A wartime version of the original Model 10, the Smith & Wesson Victory model is a class WWII collectible.How To Know It’s A S&W Victory Model:They have a “V” prefix in the serial number.U.S.-purchased guns have “US Government Property” roll-marked on the topstrap.As well as the flaming bomb ordnance mark and the inspector’s initials.Ones made for Commonwealth often have markings from British services.Some will have both U.S. and British markings.There have always been Luger collectors. They are the hot, sexy redheads in the handgun world. There are many other collectible handguns, including those made for Allied use during World War II. Below are the pre-war revolvers S&W produced for its customers. This one is in.38 Special. It started with a high gloss blue finish. Both have seen fair wear since then. We’d been there before, the one they called The Great War. We didn’t have enough guns. (I’m certain that the next big war will bring us the exact same problem. We needed guns to support all the expanding and mobilizing services. Smith & Wesson did not abandon everything to make machine guns, 1911s, and artillery pieces. They were originally set up to make revolvers. But there were many uses for firearms, which didn’t necessarily require a firearm chambered in the.45 ACP. There were many who wanted them. So, they kept making revolvers. The first batches of revolvers shipped to eager military buyers were the same M&P revolvers that S&W had made, in the same high polish blue. The need for wartime production and a more durable finish soon led to revolvers with parkerized finishes and wooden grips. All standard U.S. revolvers were chambered in the.38 Special, also known here as the.38 S&W Special. The British revolvers of that time, the Enfields, were chambered in.38 Special, also known as.38 S&W Special. The sideplate still bears their logo. The four screws that hold the sideplate on are from 1877. Since then, the U.S. loadings have been kept light to deference to both the original black powder revolvers as well as the later top-break “bulldog-type” revolvers. The U.S. loading was (and is still) a 146 or 148-grain round nose lead bullet at a nominal speed of 650 fps. The British used the same cartridge case but loaded it with a 200gr bullet at 650fps. It was called the.38-220. Out of respect for the old top-breaks, the original.38 S&W is kept at a paltry 13,000 PSI. The Smith & Wesson Victory Model can withstand full.38 Special pressures. This is what the.38-220 mostly reaches for. It’s also all rare collectible ammunition. Striving for VictoryWhy the “Victory” model Is that really true? Do you really need to ask? There was a war going on. It was a war. S&W had already hit the million-number mark in serial numbers in the early part of the war. They had to do something. They added a “V”, and rewrote the Smith & Wesson Victory Model revolvers, with smooth wooden grips. The serial number is located on the bottom of frame. Sometimes the V is on one side of lanyard loop and sometimes the serial number the other. Or not. Both. A U.S. Navy corpsman died from a discharged revolver. S&W had to undergo a crash program in order to redesign the hammerblock. The new designs have a “VS”, which is the prefix. Minding SpecificsOK, now for the details. The U.S.-purchased ones have “US Government Property”, roll-marked on topstrap. This includes the flaming bomb ordnance marking and the inspector’s initials. They will have 4-inch barrels. However, a few were made with 2-inch barrels with the regular square butt frame. They were 5-inch barrels for Commonwealth purchase. At first, they did not have the “US Government Property” markings. However, they were later given other markings by various British services. Some will have both U.S. markings and British markings. These are the Lend-Lease revolvers that were loaned to the British during World War II. The D-arrow-D is marked on the lower right side of the frame. This indicates that it was accepted by Australia for use during the war. Below that is the FTR/MA 54. This means that it was subject to a thorough factory inspection or overhaul at the Lithgow Arc. (FTR) Thorough Factory Repair. The L-arrow-19 marking is next to it. This arrow provides more information. The L-arrow-19 marking is used to indicate that the revolver passed inspection after rebuild. The arrow next is the property mark used in Australia after the war. S&W provided approximately 571,000 revolvers for the British. However, only 8,000 of those went to Australia. Mine has both markings so it’s a Lend-Lease revolver. The FTR on mine required a re-parkerizing because the US Property stamping was quite light, despite mine being in the half-million range. It was pulled from the depot in which it was stored, inspected, rebuilt, and parkered. This revolver is also known as the “five-screw model” because it has four screws that hold the sideplate on, and another on the front to tension the cylinder lock bolt Spring. On the left is Vega Sac Ca. which was the importer that brought a lot of these Australian revolvers into America in the 1980s. The.38 Special ammo was less common than the.38 Special and wasn’t as powerful. Enterprising hackers would insert a.38 Special reamer in the chambers to make them long enough to take.38 Special ammo. The result was a revolver that was less accurate but still destroyed brass. To accept the.360-to.361-inch bullets, the.38 S&W is larger than the Special. The Special case expands into the larger chamber at least to the point that the Special reamer made it the “proper” size. Fired cases in this revolver are ugly and damaged. However, in the ’50s and ’60s, few reloaded and those with such a Smith & Wesson Victory model didn’t care. It’s still in.38 S&W, which is a good thing because it’s so accurate. It’s a great tack-driver for a revolver that is over 75 years old and chambered in a cartridge that was almost 100 years ago. I have one group that I must keep as a bragging set: Five shots, 25 meters, over sandbags, all into one-hole groups. A 146-grain bullet with 600 fps is not exactly the Hammer of Thor. However, it’s a tack-driver, and once I get some Commonwealth-equivalent ammo loaded up, I’ll be stylin’. This one requires a 200-grain lead round nose bullet at 650 fps. It is not a magnum, but it was good enough for the British. I have bullets from Matt’s Bullets, of the correct type and dies from RCBS. Once they arrive, we’ll see how fast-burning powder can help us. This is mostly the Victory Model’s fault. The Luger gets all the glory. IPSC was awarded to the 1911. Numerous.38 Specials won bull’s-eye and PPC matches over the decades. This Victory model could have been riding in a holster across Pacific, dodging kamikazes and attacking islands or in an aircraft. Even if it was only guarding supplies for the duration of the war, it could have ridden in a holster across the Pacific, dodging kamikazes, attacking islands, or riding in aircraft. You mean, really? I mean, really?
Double-Action: Action
Caliber:.38 S&W
Capacity: 6 rounds
Barrel: 5 Inches
Length: 9.75 in
26 oz
Trigger: 5 pounds, 2 ounces SA; 12 pounds DA
Finish: Parkerized Target grids and bullseye sizes can be found in MOA. Perfect for long-range shooting! Get free targets
