S&W Victory Revolver
I have a S&W Victory? Revolver originally chambered in .38 S&W. The revolver was converted to .38SPL by Cogswell and Harrison London. The firearm was my Grandfather's and I know nothing about it. The serial number is V109425. Does anyone know the age of this revolver, the approximate value in good condition without the original grips or lanyard ring, and if it is safe to fire? I have read and heard differing opinions about firing these converted revolvers. I recall my Grandfather firing it when I was a child. Any information would be appreciated.
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It would date to the early 1940's time frame, 1942/43?. Because of the caliber conversion and lack of original grips, lanyard ring etc. It would have little value to a collector of military handguns. My WAG as to value, as a "shooter", per your description would be in the $100-$200 range. It would be best if you could post quality photos, for a more accurate assessment of value. Best to take it to a knowledgeable gunsmith for inspection and test firing, if you have any doubts regarding the safety of the conversion. 0 -
All Victories (Victorys?) were wartime production. Now, lets narrow it down somewhat..
The 5in .38S&W Lend Lease variety went over to help the war effort prior to us becoming a belligerent. The shipments came to a screeching halt after Dec. 7th. Some were shipped up to several months later (beaurocratic inertia), but the program soon went over to production of "V" revolvers for the US, and US ordinance folks wanted a 4in/.38 Special gun.
Due to aforementioned beaurocratic inertia, Your .38 L/L "V" revolver was made from mid-late 1940 thru early-mid 1942. Some shipments arrived on foreign shores months later, of course. Best, Joe0 -
As mentioned, all of the "lend-lease" Smith revolvers shipped to England date to the early 1940s.
Most of them were re-exported back to the USA after the war, and were then converted from .38/200 to .38 special by drilling out the cylinders to lengthen them.
You can probably take the serial number and write to Smith and Wesson for a "factory letter" to get the exact date the gun was shipped out of the factory, if you really need to know. They charge a small fee (its around $30) for the service and formal written letter.
I'd just add that despite what you might find in the "blue book", pretty much *any* Smith and Wesson revolver in good working condition is going to be worth $150 regardless of conversion or other aftermarket alterations.
Right now the going rate on these converted Victory revolvers is around $200, give or take a bit depending on condition, and I'd guesstimate yours at around that amount.
Of course YOUR gun is PRICELESS to YOU, since it was owned by your grandfather! [;)]
For what its worth, Cogswell and Harrison is a British outfit that converted many of these guns in England in the early 60s, prior to re-shipment to the USA. They aren't rare. If you look carefully, you might find English proof marks certifying the guns in .38 special.
In terms of safety, this issue comes up again and again, though I've never actually heard of someone blowing up one of these guns with .38 special ammo.
Some of them will bulge (or split) .38 special cartridges due to the oversized .38/200 chambers.
My take on this is that they're safe to shoot, so long as you use new (or newish) brass, and ordinary pressure (NOT +P, and NOT .357) ammo.
In terms of barrel diameter, the .38/200 is supposed to mike out at .360, but I've heard that Smith just put ordinary .357 caliber .38 special barrels into many of them, so in fact, you might not see a decrement in accuracy with .38 special ammo.
Other potential safety issue is lack of a hammer block safety in the earlier guns, making them liable to go off if DROPPED with a live round in the chamber. You could make a reasonable case for keeping these loaded with the hammer down on an empty chamber for that reason.
And here's my gaudy example. This one was professionally rechambered, with the lanyard ring chopped off, the front sight pared down from the usual "half moon" to a ramp configuration, and a nice bright nickel refinish applied.
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