Smith & Wesson Victory Model

The Smith & Wesson Victory Model is a great revolver and fine collector’s piece but there are two dangerous possibilities with the revolver. The first is an omission in manufacture of revolvers produced without a hammer safety lever that was correct on some revolvers and the other is poorlyconsidered chambering work that is downright dangerous when coupled with modern ammunition. The revolver covered in this checklist and list of warnings is among the most common Smith & Wesson revolvers.

It is the revolver that got Smith & Wesson back on its feet financially after the Great Depression. Some 571,629 of these handguns were sent to the British It’s a classic revolver that deserves our best efforts. Commonwealth between 1941 and 1945. Additionally, over 350,000 were supplied to the Unites States armed services.

Most of the Britishexported revolvers were chambered in .38 Smith & Wesson and fired "Revolver Ball, .380 in, Mk I .38-200" with 200 grain bullets or the Mk II variant with 178 grain bullets while most of the American revolvers were chambered in .38 Special. These revolvers are an important piece of American history. As for the common problems, gunsmiths familiar with Smith & Wesson revolvers will be able to address these.

It doesn’t matter if the handgun is an older handgun that has been in service for many years or if it is a used specimen just hitting the case at the pawn shop, the procedure for checking is the same. Issues and concerns are narrowed if a customer has fired the handgun and has a specific complaint but I still like to begin with a complete inspection. A pistol that is out of time or has similar problems is seldom a bargain.

A careful examination puts you on the correct path if a purchase is warranted or in needed repair. A magnifying glass, small light, a pencil, and a small tool kit such as the Chapman are the few tools needed. The first examination is elementary and is a check that the revolver is unloaded. A certain percentage of firearms, including those that have been in storage for along time, are brought into the shop loaded and it isn’t always old widow women that do this. Often, it is people that should know better.

Actuate the cylinder release and open the revolver. We do this

Above center: The cylinder is checked for wobble with the hammer fully cocked back. so often enough that the action is second nature and know exactly what it should feel like. The cylinder should open easily and swing out of the receiver. Do this six times, once on each chamber, to determine if there is cylinder end shake. If the cylinder release seems tight, the ejector rod may need tightening. The cylinder release may be gummed up but the ejector rod is the usual culprit.

If the cylinder does not swing 38 Special from .38/200. This conversion is not a good idea but is commonly found. free of the frame easily the crane may be bent. Examine the hammer. The hammer should be case hardened. If not, the revolver may have been refinished. The hammer may have been polished. Regardless, the hammer should be perfectly centered in the frame. If not, something is wrong. There should be little side-to-side play with the hammer.

The firing pin should be in proper condition without cracks or damage. There should be no evidence of prying on the frame with improper tools such as a screwdriver. For a historical appraisal, the grips and lanyard are inspected and the serial number should have the proper "V".

Check to see if the grips are tight and if they may be removed. Some screw heads are so buggered up it is a pain to drive them out and inspect the gun. Move to the half moon front sight. Be certain it is not bent. When I first began working with guns I found it common to see such sights with the impression of pliers used to adjust the sights. The rear sight trough should be sharp and clean. The barrel should fit properly to the frame. If the revolver passes this initial examination we will look further.

Inspect the lockup. The locking bolt should properly index and locking bolt cuts in the cylinder should retain their original appearance. The cylinder should spin freely. If there is a wobble or eccentric movement the ejector rod may be bent, a common malady with revolvers that have seen hard use. A ring around the cylinder where the bolt stop has contacted the cylinder isn’t necessarily a sign of trouble, just that the revolver has been used.

The sideplate should be carefully examined because if those screws are damaged it is an even bet someone with ten thumbs has found their way into the revolver. If the sideplate is actually loose, the screws may need tightening. Also, check if the sideplate may be warped. I have seen more .32 Smith & Wesson Long revolvers with a ring in the barrel from a lodged bullet than all other revolver calibers combined. The .38 Smith & Wesson is the second most common.

I suspect this is because older ammunition was not as reliable as modern loads. Perhaps long storage also plays a factor. A careful check of the barrel begins with a light in the muzzle. The edges of the rifling must be sharp. The grooves should be free of powder and lead deposits. A ring in the barrel may be inconsequential but a bulged barrel is much different. Check the forcing cone. I have seen more forcing cone cracks from the .357 Magnum than all others but it is possible with any revolver.

