[rickfryemt]

Hello all,

I purchased this .38 mostly because I found the bluing very unique and had not seen one like this before. Serial Number 915XXX on the butt to the left of the lanyard loop, On the right is a W.B. with what looks like an ordinance symbol and a faint small p.On the left side forward of the grip is a stamp and mis-stamp reading CAL. .38 SPECIAL. Also stamped with United States Property on top above the chambers. Grips are smooth, not checkered.
What I think... prior to 42 since there is no "V" in front of the serial number but understand there are exceptions...
Probability used by aircrews in the Navy buy why is it green?

Any incite would be greatly appreciated!

 

[rickfryemt]

One more piece of info... above the grip with the barrel facing away there is this...
N 7 or could be N Z
1321

 

[jonesy814]

Some Parkerized finishes have a greenish tint like that. The Parkerized victory revolvers . I have seen were more black though. If the hammer & trigger have that finish instead of being color case hardened I would suspect a refinish

 

[gearchecker]

Can we see the left side as well?

 

[ussmanlovede36]

If the gun was stored in Cosmoline like many military guns were then that will turn a Parkerized finish greenish. Your S&W was made for overseas export in 38 S&W (38-200), Nice one.

 

[WendyZXZ]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Waidmann]

A New Zealand property British Service. Other than the replacement grips, nice. While Lend-Lease dates from April 1942 some sources state it was August before they were all V series. WB is Colonel Waldemar Broberg, Hartford Ordnance District, the Ordnance emblem (bomb) and a "p" for military proof in addition to UNITED STATES PROPERTY are correct.

 

[BlackBat242]

A photo of the left side would be very informative - as you state that there is a stamp there ".38 special"... while on the barrel is the original ".38 S&W" stamp.

If the left side of the frame is stamped for .38 spcl, then it has had the cylinder bored out for the longer [1.155"] but slightly smaller in diameter [.379" case, .358 bullet] .38 special cartridge. The original .38 S&W was slightly larger in diameter (both casing [.3855"] and bullet [.361"]), but the casing was shorter [.775"].

If a .38 spcl cartridge goes completely in, to the rim, then it has been bored out. If it doesn't, then the frame marking is incorrect.

 

[Absalom]

The .38 Special stamp on the frame is occasionally encountered on conversions. It means the gun was definitely bored out, possibly before being re-imported. It is generally assumed that it was one specific importer/converter who applied this stamp; the vast majority of returned and US-converted BSR’s (usually also mutilated in other ways, like a cut barrel) are not marked in any way. On a side note, Lee Harvey Oswald’s shortened BSR Victory did have that .38 Special frame stamp too.

The “greenish” tint is hard to judge since your picture’s lighting isn’t ideal. But I see nothing outside of the expected.

As for the serial, the lowest serial we have recorded with the UNITED STATES PROPERTY is in the 791xxx range in later 1941, so your 915xxx, likely from Jan./Feb. 1942, is well within that range.

 

[Waidmann]

^my bad. Cal. .38 SPECIAL below the cylinder release is a somewhat commonly encountered marking on altered guns.

 

[rickfryemt]

Can we see the left side as well?

 

[rickfryemt]

Thank you everyone for the information. Above is the left side of the gun as well.

 

[Curt360]

Hi and welcome to the forum!