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Smith & Wesson Victory Model
The Smith & Wesson Victory Model was born from yet another request by the U.S. Military (during war time) to supplement their issued sidearms with quickly tooled up civilian handguns. From 1940 - 1942 ,before the United States entered WW II, the company sold Smith & Wesson Military & Police revolvers (parkerized and chambered for .38 S&W or 38/200) to both British and British Commonwealth forces (e.g. Australia, Canada, New Zealand). Beginning in 1942 Smith & Wesson placed a "V" in the serial number prefix for "Victory" against the Axis powers and renamed the M&P the Victory Model. When their own supplies of M1911 Govt. .45 automatics were stretched, the U.S. Army adopted the Smith & Wesson Victory Model for their own troops. The revolver was given plain wooden grips, was parkerized 'gray', and was chambered for the .38 Special. It never replaced the M1911 as the primary side arm of front line units, but it saw plenty of service as the handgun of secondary or support units. It also saw use with civilian users such as defense plant guards and U.S. Postal Police. It was especially popular with aviators and military dog handlers. Regulations prohibited carry of the M1911 pistol with a live round in the chamber, but one can't drop a dog's leash or fly an aircraft hands-free while one cycles the slide to load a cartridge. Army helicopter pilots continued to use the Victory model until the early 1960's. After the war Victory models were given to the German police forces when they were reconstructed during the allies occupation of Germany. Occasionally Victory models with "Bavarian Rural Police" and "Bavarian Municipal Police" will surface on the collector market. There is even a (unconfirmed) report that U.S. Government National Park Rangers were still being issued Victory models as recently as the late 1980's
Specifications
(1942 - 1945)
- Type: Revolver
- Caliber: .38 S&W, .38 Special
- Barrel length(s): 2 in (5.1 cm), 4 in (10.2 cm), 5 in (12.7 cm), 6 in (15.2 cm)
- Capacity: 6-round cylinder
- Fire Modes: SA/DA
Film
Television
| Show Title | Actor | Character | Note / Episode | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baa Baa Black Sheep | Jeff McKay | Lt. Don French | Mother of Pearl K-Frame Grips | 1976 - 1978 |
| Mail Call | 2002 - 2009 | |||
| Midsomer Murders | James Richard Marshall | Young Peter Fossett | S14E1 "Death in the Slow Lane" | 2010 |
| Boardwalk Empire | Jack Huston | Richard Harrow | 2010-Present | |
| Supernatural - Season 6 | Peter Ciuffa | H.P. Lovecraft | "Let It Bleed" (S06E21) | 2011 |
| Supernatural - Season 7 | Nicholas Lea | Eliot Ness | "Time After Time" (S07E12) | 2012 |
| Peaky Blinders - Season 2 | various characters | anachronistic | 2014 | |
| Father Brown | Benjamin Fisher | Raymond Worrall | "The Eagle and the Daw" (S05E06) | 2017 |
See Also
- Smith & Wesson - A list of all firearms manufactured by Smith & Wesson.