S&W .38 Special Victory - need instructions
I'm new to these forums & this is my first post so, please bear with me if these questions have been asked & answered (probably a few thousand times by now!).
I'm pretty sure I have a Smith & Wesson Victory model .38 special. The barrel is stamped on right side "38 S&W SPECIAL CTG". The serial number, V 420xxx, seems to fit the Victory model description. Further, the left side of the top rail is stamped "U S PROPERTY G H D".
First, I have been told that this pistol can shoot both .38 Special and .357 Magnum. This does not sound right to me and, quite frankly, sounds dangerous. Does anyone know where I can get more information on this topic?
The most important information I'm looking for is instructions on field stripping this pistol and on complete dissassembly and reassembly. I would like to remove and reinstall the cylinder, ejector and barrel first. Then, at a later date, I plan to tear the gun down completely, clean everything and reassemble.
I do not want to attempt either of these operations without detailed instructions. I know the gun is not extremely valuable but, I don't want to hurt what value there is. I've been searching the web for a copy of an owner's manual, schematics and/or the detailed instructions I'm asking for here with no luck. I've even emailed S&W but, so far I haven't heard back from them. All help would be greatly appreciated.
This gun has been in my family for about 50 years. It is as tight and straight-shooting as the day it was made. And, all numbers match, right down to the original walnut grips. Since I don't use it, I had intentions of selling it and using the money for a semi-auto to use as a ccw. Unfortunately, when my adult son heard of my plans, he said that, in order to keep it in the family, he would buy it if necessary. Don't you just love it when your kids guilt trip you? I couldn't sell him something that he wanted to inherit, then pass down to his kids. Oh well, maybe I can talk him into buying his old man a nice used .40 cal Beretta as a birthday present.
Thanks in advance for everyone's help!
I'm pretty sure I have a Smith & Wesson Victory model .38 special. The barrel is stamped on right side "38 S&W SPECIAL CTG". The serial number, V 420xxx, seems to fit the Victory model description. Further, the left side of the top rail is stamped "U S PROPERTY G H D".
First, I have been told that this pistol can shoot both .38 Special and .357 Magnum. This does not sound right to me and, quite frankly, sounds dangerous. Does anyone know where I can get more information on this topic?
The most important information I'm looking for is instructions on field stripping this pistol and on complete dissassembly and reassembly. I would like to remove and reinstall the cylinder, ejector and barrel first. Then, at a later date, I plan to tear the gun down completely, clean everything and reassemble.
I do not want to attempt either of these operations without detailed instructions. I know the gun is not extremely valuable but, I don't want to hurt what value there is. I've been searching the web for a copy of an owner's manual, schematics and/or the detailed instructions I'm asking for here with no luck. I've even emailed S&W but, so far I haven't heard back from them. All help would be greatly appreciated.
This gun has been in my family for about 50 years. It is as tight and straight-shooting as the day it was made. And, all numbers match, right down to the original walnut grips. Since I don't use it, I had intentions of selling it and using the money for a semi-auto to use as a ccw. Unfortunately, when my adult son heard of my plans, he said that, in order to keep it in the family, he would buy it if necessary. Don't you just love it when your kids guilt trip you? I couldn't sell him something that he wanted to inherit, then pass down to his kids. Oh well, maybe I can talk him into buying his old man a nice used .40 cal Beretta as a birthday present.
Thanks in advance for everyone's help!
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The cylinder is to short to chamber conventional .357 Mag ammo. Unless somebody in the past has reamed out the chambers .357 won't work.
There is no reason to completely disassemble it if it's still functional. I have run across many "basket cases" over the years because their owners felt they had to completely disassemble them and could get them back together.
The Victory Model is just a name that was used for the standard S & W Military & Police Model. If you are determined to completely disassemble it just get a shop manual for either the above Military & Police Model or the "K" frame revolvers as they came to be known in the 50's. Brownells a large gunsmithing supply company sells shop manuals and videos that will explain the complete disassembly. The have a on-line catalog.0 -
As the man said- do NOT try to fire .357 magnum. Wrong steel, not made for .357 Mag. Bad ju-ju. The Military and Police revolvers were not intended to be, nor needed "detailed" stripping to clean. If you attempt to remove barrel without the very specialized tools used to support the frame, I can almost guarantee you will destroy it. They were intended to stay put for the life of the revolver.
Not that you asked for it, but spray cleaners such as Gunscrubber can flush accumulated lint, dust, cookie crumbs from the lockwork without taking that apart. Do NOT try to pry the sideplate off- those are very finely mated to the frame. They come off by tapping the frame if you simply HAVE to. GHD is the initials of the military inspector, and the V prefix was used on the early wartime production Victory models.
