Smith & Wesson .38 Special

jrf1975 · November 4, 2008, 04:33 PM

I was just wondering if anyone can tell me anything about a Smith & Wesson .38 that I recently acquired such as date, model etc? Serial number "V 385xxx" All I do know is it has ADC 31704 etched into it. Arkansas Department of Corrections I assume. Just wondering how old and any additional information anyone may be able to tell me.

Thank You

vytoland · November 4, 2008, 05:18 PM

try looking on this web site for information on your S&W

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=372213

woad_yurt · November 4, 2008, 07:13 PM

It's a war production (WWII) Victory model. Is it .38 SPL or .38 S&W (shorts?)

jrf1975 · November 5, 2008, 09:49 AM

It's a .38 special. Thanks for the info

carguychris · November 5, 2008, 10:58 AM

It was made in the spring or summer of 1943. FWIW your gun should have smooth walnut stocks, a lanyard loop on the butt, and a tiny "flaming bomb" U.S. military acceptance mark on the butt in front of the loop. Most Victories in this timeframe had "Black Magic" finish, which is a matte finish similar to parkerizing but more dark grey than black, and it tends to be thinner and more easily scratched. However, these guns were frequently refinished and fitted with aftermarket stocks when they were resold on the surplus market after the war.

The meaning of the "ADC 31704" marking is hard to nail down. A large number of Victories were issued to guards at public and private facilities that were deemed vital for the war effort, such as factories producing war materials. The marking could actually be an identifier used by a private corporation during the war.

In military service, these revolvers were most frequently issued to aircrewmen in the U.S. Army Air Force (predecessor to the USAF) and the Navy, or to sailors aboard Navy warships. However, the "ADC" abbreviation doesn't strike me as something with U.S. military significance.

Smaug · November 5, 2008, 11:13 AM

We should post a sticky thread for researching Ruger, Colt, and Smith & Wesson revolvers by serial numbers. We get these questions pretty often.

It would be as useful as the revolver check-out thread.

jrf1975 · November 5, 2008, 02:00 PM

Mine is missing the lanyard loop on the butt, is there anyway to get a replacement?

RevolverRO · November 5, 2008, 02:53 PM

IIRC, Smith & Wesson still makes the lanyard loop and swivel for the Model 22-4 1917 Revolver. If they doin't have it available as a spare part, try Brownell's or Gun Parts Corp.

LionHunter · November 6, 2008, 06:48 PM

Following the conclusion of WWII, many of the Victory revolvers were assigned to state and local government organizations, who frequently added some kind of marking to the revolver. These are post-war U.S. markings on the 4" bbl .38spl Victory revolvers previously issued to and carried by the U.S. military during the war.

S&W Victory revolvers were NOT commonly issued to civilian agencies during the war. The revolver most commonly produced and issued to civilian organizations during WWII (and only rarely to military units) was the Colt Commando .38spl revolvers.

November 4, 2008, 04:33 PM	#1
jrf1975 Junior Member Join Date: November 4, 2008 Posts: 3	Smith & Wesson .38 Special I was just wondering if anyone can tell me anything about a Smith & Wesson .38 that I recently acquired such as date, model etc? Serial number "V 385xxx" All I do know is it has ADC 31704 etched into it. Arkansas Department of Corrections I assume. Just wondering how old and any additional information anyone may be able to tell me. Thank You

November 4, 2008, 07:13 PM	#3
woad_yurt Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 2008 Posts: 1,206	It's a war production (WWII) Victory model. Is it .38 SPL or .38 S&W (shorts?) __________________ A Makarov? Simple, easy and works perfectly every time. ¡Vale!

November 5, 2008, 10:58 AM	#5
carguychris Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2007 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 7,523	It was made in the spring or summer of 1943. FWIW your gun should have smooth walnut stocks, a lanyard loop on the butt, and a tiny "flaming bomb" U.S. military acceptance mark on the butt in front of the loop. Most Victories in this timeframe had "Black Magic" finish, which is a matte finish similar to parkerizing but more dark grey than black, and it tends to be thinner and more easily scratched. However, these guns were frequently refinished and fitted with aftermarket stocks when they were resold on the surplus market after the war. The meaning of the "ADC 31704" marking is hard to nail down. A large number of Victories were issued to guards at public and private facilities that were deemed vital for the war effort, such as factories producing war materials. The marking could actually be an identifier used by a private corporation during the war. In military service, these revolvers were most frequently issued to aircrewmen in the U.S. Army Air Force (predecessor to the USAF) and the Navy, or to sailors aboard Navy warships. However, the "ADC" abbreviation doesn't strike me as something with U.S. military significance. __________________ "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules... MARK IT ZERO!!" - Walter Sobchak

November 5, 2008, 11:13 AM	#6
Smaug Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2004 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 3,210	We should post a sticky thread for researching Ruger, Colt, and Smith & Wesson revolvers by serial numbers. We get these questions pretty often. It would be as useful as the revolver check-out thread. __________________ -Jeremy "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." - Eric Hoffer

November 6, 2008, 06:48 PM	#9
LionHunter Member Join Date: December 19, 2007 Location: Silicon Valley Posts: 94	Following the conclusion of WWII, many of the Victory revolvers were assigned to state and local government organizations, who frequently added some kind of marking to the revolver. These are post-war U.S. markings on the 4" bbl .38spl Victory revolvers previously issued to and carried by the U.S. military during the war. S&W Victory revolvers were NOT commonly issued to civilian agencies during the war. The revolver most commonly produced and issued to civilian organizations during WWII (and only rarely to military units) was the Colt Commando .38spl revolvers. Last edited by LionHunter; November 6, 2008 at 06:50 PM. Reason: tense correction

November 4, 2008, 05:18 PM	#2
vytoland Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: Illinois Posts: 614	try looking on this web site for information on your S&W http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=372213

November 5, 2008, 09:49 AM	#4
jrf1975 Junior Member Join Date: November 4, 2008 Posts: 3	It's a .38 special. Thanks for the info

November 5, 2008, 02:00 PM	#7
jrf1975 Junior Member Join Date: November 4, 2008 Posts: 3	Mine is missing the lanyard loop on the butt, is there anyway to get a replacement?

November 5, 2008, 02:53 PM	#8
RevolverRO Member Join Date: February 16, 2008 Location: Culloden, WV Posts: 71	IIRC, Smith & Wesson still makes the lanyard loop and swivel for the Model 22-4 1917 Revolver. If they doin't have it available as a spare part, try Brownell's or Gun Parts Corp.