Welcome to Karen's Power Tools web site! Karen's Power Tools. Karen Kenworthy authored the popular Power Tools, free programs that make life with Windows a lot easier. Updates to Karen's Power Tools are being developed by Joe Winett now, releases to be announced in the newsletter. Jul 7, 2018 - The Smith & Wesson SW22 Victory pistol comes to play and means to. It's also what you use to dispatch pests on rural property or maintain in.
Below are five pictures of a.38 S&W revolver.The friend who owns the revolver says that his father brought the revolver back from WWI. He also says that it has never been fired since, to his knowledge, since his father brought it back. The barrel is bright without any pitting and the cylinder doesn't show any wear except for the faint ring around the cylinder showing that the cylinder has been cycled.The revolver is parkerized and other than being dusty, appears to be well cared for.What is its model and an approximate value?Thanks.I apologize for the poor quality of the photos. No need to apologize for the photos.they're fine!Soooo.it's not WWI, it's WWII and what you have is a Smith & Wesson 'Victory' Model.basically a 'no frills' version of the S&W Military & Police (pre-Model 10), manufactured for Uncle Sam during WWII.Approximately 240,000 were made from 1942 to 1945, and it should have a 'V' serial number prefix. They were chambered in both.38 S&W and.38 Special, and many that were in.38 S&W were shipped to Great Britain under Lend Lease.
Others were issued to the U.S. Military, the Post Office (railroad mail car guards), defense plant gate guards, etc.Your friend's 'Victory' appears to be all original, a U.S. Model (if without British proofmarks), and in remarkable condition.After WWII, many of these were sold as surplus to various distributors & wholesalers who converted the.38 S&W caliber ones to.38 Special.those have less value. Yours is original!Here's what the Blue Book says:S&W Victory Model - U.S. Models:98% - $65095% - $52590% - $450I'd suggest that your friend hang on to this revolver and keep it just as it is.
'Victory' Models are getting collectable, and will only go up in value.and your friend's is in great condition, I'd say about 90+%.P.S.a little trivia: The 'GHD' after 'US PROPERTY' is the Military Inspector's mark for Guy H. Col., USA, who was the inspector for Smith & Wesson.38 Revolvers, Colt.45, 38 and.22 Revolvers and Pistols, Winchester and Underwood M1 Carbines, Colt Ace.22 Pistol from 1930-1946. GREAT INFO XRACER!! Thank you.I also recently collected a Victory Model 10 38 Special w/4' barrel from mygrandfather that recently passed away. It seems to be in very good condition complete with plain wood grips and swivel lanyard under the grips.Marked as '8 US PROPERTY G.H.D.'
.ALSO HAS THE '38 S&W SPECIAL CTG'on the side of the barrel. I can also see the small 5 digit number just behing the swivel out cylinder on the frame. I almost missed the 'V' on the serial number as it was on the opposite side of the lanyard clip from the serial number. It took me awhile of searching to verify that this is a Victory Model 10 as there was no markings on the gun for a model number.
But with several good quality photos, and info such as yours, I was able to confirm what I have here and have no intentions of selling it any time soon.THANKS again Xt!!!Geezer D in Oklahoma.The Firearms Forum is on online community for all gun enthusiasts. Join us to discuss firearms of all kinds, gun accessories, legal issues and more. Membership is free and we welcome all types of shooters, whether you're a novice or a pro.
![S&w Victory Property S&w Victory Property](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125612471/877461817.jpg)
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I got into a short debate on another forum about US Property marked guns. I've got a Pre Victory 996xxx (no V) with US Property markings shipped (as expected) to Hartford Ord (June 1942) for transfer to the Brits as needed. I've got a pre victory 848xxx purchased by the BPC and shipped in October 1941. It is of course not marked US Property since it was purchased.In March 1942 Lend Lease was established and from then on the Brits were loaned 'US Property' marked revolvers.My question is for those other collectors like myself who track the minutia of Victories, does anyone note the date or serial that the switch was made?
