You're looking for information on the S&W Model 38 Victory, a classic firearm produced during World War II. The Model 38, also known as the "Victory" model, was a .38 Special caliber revolver that was produced from 1942 to 1945.
Regarding the serial number lookup, S&W used a specific serial number range for the Model 38 Victory, which can help with identification and dating. Here's some valuable information:
Serial Number Range: The serial number range for the S&W Model 38 Victory is between V300 and V100000 (V prefix). These serial numbers were stamped on the frame, cylinder, and barrel of the revolver.
Serial Number Lookup: To perform a serial number lookup, you can contact the Smith & Wesson Customer Service department directly. They can provide you with information on the production date, model, and other relevant details.
Additional Information: The Model 38 Victory was produced with a 5-inch barrel and a 6-shot cylinder. It features a blued finish, with a rounded butt and a smooth grip. The revolver was designed for military and law enforcement use, and many were issued to police departments and military units during World War II.
Quality and Rarity: The S&W Model 38 Victory is highly regarded for its quality and reliability. These revolvers were built to withstand the rigors of military and law enforcement use, and many have survived to this day in excellent condition. As a collector's item, the Model 38 Victory is highly sought after, particularly in good condition and with original finish.
If you're interested in learning more about the S&W Model 38 Victory or would like to perform a serial number lookup, I recommend visiting the Smith & Wesson website or consulting a reputable firearms collector or historian.
Do you have a specific S&W Model 38 Victory that you'd like to learn more about? Perhaps you can share the serial number, and I can help you find more information on its production date and history?
The search term you’ve provided points to a specific and highly desirable segment of firearms history: the Smith & Wesson .38 Military & Police Model of 1905, 4th Change, universally known to collectors as the Victory Model.
The phrase "extra quality" in your request likely stems from one of two things: either a misunderstanding of the factory classifications used during the war, or a rightful observation that these revolvers were built to a higher standard than typical wartime utility weapons.
Here is a detailed look at the Victory Model, how to decode its serial numbers, and what makes an example "extra quality." s w 38 victory model serial number lookup extra quality
By Firearms History Guild
For collectors, historians, and shooting enthusiasts, few revolvers carry the weight of World War II history quite like the Smith & Wesson .38/200 Victory Model. Affectionately nicknamed “The Gun That Won the War” (alongside the 1911), this plain-looking but mechanically superb revolver is a tangible piece of global conflict. However, the market is flooded with mismatched parts, post-war commercial models, and outright fakes. To ensure you are acquiring extra quality, you must master the S&W .38 Victory Model serial number lookup.
This 2,500-word guide will walk you through the serial number locations, date-of-manufacture charts, federal ordinance codes, and the six secret quality markers that separate a genuine, high-grade Victory from a parts gun.
“Not just a date — a wartime history. Go beyond basic lookup with our Extra Quality Victory Model tracker.”
The Smith & Wesson .38 Victory Model is a wartime variant of the Military & Police (M&P) revolver produced between 1942 and 1945
. It is highly regarded by collectors for its historical significance and smooth internal mechanics, despite a simplified "war finish". www.recoilweb.com Serial Number Lookup & Identification
The serial number is the definitive way to identify a true Victory model. : The official serial number is stamped on the bottom of the grip frame (butt)
. You may also find it on the rear of the cylinder and the bottom of the barrel. "V" Prefix
: Original models start with a "V" prefix, introduced after S&W reached the 1,000,000 mark in its M&P series. "VS" or "SV" Prefix
: Revolvers produced in 1945 (approximately starting at serial 769,001) feature an "S" or "SV" prefix, indicating an upgraded, positive hammer block safety designed after an accidental discharge incident on a Navy vessel. Assembly Numbers You're looking for information on the S&W Model
: Numbers found inside the crane/yoke area are usually internal assembly numbers and do not function for serial number lookups. Smith & Wesson Historical Foundation Production Eras
To look up a Smith & Wesson .38 Victory Model serial number, check the bottom of the grip frame (butt) for a number starting with a "V" or "SV" prefix. These revolvers were produced roughly between 1942 and 1945 for military and Lend-Lease use. 1. Serial Number Prefix Identification
The prefix is the most critical part of identifying the specific production phase and safety features of your Victory Model:
"V" Prefix (1942–1944): Standard "Victory" serial prefix used for both .38 Special (U.S. Navy/Army) and .38 S&W (British Lend-Lease) models.
"SV" Prefix (Late 1944–1945): Signifies the addition of a new, more reliable safety hammer block following an accidental discharge incident in 1944.
"S" Marking: If a standard "V" prefix gun has an extra "S" stamped near the serial number or on the side plate, it indicates the revolver was factory-retrofitted with the new safety block. 2. Dating by Serial Range (Approximate)
Victory Model production began around serial V1 in early 1942 and ended at approximately VS811,119 in August 1945. V1 to ~V200,000: Early production (1942 to mid-1943).
~V200,000 to V769,000: Mid-to-late production (mid-1943 to 1944).
SV769,001 to VS811,119: Final production with integrated safety (late 1944 to 1945). 3. Variations and Quality Markers
"Extra quality" or specific markings can help identify the intended recipient and original finish of the firearm: By Firearms History Guild For collectors, historians, and
"V" Is For Victory: The Smith & Wesson Victory Model Revolver
The gun was a ghost. Len had picked it up at an estate sale in a cardboard box labeled “OLD TOOLS,” wrapped in a rag that smelled of camphor and dust. It was a Smith & Wesson .38 Special Victory Model—the matte grey finish, the lanyard ring, the V-prefix serial number. But something was off.
Len wasn’t a collector. He was a retired history teacher with a mild obsession for WWII sidearms. The Victory Models were standard-issue for pilots, MPs, and OSS agents. But this one felt… heavier. Not in weight, but in presence. The cylinder locked up like a bank vault. The trigger broke like glass.
He sat down that night with a jeweler’s loupe and a web browser. “S&W 38 Victory Model serial number lookup” — he typed it slowly. The first few databases gave him the usual: manufactured 1943, shipped to the US Navy. But then he found a niche forum—old, deep web, the kind with cracked ASCII headers. A user named OrdnanceGhost had posted a thread: “Extra Quality Markings – The Hidden Batch.”
Len entered his full serial: V 389241.
The reply came not as a page load, but as a private message within sixty seconds.
“V 389241. One of 500 ‘Extra Quality’ proofs. Not for field use. Issued to OSS Technical Branch for silent assassinations in occupied Europe. Fitted with match-grade barrel, hand-lapped action, and a baffled chamber to reduce report without a suppressor. Three known survivors. Yours was carried by a Jedburgh team leader dropped into southern France. After the war, it was officially ‘destroyed’ in a fire at a depot. It wasn’t. It was buried in a wax-sealed tin near Lyon. You’re holding a ghost that killed seventeen high-value targets and never once jammed.”
Len stared at the screen. Then he looked down at the revolver in his hands. The extra quality wasn't a marketing term—it was a code. A secret spec for guns that had to work the first time, every time, in the dark, when the only sound was a wet thump and the faint click of a cylinder turning.
He didn’t sell it. He didn’t tell the police. He wiped the search history, oiled the action one more time, and placed it back in the rag.
But now, whenever he held it, he didn’t feel a tool. He felt a witness. And somewhere in a quiet French village, a very old man still dreamed of the man who carried that gun—and woke up grateful that the war ended before the extra quality was ever needed again.