I walked into my local gun shop yesterday, just to look around.
Nice collection of AR's, a counter full of 1911's, another counter of various make and model of wonder nine and .40 caliber guns.
Way toward the back, on the bottom of the last counter I found this sad old re-blued .38/200 Victory Model, with the hideous silver cylinder release glaring at me and calling to me at the same time saying... "Somebody please save me."
$135 and my C&R license later, the ugly old girl and I head for home.
Someone really did a bad job on refinishing this gun. The metal is rough under a thick blue/black heavy coating of what could have been pretty finish if done right.
It's my first Victory. I had to save it from the shame it's suffering the way I found it. Insults of all insults, it had those also hideous Rubber grips on its frame.
I don't know what I'm going to do with this old workhorse. I'm still observing. For instance the tiny stamping that says NOT ENGLISH MAKE, just above the words Made in USA, is sort of ironic. They needed our pistols and guns and GI's, but they had to make sure no one thought the guns were theirs.
I took the side plate off when I got the gun home, and looked at the elegant solution to double action single action mechanics. The inside of the gun is beautiful. Whoever blued the gun didn't even take the side plate off when they blued the gun, and the screw heads were also coated with a thick shiny black/blue.
So I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this once proud gun. But it's safe now. No one will hurt it ever again. I'll post some more pictures as I play with it more.
Anyone have an old blue cylinder release they can spare as a first step in "Bad Blue's" rehabilitation? Please, no bright chrome.
Bill
Nice collection of AR's, a counter full of 1911's, another counter of various make and model of wonder nine and .40 caliber guns.
Way toward the back, on the bottom of the last counter I found this sad old re-blued .38/200 Victory Model, with the hideous silver cylinder release glaring at me and calling to me at the same time saying... "Somebody please save me."
$135 and my C&R license later, the ugly old girl and I head for home.
Someone really did a bad job on refinishing this gun. The metal is rough under a thick blue/black heavy coating of what could have been pretty finish if done right.
It's my first Victory. I had to save it from the shame it's suffering the way I found it. Insults of all insults, it had those also hideous Rubber grips on its frame.
I don't know what I'm going to do with this old workhorse. I'm still observing. For instance the tiny stamping that says NOT ENGLISH MAKE, just above the words Made in USA, is sort of ironic. They needed our pistols and guns and GI's, but they had to make sure no one thought the guns were theirs.
I took the side plate off when I got the gun home, and looked at the elegant solution to double action single action mechanics. The inside of the gun is beautiful. Whoever blued the gun didn't even take the side plate off when they blued the gun, and the screw heads were also coated with a thick shiny black/blue.
So I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this once proud gun. But it's safe now. No one will hurt it ever again. I'll post some more pictures as I play with it more.
Anyone have an old blue cylinder release they can spare as a first step in "Bad Blue's" rehabilitation? Please, no bright chrome.
Bill
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![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
It's current condition is not it's fault. Unless you meant Poor Old Smith?
