Picked up a S&W Victory Model (Pics)

[Dave Markowitz]

I went to my favorite gun monger today and saw this S&W "Victory Model" Military & Police. The outside shows a lot of character but after I cleaned it up it looks very good inside. The bore is in excellent shape.







The inside of the action was filthy. I think I may have been the first person to clean in it a few decades.





It cleaned up well with some brake cleaner and Hoppe's No.9, though.

Unmarked topstrap:



And on the bottom of the grip, the serial number beginning with a "V" and the US Ordnance mark:



It should be a nice shooter. I'll mostly be shooting .38 148 grain wadcutters, but I might pack it on occasion with full power loads.

 

[Coyote3855]

Great score, nice gun.

 

[slicksleeve]

Congratulations. That's a nice one. I love old Smith revolvers. Tell me, what kind of finish is that, I really can't tell from the pictures.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

The finish is very worn Parkerizing.

 

[BullfrogKen]

Yeah Dave, you really do suck.


Nice find. Next time I'm out your way, we need to take a field trip.

 

[Oro]

The finish is very worn Parkerizing.

Dave, actually, it's neither (technically)! Basically you are correct but there's two things to note about that finish:

That is the original S&W finish; it's distinctive from the color. While it is indeed a phosphate finish, they couldn't call it "Parkerizing" because that was still under patent or trade mark protection. So they used their own proprietary formula and called it "Black Magic" - because it was darker than other phosphate types. So yes, it IS a type of what is now generically called "Parkerizing," but it's slightly different to avoid the patent issues. If you were to describe this gun, it would be very notable to say it has the original "Black Magic" finish.

AND, it's actually in relatively high condition for that type finish. The S&W application tended to be much more fragile than contemporary Parkerizing as done at arsenals and by other makers. Yours is in pretty high condition given how easily it scratches and wears. I'd take caution not to holster it much and handle carefully on the bench. Yes you are correct it is worn, but for "Black Magic," it has survived really well.

BTW, that's a nice one. It's a real US model, which are more rare than the .38 S&W 5" lend-lease models (about 2:1 LL vs. US were made). And it's all original, which is hard to find. I have an early-ish one like that, and with the right .38 Special loads, it is one of the most inherently accurate guns I own and extremely satisfying to shoot. Congrats.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Yeah Dave, you really do suck.

Nice find. Next time I'm out your way, we need to take a field trip.

Definitely.

Oro, thanks for the background on the finish. It will not see much holster time at all. I have more recent K-Frames for that.

 

[BCRider]

Considering how old it is the finish has just the right amount of patina. I think it looks fantastic just as it is. Clean it, oil it and treasure it. And shoot it a lot. I recomend a steady diet of 148gn HBWC and suitable powder. Nice soft shooting that will ensure that the gun isn't overstressed and lives to hand down to another appreciative owner many years from now.

 

[Green-Shanks]

Very Nice Gun!! I have my father's like it. I have shot evrything in it, and found it to be areal accurate gun. My father was a Thunderbolt Pilot in England during WWII and flew 300 combat missions with his. He was fished out of the English Channel with it and escaped through France with it. On the left side, it has a number etched on it. He told me about going into the armory and going through barrels of them until he found one originally chamberd for .38 Special. He loved that gun, and took it every where he went.
My, what that gun has seen. Enjoy your keepsake!!

Green-Shanks

 

[BullfrogKen]

Nice soft shooting that will ensure that the gun isn't overstressed and lives to hand down to another appreciative owner many years from now.

Many years from now? I'm sure I'll make a trip down to Philly before this year's out.

And I'd appreciate Dave handing it down to me very much.