Originally Posted by Revolver

Just bought one of these as a Christmas gift for someone. The cylinder was tight, no shake whatsoever. It's marked "US property" and has all the typical Victory model features. It has really nice aftermarket grips of the wooden finger-groove variety. All for $280. This revolver was bought as a defensive/range pistol for a beginner. This place is just flowing with 10's and 15's for around the $300 mark.

So, what do you think? Anyone have anything to share about these? The guy said it was a "service pistol". Don't really know about their involvement in the war or use thereafter.

I'm almost tempted to buy one myself but would rather hold out for a magnum chambered(19, 27, 28, GP100, Blackhawk) revolver. Shame I haven't seen any decent deals lately.

You did see some decent deals, you just didn't recognize them, a nice model 15 combat masterpiece is worth every bit as much as a model 19, same gun only in .38 cal., being a retired police firearms instructor for most of my tour and being a trained armorer I can tell you first hand that the model 19 is a beautiful gun, but even smith warned against the use of .357 rounds except for strictly business, the gun was not built to take the pessures, that's why the 586 and 686 came to be, but the 15's and 16's are a much smother guns, fit and finish are better and when you consider that most of us enjoy them on the range and they double a home defense guns, and we stuff them with what, you guessed it .38 specials, no need to punish yourself with full house .357's and you sure don't want your house gun loaded with bullets that will go clean through walls and studs, your family or friends may be on the other side of those walls.
So unless you intend to hunt with your wheel gun, or your planning to carry it on duty, the model 10's, 15's, and 17's, can't be beat, and don't think that there aren't a few loads on the market that won't turn that old .38 into a rip roaring crime stopper.
And at $300.00 bucks for a nice one, it's a steal.

Thanks for the info Moe. I guess I don't really need a magnum since I have my 29 but I think it would be nice to have. I really didn't want a 19 but would've settled on one. I'd rather have an N-frame or Ruger GP100 for the reasons you listed. If I did buy a 15(which I'm strongly considering) I would use it some for carry. I also have the choice of nickel plated or blued. I haven't had a nickel-plated firearm before so who knows?

And my observations agree with yours. Those 'ol 10's and 15's were put together right and are smooth as silk. That's why I bought one for a gift. Now I'll have to figure out real soon if I want one for me.

The Smith & Wesson "Victory" Model is the WW II military version of the .38 Military and Police Model of 1905, 4th change. The primary differences were a parkerized finish, the addition of a lanyard ring and a special serial number range using the prefix letter "V" for victory. Beginning with serial number 769001 the prefix was changed to "SV" to indicate the addition of the then new hammer block safety. They were manufactuered from 1942 to 1945 during WW II.
The standard U.S. Model was chambered for the .38 Special cartridge and had a 4" barrel. Revolvers were also made for the British in .38-200 caliber (.38 S&W) with a 5" barrel.
Be aware that after the war many of the British revolvers were re-imported to the U.S where some unscrupulous dealers recut the chambers to accept .38 Specials. DO NOT FIRE THESE GUNS! The .38-200 british cartridge has a slightly bigger diameter and standard .38 Special cases will buldge and often split when fired. Check your revolver's markings to make sure thay have not been altered and it is indeed a .38 Special.
Also, the addition of the aftermarket grips most likely means that the lanyard ring has been removed. This does lower the collector value of the gun. Again, inspect carefully to insure that no other modifications have been made.
On the bright side, since it is marked "U.S. Property" you most likely have a standard issue .38 Special revolver. It should prove to be an excellent old gun.

Here's a picture of my U.S. Issue Victory Model:

It does have the lanyard removed and has aftermarket grips(but I knew that already). It's not going to be a collector but rather a shooter. The chambers looked to be standard .38 Special chambers to me. So, some of them didn't have a hammer block? Definately gonna have to look at that.

Thanks for the info. That's something I would have missed.

Man I would love to have both of them beautys. Love them old guns. I got a S&W model 19-4. I sure wouldn't mine have a couple of old model 10s.

So, some of them didn't have a hammer block?

Actually, most of them don't have a hammer block. Nor do any pre-war Smith & Wessons. There is a hammer stop made as part of the rebound slide which moves the hammer back off the primer after a shot is fired. This is little more than a small hump that engages the bottom edge of the hammer when its at rest. However, a sharp blow can over ride it.
This is in fact how the current hammer block came to be. During the war a Victory Model revolver was dropped on the steel deck of a U.S. Naval ship. The gun discharged killing a sailor. At the Navy's request S&W designed what was then know as the slide action hammer block and it went into production in September 1944.
Don't worry. As long as you don't make a habit of dropping the gun on hard surfaces, you'll be just fine.

I was just worried because it's going to someone else. Now I see that it isn't much to worry about.

May I also ask the main differences between the 10 and 15 other than fixed sights vs adjustable sights?

That's it. The only difference is the sights.

I just purchased a S & W Military and Police model revolver that is blued, no lanyard, polished blue finish, no stamping that says US Property, yet it has the SV 812xxx serial number on the bottom of the butt and a 5 digit number in the crane?? 4 inch barrel,What do I have??

While on the subject, S & W furnished similar guns, though I don't think they were called Victory Models, in both .38 S & W and .32-20, for security guards at defense plants.

I've run into several old gentlemen who were civilian guards at the defense plants in and around Memphis during WW II. They had the Victory model finish on .32-20s, which appears to be the most popular.

Bob Wright

Originally Posted by jgavrile

I just purchased a S & W Military and Police model revolver that is blued, no lanyard, polished blue finish, no stamping that says US Property, yet it has the SV 812xxx serial number on the bottom of the butt and a 5 digit number in the crane?? 4 inch barrel,What do I have??

This gun originally was one of the last made or started before the end of the war. It could have been finished after the War was won. Does the barrel serial number (under barrel above cylinder ejector) match the back face of the cylinder and butt. Has it been refinished? It would certainly be worth the $30 to get a factory letter.