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Another S&W Navy Marked Victory


BryanJ
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I had been following this Victory on an auction that ended yesterday, and I was the successful bidder.  I will pick it up Tuesday, so the only photos I have are from the auction ad.  I saw that Charlie Flick offered to check the ship date on another Victory last week, and if you happen to see this post, please check the date on this on as well:  SN - V139691.  I was fortunate that along with this pistol, the listing also included a 1943 Boyd shoulder holster.  There is a hand-written name on the back of the holster - LT. Robbins.  Comments about the pistol and holster would be appreciated.  


 

 

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Very nice Victory. The Navy marked examples are my favorite. Took me a while to find mine. The holster is a nice plus too. Congrats!

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Charlie Flick
On 12/18/2022 at 7:21 PM, BryanJ said:

....  I saw that Charlie Flick offered to check the ship date on another Victory last week, and if you happen to see this post, please check the date on this on as well:  SN - V139691.  I was fortunate that along with this pistol, the listing also included a 1943 Boyd shoulder holster.  There is a hand-written name on the back of the holster - LT. Robbins.  Comments about the pistol and holster would be appreciated.  

Hello Bryan:

 

Your V139691 likely shipped from the factory in the October-November 1942 time frame.  You might want to consider getting a letter from the S&W Historical Foundation which would give you a precise ship date and shipping location.

 

The Boyt (not Boyd) holster was made by the Boyt Harness Company  of Des Moines, Iowa.  It is a genuine example.  Unfortunately, it shows the defect that so many of these M3 style holster display today with the male snap for the belt loop having become detached.  That is usually caused by a buildup of verdigris.  It is not an easy fix but a skilled, patient person can do it.

 

Hope this helps you.

 

Regards,

Charlie Flick

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Charlie.  Thanks for your reply.  Picked it up yesterday and was able to verify that the serial numbers on the bottom of the grip, underside of barrel, cylinder, and wooded right grip, all match.  The absence of an “S” associated with the serial number reflects that the handgun was never returned for the hammer block fix.  So, it appears in original condition.  I’m curious how the pistol avoided the hammer block repair, unless someone decided they needed the pistol more than Uncle Sam.  My curiosity got the best of me and I googled WWII Navy pilots with the last name “Robbins” and could only find two.  I wouldn’t attempt a repair on the holster, but if any knows a pro who could, I’d consider sending it off to get that fixed.

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Charlie Flick
1 minute ago, BryanJ said:

The absence of an “S” associated with the serial number reflects that the handgun was never returned for the hammer block fix.  So, it appears in original condition.  I’m curious how the pistol avoided the hammer block repair, unless someone decided they needed the pistol more than Uncle Sam.  

 

You are most welcome, Bryan.

 

At this date 77 years after the end of WW2, it is impossible to know for certain how and why your revolver did not undergo the upgrade.  Generally speaking only those revolvers that were returned to S&W during late WW2 for repair would have had the safety hammer block installed as a part of the repair process.  There was no model wide "recall" as we think of that term today.  Indeed, the great bulk of .38 Special Victory Model revolvers shipped before December, 1944 did not have the upgrade probably because they were never returned for any repair.   Beginning around December 1944 the new safety hammer block began to be incorporated into new .38 Special Victory Model production and continued to the end of production.

 

HTH.

 

Regards,

Charlie Flick

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Great explanation, thanks.  I guess it’s second nature to wonder about the remarkable wartime journey these collectibles took and the hands they passed through along the way.  God Bless those guys!

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