Victory info needed

[mojo-jojo]

Posted this in the Victory data base thread and it was suggested I start a new thread.

Hello all, I just found this forum, and have done some quick research. I believe my question belongs here. I was given my Grandfathers .38, years ago and not being a gun person it's been in a drawer until this morning. the serial # on the butt and cylinder match and is V 742150. On the right side of the barrel is 38 S&W CTG. On the same side of the barrel near the cylinder there appears to be another stamp that I can't quite make out, what I can says NP 3.5 38 "767". Above the NP appears to be some sort of hallmark maybe an eagle with out stretched wings. If anyone has any info I'd greatly appreciate it.

It does not take 38 special rounds, they only go about half the way in. On the top strap left side it is faintly stamped US PROPERTY _ _ D, I can't make out the 2 spaces, the second space may be an H

 

[Oldiron]

mojo,
That would be one of the lend-lease guns sent to one of the commonwealth countries. I think that should be a '44 vintage since it is close to the end of the production run. Are there any proof marks on the cylinder like a BNP? The letters on the top strap are G.H.D. These are the initials of the military head honcho in charge of overseeing procurement. Can't remember correct spelling of his name so I will leave it to the experts. Grips don't look original as Victory models had smooth walnut but a guick check for a s/n under the RH grip will tell.
Congrats on a nice piece of history, world and family. Those are great shooters so take it out of the drawer and enjoy.
Larry

 

[mojo-jojo]

Oldiron you may be right on the grips, the numbers are not stamped very deep and I can't read them. There are other numbers stamped on the frame where the cylinder swings out they are 3 and under that is 91553. There was some light rust on it so I wiped it down with Hoppes #9. I will probably give it a work out soon. Any idea on value? will regular use de-value ?

 

[Waidmann]

Hello Mojo, You have a Victory, British Service Revolver, .38 S&W(not Special), the (second) chief inspector was Colonel Guy H. Drewry, the proofs are London proof house and indicate .38 S&W (these were applied when the piece entered commerce). The grips are the pre-war silver medallions which ran from say late 1929 through about early 1942 max. Pre-Victories shipped to England in 1940-41 wore these so the swap is understandable.

Since you have an unaltered BSR (otherwise) I would shop around and pick-up a set of correct smooth nonmedallioned grips correct to the model.
Happy New Year!

P.S. Reasonable shooting etc. is a good thing. Its nice but not a museum piece.

 

[mojo-jojo]

Waidmann, thank you for the info, I will be on the lookout for the correct grips. My Grandfather was MP in WWII, but I'll have to check the family history, I don't know if he ever made it to England. I'm not really sure how he came to own it, it was supposed to be his service revolver. Truth is Pap was quite the "embellisher" so I may never know for sure.

 

[ButchG17]

 

[Waidmann]

Mojo, with over a half million BSRs dumped onto the market following WWII it is no surprise when and where they turn up. You can almost think of them as the 1950's version of a Taurus or Rossi, the second tier market. What's great about yours is what was not done to it. Prune, ream, chrome are often the fate of a BSR. G17's photo above doesn't communicate the .004" diameter difference but does illustrate the temptation to ream the cartridge shoulder forward.

A number of police departments before WWII did either allow or issue .38 S&W or .38 Colt New Police; or simply had officers provide their own arms and ammunition. The .38 Special really dominated after WWII. Pate's book on secondary WWII handguns indicates the MPs particularly stateside got most of the WWI Model 1917 Colt and S&W revolvers in 45ACP. I very much am of the opinion your ancestor acquired this piece through commercial channels, over here.
Despite the fact they are Lend-Lease issue most of the receiving countries treated them as their property. Under British (and most western European) Law military proof requirements are not as stringent as civil. When the gun was released from service it had to go for proof before sale to anyone else. The .767 case length tells the story. While UK firms did alter calibers most did not. If done in the UK the word Special would appear and the pressure would be 4 tons not 3.5.

If you read the various Victory and "what have I got?" posts you can acquire a real education on the BSR likely S&W's most prolific version of the 1905 Hand Ejector Change 4.

 

[Art Doc]

He may have won it in a poker game during the war or bought it after he got home. Can't see how it was an issue weapon for an American. A lot of these were made but many were lost and even more were butchered after the war by having barrels cut down, etc. As a result original examples getting harder to find.

 

[mojo-jojo]

I'll never know for sure how he ended up with it, the two stories surrounding the gun are it was his service revolver (which now seems unlikely) and two, being an over the road truck driver, he got it from an Ohio State Trooper (more likely), as I said Pap was quite the embellisher. I'm happy to have received the information all of you have provided. I very glad that with the exception of the grips it's unmolested, that's an easy fix.