Member
Possible, but probably not. Gun shows were not that popular until somewhat after the war, fueled by a huge influx of guns brought back or sent back by returning GIs. My guess is some Hershey plant guard "lost" it somehow (probably by selling it to a friend because he needed money), and the friend sold it or pawned it because he needed money.
Thanks for the ship dates, none if the revolvers have modified cylinders and only accept 38 s&w, except for the 4" that is originally 38 spl.
Frank
Frank
Sounds like you guys know your stuff.
I just got the S&W revolver bug. Had a 629 for a while and just picked up a 386XL Hunter. I also got a K22 a few days ago. I got on this forum and read some advice that if you want to be able to completely tear down a S&W revolver, start working on a cheap model so you do not wreck or damage an expensive piece.
Taking this advice, I picked up a K frame 38 S&W for $200.00. The exterior is in fairly rough condition (no pitting but the blueing is wearing off) but the gun is very functional. I am trying to figure out just what I have.
The Serial No. is 971230. This number appears on the butt and the back of the cylinder. To read the number on the butt, the barrel is pointing to my right. I noticed on some of the V number guns in the posts, the barrel has to be pointed to the left to read the SNs. The number under the barrel is 16822. This number also appears under the inspection plate (if that is the right word). The gun is a five screw. There is a very faint "F" on the butt as well. There is a lanyard hole on the butt.
The right side of the barrel is marked 38S&W CTG. "Made in U.S.A." is stamped on the right side of the frame under the cylinder.
With the grips off I noticed there is an inverted "V" stamped on the right side of the grip frame just below the pin that centers the grips. On the left side of the rear portion of the grip frame there is another "V" however this one is not inverted.
Just below the barrel pin the are the letters "BNP" under what looks like a W or what might be an image of a crown (kind of like the Rolex logo only with three points instead of 5). These same letters and image appear at the end of each flute on the cylinder as well.
The trigger has serrations. Rear sight is a groove on the top strap.
On the right side of the frame (were the front part of the trigger guard meets the frame) there is an H and a 3. This appears to be part of a larger stamp mark (possibly an X) but I cannot make out the rest.
The cylinder has definitely been punched out to 38 special.
The grips are walnut and checkered. The underside of the right grip has been stamped with the numbers "6 6" over "250."
I did shoot a 38 Special through it last night. Noticeable recoil.
What do I have here?
I have a buddy in the ceracote business and I may have all or part of it ceracoted. Am I committing some sort of sin if I ceracote the gun?
Reply With Quote
I just got the S&W revolver bug. Had a 629 for a while and just picked up a 386XL Hunter. I also got a K22 a few days ago. I got on this forum and read some advice that if you want to be able to completely tear down a S&W revolver, start working on a cheap model so you do not wreck or damage an expensive piece.
Taking this advice, I picked up a K frame 38 S&W for $200.00. The exterior is in fairly rough condition (no pitting but the blueing is wearing off) but the gun is very functional. I am trying to figure out just what I have.
The Serial No. is 971230. This number appears on the butt and the back of the cylinder. To read the number on the butt, the barrel is pointing to my right. I noticed on some of the V number guns in the posts, the barrel has to be pointed to the left to read the SNs. The number under the barrel is 16822. This number also appears under the inspection plate (if that is the right word). The gun is a five screw. There is a very faint "F" on the butt as well. There is a lanyard hole on the butt.
The right side of the barrel is marked 38S&W CTG. "Made in U.S.A." is stamped on the right side of the frame under the cylinder.
With the grips off I noticed there is an inverted "V" stamped on the right side of the grip frame just below the pin that centers the grips. On the left side of the rear portion of the grip frame there is another "V" however this one is not inverted.
Just below the barrel pin the are the letters "BNP" under what looks like a W or what might be an image of a crown (kind of like the Rolex logo only with three points instead of 5). These same letters and image appear at the end of each flute on the cylinder as well.