Owner's manual? Here ya go. Read the part about requiring no disassembly. http://stevespages.com/pdf/s&w_10.pdf0 -
Welcome to the forum. You did a good job describing your gun. You are correct, it is a S&W Military & Police "Victory" Model.
You are also correct as far as the cartridges. It is designed to fire the .38 special standard round; while it is possible to fire +P & +P+ ammunition, that is not recommended. I don't believe that you can even chamber .357 mag rounds, but, if you could, the result would likely be unpleasant, & possibly fatal.
The S&W revolver is not designed to be disassembled for routine cleaning & maintenance. It only needs to be cleaned & oiled. The only parts you might consider removing are the grips.
If you are determined to work on it, you need a good book, such as The S&W Revolver A Shop Manual by Jerry Kuhnhausen. Plus, a set of gunsmith screwdrivers & a couple of special S&W tools, all available from Brownells. But, I urge you not to go this route; you will regret it.
Neal0 -
As Rufe-Snow said, it's almost identical to any S&W Mdl 10: fixed sights, double-action, 38-Special, etc. But no unsightly lock as do newer production.
If it were mine, I'd think about getting a manual and exploded parts view, and taking off the cylinder and face plate and if there's crud in the working parts, do a minor cleaning. Then oil lightly, put back together. You'll learn why a well-designed firearm is still in production lo these many years.
Your son has good taste. IMHO, classic K-frames are so much more fun to shoot than some ol' black/plastic thingy, and if you use standard .38 Special loads, there's no reason it can't be shot regularly for another 50 years.0 -
quote:Originally posted by StartingOver
I know the gun is not extremely valuable ....
This gun has been in my family for about 50 years.
Those two statements seem contradictory to me.
If you absolutely insist on ignoring the majority opinion here and the manufacturer's recommendations and taking the gun apart, be very very sure you have the exact screwdrivers you need. Nothing makes a gun look quite as ugly as marred screw heads.
If you think there's an issue with gunk and crud inside the works you could remove the grips, put in plenty of Break Free or other penetrating oil, let it sit for a day or two then blow it out with compressed air.
Side note - if you want your descendants to enjoy the gun stock up on .38 special ammo while you can, exorbitant taxes on ammo is almost certainly coming some day.0 -
Welcome to the forum. As has been stated above, the M&P is not chambered for the .357 and the use of these high pressure rounds is very likely to end badly. The barrel has a locking cross-pin and should not be disturbed except by someone with the tools and training to do so without harming the frame. If you use one of the aerosol cleaners - GunScrubber or common brake cleaner - be sure to oil the pistol as it will be dry. Even though the exterior of these is military plain-jane the lock work is usually beautifully fitted and the trigger pull, both DA and SA, is very nice. You have a nice pistol there, just respect its limitations. 0 -
Just go here and download a free manual for the S&W Model 10 and follow the instructions for cleaning:
http://stevespages.com/page7b.htm0 -
quote:Originally posted by StartingOver
First, I have been told that this pistol can shoot both .38 Special and .357 Magnum.
go find whoever told you this and kick him in the nuts 13 or 14 times.
in reality, you should complete dissasociate yourself from this person when it comes to firearms.0 -
Howdy Startinover,
Don't know of your experience/knowledge, yet as you have read, completely taking down a revolver is not a task to be taken lightly, not something should be done unless parts are worn/broken. And then requires some skill & correct tools.
I have the Victory in .38 S&W cartridge, not .38 Special and have bought a cylinder for it, but am now looking for a 'smith to fit/time it-- something I won't do myself. If, as you say, yours is marked "... Special", all the better as ammo is less expensive.
Agreed is the use of aersol cleaners to get inside the "guts", ( I use electrical contact cleaner only because can get it wholsesale & works as good as product specific for firearms). And then a light spray of oil, say Rem-Oil, etc, and you should be good to go far as the insides are concerned.
Of course, your decision on how to respond to the ill advised .357 usage, (um, if was a woman, that would exclude anothers rather robust reaction, I'd say). But better yet, you can point them here to this forum where all can learn and share knowledge in a usually friendly atmosphere.
And welcome here,
45er0 -
45er....not to derail this thread, but even if you put a .38 Spl cylinder in your .38 S&W, the larger diameter of the S&W barrel (.360 vs. .357) will mean you'll still get crappy accuracy.
Better you should load .38 S&W or, if you can find it, buy the correct ammo.0
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