S&W loan/lease .38 marking

[steelbuttplate]

This is a British marking on my S&W pre Victory loan lease .38 spec. I'm hoping somebody savvy with the Brit stuff will know what it means.

[ffuries]

Crossed Swords proof mark. One of the letters should stand for the inspector, date, and there should be a B for Birmingham.

1 on the bottom, means the Chief Inspector inspected it.
B on the right means Birmingham. But it looks like an 8 to me.
? on the left is the date inspected. Can't discern what the letter is, maybe in hand you can.

[steelbuttplate]

Good info Mike.

[steelbuttplate]

Good info Mike. The letter on the left is just a hole, a chunk gone. That is definitely an 8. Maybe they broke their B stamp. I think figure #2 is the right one, thanks. This pistol has the W.B. and flaming bomb on the butt as well as all the British proofs. It does have P stamp indicating 35-36 if it's a British P. Marked 38 S&W on the barrel, it IS a .38 special and the cylinder number matches. Would it have a special mark if it was R.A.F ?

[ffuries]

Good info Mike. The letter on the left is just a hole, a chunk gone. That is definitely an 8. Maybe they broke their B stamp. I think figure #2 is the right one, thanks. This pistol has the W.B. and flaming bomb on the butt as well as all the British proofs. It does have P stamp indicating 35-36 if it's a British P. Marked 38 S&W on the barrel, it IS a .38 special and the cylinder number matches. Would it have a special mark if it was R.A.F ?

W.B. = Waldemar Broberg inspected from July 1, 1941 to June 16, 1942, he was replaced by G.H.D.

I saw a post about a RAF marked S&W on one of the Smith and Wesson forums, I'm not a member so I can't see the pictures. But here's a picture from an auction on a RAF marked S&W. Can't find anything that says all were marked RAF or not, or only during a certain period. Just doesn't seem to be a lot of information out there that I can find.

[Cliff]

ffuries, I have a 5 in 38 s&w that was made early 1940 that looks like yours. Mine has no marks on it, never crossed the pond.
This is a very overlooked gun and caliber. I load for mine and really enjoy mine.
+dhic aka Cliff

[SA1911a1]

I have the Colt Official Police version of the lend-lease. It is marked .38/200, and most likely built from commercial parts. Shipped quickly after Dunkirk. The Brits marked these for export, The "W" in the pic is for the Woolrich arsenal. This one was not used hard if at all, and all of the cosmetic issues may have been done here. I overpaid for it at a pawn shop a few years ago because I just had to have it. The price has now caught up and if I had to sell it I would make a buck or two.

The price and availability of .38 S&W has made a safe queen out of this piece. I have considered buying a .38 spl. cylinder for it so that I could shoot it more often.

[Cliff]

I save brass and load my own. 125 gr semi-wadcutter loaded to around 700 fps makes a fun shooter out of these.
Cliff