Smith & Wesson
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Driftwood Johnson
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You have a Victory model. The V prefix of the Serial Number was reserved for the contract S&W had with various Allied powers during World War Two. Built on the square butt K frame, five screws, 4" round barrel. (2" barrel is rare). In order to produce them rapidly S&W did not give them their normal mirror polished finish and deep blue. Instead they had a sandblasted blue or sandblasted Black Magic finish similar to Parkerizing. Any other finish would have been after market and would destroy the Collector's value. Serial numbers ran from V1 through V769,000 produced from 1942 until September of 1944 when a new hammer block was installed and the Serial Number prefix was changed to SV.
38 S & W SPECIAL CTG is simply the designation for the caliber of the gun, 38 Special. CTG means cartridge. The number under the cylinder crane is an assembly number and means nothing. The Serial Number should also be present on the flat at the underside of the barrel, rear of the cylinder, and underside of the extractor star. May be accompanied by the 'flying bomb'.
If issued to the U. S. government it will be stamped U.S. Property on the top strap. Others were issued to various agencies such as the Post Office and may not have the stamp. A variation chambered for 38 S&W was sold to Britain under the Lend Lease Act.
Here is a typical Victory Model.
You have a Victory model. The V prefix of the Serial Number was reserved for the contract S&W had with various Allied powers during World War Two. Built on the square butt K frame, five screws, 4" round barrel. (2" barrel is rare). In order to produce them rapidly S&W did not give them their normal mirror polished finish and deep blue. Instead they had a sandblasted blue or sandblasted Black Magic finish similar to Parkerizing. Any other finish would have been after market and would destroy the Collector's value. Serial numbers ran from V1 through V769,000 produced from 1942 until September of 1944 when a new hammer block was installed and the Serial Number prefix was changed to SV.
38 S & W SPECIAL CTG is simply the designation for the caliber of the gun, 38 Special. CTG means cartridge. The number under the cylinder crane is an assembly number and means nothing. The Serial Number should also be present on the flat at the underside of the barrel, rear of the cylinder, and underside of the extractor star. May be accompanied by the 'flying bomb'.
If issued to the U. S. government it will be stamped U.S. Property on the top strap. Others were issued to various agencies such as the Post Office and may not have the stamp. A variation chambered for 38 S&W was sold to Britain under the Lend Lease Act.
Here is a typical Victory Model.
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The V serial was used only during WWII, but it came about in an interesting way. S&W was already making M&P revolvers under contract with the British and some other countries when the serial numbers approached one million. Now S&W's numbering machine could handle only six digits, so they were considering using a letter prefix which could be stamped on all the guns during initial production before the rest of the serial number was put on. They planned to use the obvious "A", but even though the US was not yet in the war (Nov. 1941), the slogan "V for Victory" was well known, especially in Britain. So the letter "V" was chosen instead, and most collectors call any M&P with a "V" prefix serial number a "Victory Model".
But S&W didn't, and that causes some confusion. The factory called only those revolvers made in .38 Special under U.S. contract "Victory Models". Revolvers made for the British or for Lend Lease in .38/200 (.38 S&W) were called the ".38/200 Model", not the Victory Model.
So the normal M&P numbering went to 999,999, then to V1. In Dec. 1944, the new hammer block safety was added, and the letter S was included in the serial number; its location varied, but there is no special significance to the exact location.
Jim
But S&W didn't, and that causes some confusion. The factory called only those revolvers made in .38 Special under U.S. contract "Victory Models". Revolvers made for the British or for Lend Lease in .38/200 (.38 S&W) were called the ".38/200 Model", not the Victory Model.
So the normal M&P numbering went to 999,999, then to V1. In Dec. 1944, the new hammer block safety was added, and the letter S was included in the serial number; its location varied, but there is no special significance to the exact location.
Jim
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