Georgia Metro Atlanta FS/FT .38 S&W Victory Model

[cullen1780]

Item has been relisted, you can find the new listing at: https://www.theoutdoorstrader.com/threads/fs-ft-38-s-w-victory-model.1933216/
Item Name: FS/FT .38 S&W Victory Model

Location: Alpharetta

Zip Code: 30005

Item is for: Sale or Trade
Sale Price: 250
Trade Value or Items Looking For: SA revolvers, milsurp etc.

Caliber: .38 S&W

Willing to Ship: No

Bill of Sale Required?: No

Item Description: This revolver was nickel plated at one time but the plating is virtually all gone. It shoots just fine with a great trigger in DA and SA.

When I got this in trade, I was told that it was a .38 SPL but I've had .38 SPL shells get stuck in 2 or 3 of the chambers and have to be ejected with a pencil or punch. I suspect that this might have originally been a .38 S&W bored out to accept .38 SPL.
I have a Victory .38 SPL cylinder from Numrich but it won't quite fit without some rework to clear the forcing cone.

I haven't tried it with .38 S&W ammo but for $250 I'll include a full box of .38 S&W.

Pictures:

 

[Mark IV]

Interesting. A lot of Victory pistols were converted from 38S&W to 38 spcl. Is there a "V" stamped in the usual places (the cylinder, before the serial# on the butt,etc.) ?
Any indication that barrel's been cut down ? Seems I recall a similar (same?) pistol floating around here a while back, but my memory's a little foggy (yeah, there's
a news flash ! )

 

[cullen1780]

Interesting. A lot of Victory pistols were converted from 38S&W to 38 spcl. Is there a "V" stamped in the usual places (the cylinder, before the serial# on the butt,etc.) ?
Any indication that barrel's been cut down ? Seems I recall a similar (same?) pistol floating around here a while back, but my memory's a little foggy (yeah, there's
a news flash ! )

All "V" #'s present and matching. Other than the fact that 2' barrels were fairly rare, I don't see any obvious indication that the barrel was cut.

 

[Mark IV]

All "V" #'s present and matching. Other than the fact that 2' barrels were fairly rare, I don't see any obvious indication that the barrel was cut.

Cool, thanks for the reply, it sounds like it may be a really interesting piece. I wish we were closer, I'd love to see it up close.

 

[CQB27]

All "V" #'s present and matching. Other than the fact that 2' barrels were fairly rare, I don't see any obvious indication that the barrel was cut.

The length of the ejector rod and lack of locking bolt lug/housing on the underside of the barrel is a 100% indication of a cut down barrel

 

[cullen1780]

The length of the ejector rod and lack of locking bolt lug/housing on the underside of the barrel is a 100% indication of a cut down barrel

View attachment 1857246

Thanks for the info.

Now that's a beauty!

 

[CQB27]

Thanks for the info.

Now that's a beauty!

Yeah it is......but it ain't mine

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

I've got a 1930s era Smith and Wesson M&P 2"inch snubby barrel revolver that is definitely a factory short barrel.

It has the lug at the end of the ejector rod to protect it and lock it in place on the front end. It has the factory writing on the barrel and the serial number stamped onto the barrel flat (the bottom edge of the barrel, just forward of the frame) and above the ejector rod.

Your barrel looks like a modified cut/down version of a longer barrel. But that does not mean that it was done in somebody's basement or garage. This could be part of a large-scale conversion of various surplus Victory model Smith & Wessons sold to distributors and wholesalers who may have decided to modify them to have snubby barrels in order to make them more attractive in the postwar environment for civilian carry.

How is the front sight attached? Does it look welded or soldered on?

Lee Harvey Oswald had such a modified Smith & Wesson Victory model revolver. He bought it from a magazine ad for $29 back in the early 1960s. It was called a "commando" model. They were modified en masse by a national distributor.

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

Hey-- you're in Alpharetta. I am in Cumming. If you want to take that gun out to the Bull'seye range near exit 13 or the Country Folks Superstore up by exit 17, let me know. I'll bring my pre-war K-frame snubby out, and we can shoot both of them.

You say you've got 38 S&W ammo. Have you ever fired any of that thru the gun ?

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

Here is my 1930's S&W snub-nose 2" bbl M&P.
Note the SHORT ejector rod, which only has 0.65" range of movement.
That's not even close to full-length ejection.
See pic.