Victory Model

[shown50]

I just bought a victory model serial v6570xx it is in 38s&w and has the original walnut stocks on it. The gun is marked us property ghd on the top strap and has a 5 inch barrel. It also has the pat. dates on the barrel like a pre model 10. The questions I have are, when was it shipped and why are there 2 machined marks under the thumb release? They look original and the guy I got it from said it was his grandfather who was a army solider in 1945. From everything I have read there should be property of us navy there anybody know why its machined off?

 

[DWalt]

Yours probably shipped about August 1944. Marked as being chambered in .38 S&W, it was made for British use, as the .38 S&W was their standard revolver cartridge. Hard to say what the machinings were - maybe to obliterate some property marking applied earlier. In .38 S&W, it would definitely not have been a Navy gun. You might check to see if your chambers have been reamed out to accept .38 S&W Special cartridges. If so, that is not good for desirability.

 

[shown50]

Yours probably shipped about August 1944. Marked as being chambered in .38 S&W, it was made for British use, as the .38 S&W was their standard revolver cartridge. Hard to say what the machinings were - maybe to obliterate some property marking applied earlier. In .38 S&W, it would definitely not have been a Navy gun. You might check to see if your chambers have been reamed out to accept .38 S&W Special cartridges. If so, that is not good for desirability.

it has not been reamed for 38 special just 38 s&w but I do not think it ever shipped because there aren't any british markings or anything besides what I have listed. I just wish I knew what was under that machining! Also I paid 280 for it with a box of 50 rounds Magtech Ammo how'd I do?

 

[DWalt]

Lend-lease existed from 1941 to the end of WWII. All .38/200 Victory models were lend-lease guns. Some pre-Victory .38/200s were not - the British had to pay for those in Gold, and some others were provided to the British in exchange for a failed contract the British executed with S&W that S&W could not deliver on. And I doubt that S&W had anything whatsoever to do with milling off the markings.

 

[John Wyatt]

The machined off markings were most likely post WWII German police markings. I have a Victory close in serial number that is marked Bavaria Rural Police in the area of the removed markings on the OP's gun.

 

[shown50]

The machined off markings were most likely post WWII German police markings. I have a Victory close in serial number that is marked Bavaria Rural Police in the area of the removed markings on the OP's gun.

can you post a picture or pm me one

 

[linde]

The machined off markings were most likely post WWII German police markings. I have a Victory close in serial number that is marked Bavaria Rural Police in the area of the removed markings on the OP's gun.

I agree . . here is a similar one for the Bavaria Municipal Police. It's a shame someone felt the need to obliterate that part of its history.



Russ

 

[DWalt]

I think not too long ago there was a picture of a Victory posted here with a very similar obliteration, and someone had engraved something else in the milled areas.

The German and Austrian civil police were issued Victories (mainly British ones) during the immediate postwar period. They didn't like them very well, and got rid of them as soon as they could get semiautos again. There are stories about such police guns being sold through the US military Rod & Gun Clubs in Europe very cheaply.

 

[opoefc]

Milled off markings on the LendLease Brit Victory Models are not uncommon. The milling was done by the Germans when the guns were disposed of during the occupation to indicate they were no longer the property of the German police or security units. Ed.

 

[digi-shots]

I tend to agree with the other postings... this was most likely used by German police, post war.

Are there any stampings on the backstrap of the gun?
On these German guns, you'll sometimes see a "HE-M" , "WB-xx" or similiar stamping.

I am curious if any of the forum members here have ever had one of these post war "German Police" guns lettered?
Many of them seem to fall into the V66x,xxx s/n range.

 

[John Wyatt]

Mine is marked like Linde's gun, but Rural Police rather than Municipal Police.

can you post a picture or pm me one

 

[opoefc]

Linda, I lettered a lot of these in the days gone by when letters were free, or $5 or so. They all lettered to the British Purchasing Agency. When Roy first started doing factory letters, there was typo in the letter form he used that said 8,000 Victory Models were shipped to Austria. The correct destination was Australia, of course. With tongue in cheek, I asked Victory Model collectors over the years if they have any of those Nazi shipped Victory Models in their collection. Some have said "Yes" and showed me their Bavarian Police stamped guns as proof! Others didn't believe me until I showed them my early factory letters showing the Austrian shipping info. Ed.