The trigger has serrations. Rear sight is a groove on the top strap.
On the right side of the frame (were the front part of the trigger guard meets the frame) there is an H and a 3. This appears to be part of a larger stamp mark (possibly an X) but I cannot make out the rest.
The cylinder has definitely been punched out to 38 special.
The grips are walnut and checkered. The underside of the right grip has been stamped with the numbers "6 6" over "250."
I did shoot a 38 Special through it last night. Noticeable recoil.
What do I have here?
I have a buddy in the ceracote business and I may have all or part of it ceracoted. Am I committing some sort of sin if I ceracote the gun?
Reply With Quote
DWalt
Member
If no V-prefix to the SN, it would have shipped about April 1942, and is a "pre-Victory" model, made for the British. You don't describe if the barrel has been cut back or not. Regardless, don't feel guilty about doing whatever cosmetic work you want to perform on it, as it has no collector value in the condition described. You may see some bulging of fired .38 Special cases, but that is not unsafe. You can also fire .38 S&W cartridges, but those are more difficult to find, and expensive when you do.
Thanks for the reply.
I don't plan on shooting the gun much. I really wanted it to practice the disassembly-assembly process.
I did pick up a box of Mag-Tech .38 S&W for $18.00. Seems pretty reasonable to me. Might pick up a couple of more boxes.
I don't plan on shooting the gun much. I really wanted it to practice the disassembly-assembly process.
I did pick up a box of Mag-Tech .38 S&W for $18.00. Seems pretty reasonable to me. Might pick up a couple of more boxes.
Keep in mind that that gun is pre-safety hammer block. Later models after around 1943 will have extra parts to implement the hammer block. You can get schematics from gunpartscorp.com that show you the part name and approximately where it goes. Get some gunsmithing tools from MidwayUSA or Brownells to help you with installing the little springs. You don't have to worry about them coming out. They'll fly all over the room. Some folks take down the action inside a ziplock bag to catch the parts. If you are going to refinish it at some point, you might check into Blue Wonder. They have blue/black finish kits and old blue/grease/rust remover. Check out the videos on their website.
DWalt
Member
If you wish to proceed with a DITY finish, there are several options, available from Brownell's and other sources:
Cold Blue - Fairly simple, but not too durable and not great looking.
Rust Blue - Considerable work involved in polishing and application, but looks good, and is fairly durable.
Spray and Bake - There are several types and brands of Teflon-containing gun finishes. They all work best if you sandblast (actually bead-blast) the metal first, but hand-sanding also works. A very good pre-treatment for S&B is to apply a Phosphate (Parkerizing) finish.
Phosphate/Parkerizing - Kits are available from several sources. Metal should be bead-blasted first, or hand-sanded. Parkerizing followed by Spray and Bake makes for a very superior and highly durable gun finish, and looks good - except it is not shiny and blue.
Cold Blue - Fairly simple, but not too durable and not great looking.
Rust Blue - Considerable work involved in polishing and application, but looks good, and is fairly durable.
Spray and Bake - There are several types and brands of Teflon-containing gun finishes. They all work best if you sandblast (actually bead-blast) the metal first, but hand-sanding also works. A very good pre-treatment for S&B is to apply a Phosphate (Parkerizing) finish.
Phosphate/Parkerizing - Kits are available from several sources. Metal should be bead-blasted first, or hand-sanded. Parkerizing followed by Spray and Bake makes for a very superior and highly durable gun finish, and looks good - except it is not shiny and blue.
DWalt
Member
Likely shipping date for S&W Victory SN V2291XX is Feb 1943. Manufacture date is indeterminate, but before 2/43. Is likely original, as a 4" barrel is consistent with .38 Special chambering.
G26ster
US Veteran
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Thanks for the info!! I know I would need a letter from S&W to determine which service it was shipped to. Has flaming bomb, U.S. Government - GHD. Could it have been a Navy or Marine issue without being marked as such, or is it likely a contractor weapon that remained stateside?
