Victory help?

[Waidmann]

This is the oddest specimen I have run across. A Victory pre-V, 9546XX,"UNITED STATES PROPERTY" marked, the rear bears NZ (no arrows)over 8229. The butt has the Ordnance bomb and W.B. and p. I realize its New Zealander.

Now for the really odd part, it has on the rear of cylinder, frame (left forward trigger guard) and barrel the (then)West German Bundesadler (federal eagle) over N. Additionally on the underside of the barrel is ID with antler (Ulm 1983 ?)

I find no importers marks. The grips as expected are in the 700,000 range.

Any ideas on the further travels of this one?

 

[murphydog]

Perhaps a gun that first shipped to NZ, then sent over to Europe for use post-war with the German police, finally sold as surplus and proof stamped in the 1980s? Or perhaps NZ is a code for the German agency and 8229 is the inventory or rack number?

 

[Cyrano]

Curious pistol. My NZ marked gun has a 5 inch barrel marked 38 S&W CTG. Yours looks like a 4 incher (measured fron the front of the cylinder to the muzzle); is it marked 38 S&W or 38 S&W SPL? the 4 inch barrel, chambered for the 38 Spl was the US configuration for the Victory revolvers; the 38 S&W caliber pistols went to Great Britain and the Commonwealth.

On my New Zealander, the NZ mark is on the rear of the frame, just below the hump in the rear grip strap, and the NZ number is 1365. It's marked "UNITED STATS PROPERTY" (including the quotes) on the topstrap, and the SN and WB inspector's mark on the butt. It probably also had the ordnance bomb there but mine has been re-parked and probably buffed. The importer's mark is stamped on the underside of the barrel, just in front of the front locking lug.

I'm at a loss to explain the German markings. It looks like when NZ surplussed them (in the 1990s, if I remember rightly), this one went to Germany and was proofed there. I don't think a factory letter would do much good; it would only show where the gun was originally shipped, not its later history.

I'm fumbling in the dark; someone who knows what they're talking about, please chime in on this one.

 

[Waidmann]

Cyrano, my other NZ has an arrow between the N and Z, it was reamed and is neatly stamped .38 SPECIAL below the cylinder release. It is not import marked either. Both are 5 inchers.

I am begining to believe this one may have been picked up by one of the outfits buying orphaned guns in Europe and it missed being import marked.

I was in Germany in the early eighties (Army) and we were not allowed to privately import any military surplus. The then new exception to the GCA of '68 only applied to licensed importers.

Whatever the story it is an odd piece. Given that it entered the German system I doubt it was simply "floating" informally.