Posted: 1/18/2017 2:45:53 PM EDT
|
I picked this Victory model up today. It was bobbed and nickled.
Brit proofs on the cylinders. 2.25" barrel. Reamed out to .38 Special. Serials match. I suspect it started out life as a 5" barreled Brit revolver in .38 S&W and was reamed out to .38 spl. The odd thing is that it is just like another found on the S&W forum. Even used the same faux stag grips. Just a different serial.....And it was also from Virginia. BTW, I replaced the plastic "stag" Fit-Well grips with a set of checkered walnut stocks I had. I'm wondering if some business in Virginia was turning them out like that or just at the request of Bubba? The Brits converted a lot of the .38 S&W Victories but most of those were clearly/deeply stamped. I was told this one was purchased in the '50s. It's tight with no timing issues, shoots/ejects OK. No bulged cases, at least with the wadcutter rounds I was using as sometimes happens with the reamed revolvers. As accurate as you would expect any snubby to be at 7 yards. Attached File |
Here is a pic of it with the fit-well "stag" grips on it. LOL...It's got the 50s look for sure. 
Attached File |
| No front lockup FTW. Front locking lug deleted when they cut down the barrel. Some outfit in Virginia made a bunch of these in the 1950's-60's. IIRC, Oswald had a .38 like this that he used to shoot Officer Tippett, as he fast stroked the trigger the cylinder started to unlock, supposedly the third round was off-center and shaved a bunch of lead (I think it was a Ayoob article in Handgunner magazine that mentioned it). |
|
Quoted:
No front lockup FTW. Front locking lug deleted when they cut down the barrel. Some outfit in Virginia made a bunch of these in the 1950's-60's. IIRC, Oswald had a .38 like this that he used to shoot Officer Tippett, as he fast stroked the trigger the cylinder started to unlock, supposedly the third round was off-center and shaved a bunch of lead (I think it was a Ayoob article in Handgunner magazine that mentioned it). Southern Gun Distributors of Miami, Florida - Cut, re-bored, nickel plated, and added plastic stag grips to hundreds of S&W 38 S&W Victory Models in the 1950-1960 era. $24.95 for the 4/5" barrels and $29.95 for the 2" (cut) barrels. - S&W Forum. The Victory Oswald had came from a place in Quebec by the name of Seaport Traders, who altered it to a"Commando Special". Chopped, reamed and sight reset; still wearing military grips and butt swivel which was removed on Oswald's gun. He used a alias to ship it to him. - S&W Forum. Oswald pimp hand was weak sporting a kinda-sorta parked Victory.
Here's the thread, interesting reading: Oswald's Victory |