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BillCA · February 14, 2005, 12:09 AM

Based on your description & serial number, I'd make this out to be a .38/200 British Service Revolver which is also known as the K-200 (S&W Pistol #2). This gun was originally manufactured for the .38 S&W cartridge, not the .38 Special.

Look carefully at the barrel to see if it is marked as ".38 S&W CTG" or if it's marked ".38 S&W Special CTG" (emphasis added). Most likely yours is marked for the .38 S&W and the cylinder was bored out by Cogswell & Harrison so that a longer .38 special cartridge would fit.

Cautions:
1. If .38 Specials will chamber in the gun, use caution. Some of these conversions were poorly done (bored all the way through), but in any event the .38 S&W case is a larger diameter than the .38 Special. This can cause the .38 Special case to bulge and possibly crack. Use only standard pressure loads in these guns.

2. Your gun most likely does not have the sliding hammer block safety. If dropped with a round under the hammer it could possibly discharge! Changes occurred in 1944 to add the sliding hammer block safety in Victory models ("SV" s/n prefix).

Supica lists one of these in the condition you described as betwen $120 to $200 (good to V.Good).

Some of the conversions were also performed by "Parker Hale" in England.

For what it's worth, my father bought one of these w/ a 5' barrel as a surplus gun via mail-order catalog in 1948 for $35(!). It was bored out to .38 Special too. Cases fired in it bulge but do not crack very often. As a home defense revolver it was fine but it's accuracy is no great shakes (due to the larger bullet diameter of the .38 S&W vs. .38 Special). It's still "in service" as my 81 year old mother's home(land) defense revolver.

February 14, 2005, 12:09 AM	#2
BillCA Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2004 Location: Silicon Valley, Ca Posts: 7,117	Based on your description & serial number, I'd make this out to be a .38/200 British Service Revolver which is also known as the K-200 (S&W Pistol #2). This gun was originally manufactured for the .38 S&W cartridge, not the .38 Special. Look carefully at the barrel to see if it is marked as ".38 S&W CTG" or if it's marked ".38 S&W Special CTG" (emphasis added). Most likely yours is marked for the .38 S&W and the cylinder was bored out by Cogswell & Harrison so that a longer .38 special cartridge would fit. Cautions: 1. If .38 Specials will chamber in the gun, use caution. Some of these conversions were poorly done (bored all the way through), but in any event the .38 S&W case is a larger diameter than the .38 Special. This can cause the .38 Special case to bulge and possibly crack. Use only standard pressure loads in these guns. 2. Your gun most likely does not have the sliding hammer block safety. If dropped with a round under the hammer it could possibly discharge! Changes occurred in 1944 to add the sliding hammer block safety in Victory models ("SV" s/n prefix). Supica lists one of these in the condition you described as betwen $120 to $200 (good to V.Good). Some of the conversions were also performed by "Parker Hale" in England. For what it's worth, my father bought one of these w/ a 5' barrel as a surplus gun via mail-order catalog in 1948 for $35(!). It was bored out to .38 Special too. Cases fired in it bulge but do not crack very often. As a home defense revolver it was fine but it's accuracy is no great shakes (due to the larger bullet diameter of the .38 S&W vs. .38 Special). It's still "in service" as my 81 year old mother's home(land) defense revolver. __________________ BillCA in CA (Unfortunately)