I have also seen Far Many are well worn. This one is in good condition. Astra revolvers with blown forcing cones. The bevel inside the forcing cone is slightly counter shrunk and significant lead deposits there may be very rough. Be certain there are no apparent cracks or chips in the forcing cone. A thorough examination of the chambers should be conducted. This is vital when examining a revolver marked for .38 S&W cartridges.

The .38 Smith & Wesson is a short cartridge with a greater case diameter than the .38 Special and .38 Smith & Wesson cartridges will not normally chamber in .38 Special cylinders. The step for chambering is short and short cylinder revolvers such as the British Webley and Enfield cannot be rechambered to .38 Special. American Smith & Wesson and Colt revolvers in .38 Smith & Wesson should not be rechambered, however, this was a common practice after World War Two.

Many of those British revolvers were sold as surplus at attractive prices and some were refinished to a bright blue from the original parkerized finish. Others had the barrel shortened to 2 7/8 inches. A tall, ramp front sight was added to the shorter barrel variants. These revolvers were usually converted to .38 Special by reaming the original cylinder steps out.

When firing low pressure .38 Special 148 grain wadcutters these conversions seem to hold up, however, standard 158 grain .38 Special loads at around 800 FPS often bulges the case in these chambers. As a comparison, I recently clocked Black Hills Ammunition 148 grain target wadcutters at just over 700 FPS from my four-inch Military and Police

38 Smith & Wesson cylinder rechambered—or rather, reamed out—to .38 Special. Above center: A properly-chambered .38-200 Enfield revolver. revolver while 125 grain JHP +P loads clocked 925 FPS. From a fiveinch Victory Model .38, Magtech .38 Smith & Wesson loads clock at 578 FPS while some brands may reach 650 FPS. That is plenty of difference and standard .38 Specials will usually bulge cases in the .38 Smith & Wesson converted cylinders.

I will leave it up to your imagination what a .38 Special +Por a hot handload might do! Some of these revolvers were marked as being converted to .38 Special but most were not. I would deem any such revolver unsafe to fire with .38 Special ammunition, however, it seems they remain viable with .38 Smith & Wesson cartridges if they pass inspection. So, we have a revolver marked for one cartridge that it is not safe for and useful only with a mostlyobsolete cartridge.

There is no right way to do this conversion as it isn’t a conversion, rather a reaming away of a chambering step. Another step is to check the ejector rod for proper function. Often we will see ejector stars that are beaten up and not easily repaired. Be certain that the ejector star not only ejects spent cases but snaps back firmly into the indent in the cylinder upon release. The ratchet gears may be cleaned up with a file if wear is not severe.

Check the action carefully by running the revolver through the firing cycle but be certain that the action locks up tight when the hammer falls or just before the hammer actually falls. To ensure the revolver is not plagued by end shake or a bent ejector rod, this test should be performed on each individual chamber. While keeping pressure against the cylinder with the fingers, be certain it locks solidly in place just as the hammer is cocked in single action.

With the hammer fully down in the firing position the firing pin should be forward. Try to move the cylinder side-to-side and forward and back. Only the slightest movement should be evident. Another test reveals if a gun butcher has been at work attempting a trigger job. Cock the hammer and attempt to press it forward. It is surprising how often this results in hammer fall. The same folks that liked to ream out the chambers also seemed to grind the hammer during action jobs.

It is also standard operating procedure to check the barrel and cylinder gap in the Smith & Wesson revolver. A gap of 0.004 is very tight, the average is 0.005-0.006, and 0.009 is out of spec. It’s important to check for the "S" marking on the right side plate which will also appear before the serial number. Visual inspection of the action is also recommended on this revolver. The hammer block, by legend, was eliminated to expedite war time production.

This reportedly led to a sailor being killed when his revolver was dropped and went off and on at least one other occasion when the only casualty of a British Commando raiding party was a Tommy wounded when his revolver was dropped and fired, striking him in the leg. Revolvers marked "S" have the hammer block installed, an improvement still used in modern production.

This mark is factory stamped when the block was included in original manufacture, however, modified revolvers have this hand stamped and will appear different than the usual Smith & Wesson factory stamp. I have also seen an unmarked example with the proper hammer block. The only way to tell is to check for yourself. The Smith & Wesson Victory Model has served long and well. Quite a few continue to guard homes in the United States and probably worldwide.

Take time to carefully check out this revolver before proceeding to expensive repair work. Some of these revolvers may best be reserved as well hangers. AG