The first US Property marked Victory is. (My date/serial number data base is all pre-victories but I only note finish, grips, caliber, barrel length, and destination.)Thanks!Rick. PROPERTY' did not show up until about May 1943.The starting point you're looking for is for the long version, 'UNITED STATES PROPERTY'.Pate is a bit vague on that. He says that 'some guns produced 10/41 - 4/42' had no property stamp. That would lead one to the conclusion that the stamping began at the latest that month, April 1942, which would correspond to a high pre-Victory serial. But I don't know if there is an actual record of the serial of the start of the stamping; at the time, a need to make note of that would not have been apparent.Since the stamping was done at the factory, but by ordnance contractors, not S&W employees, it may not be reflected in S&W records.
Roy might know more about that.By the way, Lend-lease was established already in March 1941, not 1942. I think the timing of the switch to US-'owned', Army-supplied revolvers had more to do with S&W's contractual obligations to the British being fulfilled by early 1942, thus Uncle Sam having to take over financing through L-L.
![Victory Victory](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125612471/336434794.jpg)
Unfortunately, at present I can't access my serial number data, so I cannot be precise. First, there is a difference between 'UNITED STATES PROPERTY' and 'U. PROPERTY' topstrap stampings. The former began in late 1941, somewhat after the Lend-Lease Act of 1941 was enacted, and it appears that those shipped after October-November 1941 will have it. The latter began at a SN somewhere around V27xxxx.
I could be more precise, but as I said, I can't presently access my data. To the best of my knowledge, only Military-destination (US or British) S&W revolvers had property stampings, not DSC revolvers, OSS revolvers, or U. Maritime Commission revolvers. Further, until about SN V267xxx, Navy revolvers were stamped 'U.
NAVY' from shortly before the Victory series began. OK, bear with me, as I may not know all the proper terminology of revolver parts.
I have a Victory model.38 that has the V. serial number on the butt, but has five different numbers on the front of the frame, under the cylinder strap. The 5 digit number matches the one on the cylinder strap. The pistol is Parkerized, and the butt of the frame is drilled for a lanyard ring, but the ring assembly has been removed.
The grips are checkered walnut, and look like standard S&W grips, complete with trademark seal on both grips. Grips I've seen in pictures of other Victory revolvers were smooth, military style. Property G.H.D. Stamp is on the top strap, and on the left side of the frame, level with the cylinder window is stamped 'Bavaria Municipal Police.'
Does anyone know anything about the U.S. Army perhaps vetting Germans, and training or reinstating German police? The gun came from my father-in-laws things after he passed away twenty years ago, and aside from checking it occasionally, and wiping it down, I've done nothing with it. I know that he had acquired a few miltary firearms from one of the ordnance depots as they were sold as surplus. Most were well-used, and had been refurbished. (He was with the 35th Division, an infantry SGT/Squad Leader) I have a photo of the Victory and one of my other S&Ws. I can tell you about that one in a later post, if anyone's interested.
During the postwar occupation period, the allies armed various civilian police departments in Germany and Austria with Victory revolvers, for the most part, British service revolvers (.38 S&W). They were usually stamped with some identifcation to indicate which police department. There is no particular serial number range associated with such revolvers. Several years ago there was an article in The American Rifleman about these German/Austrian revolvers. I believe you can find it on the NRA website. In February 1946, the US occupation authorities in Munich received 7904 S&W revolvers and distributed those to the re-created German police units. These guns were a mix of US and BSR versions.
Which version was issued where appears to have been a random decision. They also received M1 carbines.These guns were marked, in English for the benefit of the controlling Allied soldiers, with the type of destination unit. MUNICIPAL and RURAL are the most commonly encountered; the BORDER in the attached picture is rarely found in the US nowadays.Your gun is one of these Bavarian guns. After the Germans were allowed to switch back to pistols, starting in the 1950s the revolvers were returned or sold, often in US rod and gun clubs on US bases in Europe.The finish on your gun seems original, but the grips are post-war, and the hammer and trigger have been jewelled.