Smith & Wesson .38 Special |
The Victory model was so named for the "V" prefix which was placed before the serial number and represented "Victory" against the Axis powers in World War II. The pistol shown below is a 1943 production Victory model revolver in the .38 special configuration. S&W applied the U.S. NAVY mark on the left top strop. These Navy revolvers typically had no other proofing or acceptance marks. According to Charles Pates book the last Navy contract pistol was delivered in January of 1943. Another variation of the WWII .38 Special Navy can be found on this site, that variation has the property mark on the left side of the frame and is filled with red paint. Click here to see an example This pistol was shipped on January 8th, 1943 to United States Navy Depot, Oakland, CA. See Smith & Wesson letter below. Total of 352,315 .38 specials were ordered, of those the U.S. Navy contract orders were for a total of 65,000. These were 2 individual orders with 1 of 20,000 and 1 of 45,000 while the second order was with military finish. |