Very nice, enjoy it. Question please, after the war were these issued to postal inspectors?
I know that M1917s were issued to Post Offices and I know that Victorys were issued to state civil defense organizations and some wound up with local PDs. I'm pretty sure that Lunenburg, MA PD had some at one time.
I saw WW2 era Victorys issued to female MPs in the Army as late as the mid 80s at Ft Devens as well as later Model 10s. A lot went to civil assistance aid packages to allies in emerging countries where we equipped their police forces as well as German and Austrian Police during the Occupation Period. I believe the Israelis used them right after independence and may have chambered them for 9mm.
I'm sure that in some remote part of the world they are still in service on some kind of military or police organization right along with Tokarevs, Makarovs, Webleys, and Browning Hi Powers.
Back in 1987 Barnacle Bill's in Groton had a nice clean Navy one for 99 dollars, beautiful double and single action. One that got away, still kicking myself. I got a 5 inch 38 S&W with Australian Markings in a pawn shop in Colorado Springs a few years later for about the same price. Still wish I had the 38 spl though.
Lots of Lend Lease guns were converted to 38 spl and refinished by Parker Hale
(great post by Sandglove1 it was Cogswell and Harrison another old line English gun firm, alas now gone I think) imported to the U.S. After the war. 38 spl cases will expand and crack when you shoot them in these converted guns and accuracy suffers. Many as I recall were rebarreled to 4 inches,
(again thanks Sandglove1) but I'm not 100 percent sure of that at this late date. They were incredibly cheap by today's standards.
The Victorys and all M&P Model 10 Revolvers remain some of my favorites and they are truly classics in every sense of the word and the gun that Smith and Wesson really built their reputation on.
