Need help ID-ing my father revolver

[RAMRunnr]

What I have is a Smith & Wesson .38 revolver. On the butt, under the ejector rod on the barrel and on the cylinder is stamped [V68695]. On the crane near the hinge is [13524]. Where the crane rests when closed is stamped [13524] with a above with room for a line of text between. On the barrel with the gun pointed to the right there is a sideways P (there appears to be something beside the P but the stamp was not stamped well or worn off) and a symbol that looks like a rope tied in a knot with lightly stamped (or worn) [.38" 767"] and below [3.5 ICN9], followed with [S & W CTG]. Kinda hard to describe, look at bottom of my post to see my version of how it is on the barrel. (The @ is the knot and the P should be sideways rotated 90 degrees clock-ways and the above and below lines are closer to each other, and ignore the dashes needed the dashes to keep the spacing right.)

I thank you for your help in identifying this gun.


--------.38" 767"
--P--@ ----------S & W CTG
--------3.5 ICN9

 

[Pistol Toter]

I can't get to my book to isolate a year, but, you have a WWII vintage "Victory" model Military & Police. Some of the other marks are Assembler and Inspector marks the rest are military inspector and proff markings.

 

[RAMRunnr]

Thank for the quick response. My Dad just brought me another Revolver another Smith and Wesson marked 32 LONG CTG on the barrel and 604841 on the butt and the back of the cylinder and under the barrel, but under the barrel is a V after the number. The number under the barrel is near the front and the V is close to the frame. 90157 is stamped behind the crane and on the crane seat. There is also MADE IN U.S.A/MARCAS REGISTRADAS/SMITH & WESSON/SPRINGFIELD,MASS. (/ signifying different lines)


(I know that the MARCAS REGISTRADAS is registered trademark in Spanish)

 

[Jim K]

On the first gun, the "V" serial number prefix indicates that it is a so-called "Victory Model", a Smith & Wesson Military and Police model made on military contract during WWII. They were made in .38 Special for US forces and in .38 S&W for the British. The barrel markings you mention are British proof marks, put on not in wartime, but when the guns were sold after the war to arms dealers.

The marking indicates the case length (.767") and normal working pressure (3.5 Tons per [ ] in). The little symbol is a square, so the meaning is 3.5 tons per square inch.

V68695 is the serial number; the gun was made around May of 1942. The other number (13524) is an assembly number, used to make sure closely fitted parts stayed together through final finishing and assembly.

The other gun is a standard .32 revolver and the "V" is an inspector's mark of no special significance. (Victory Models, as noted above, were .38 caliber.)

Jim