POTD: S&W K-200 – The Victory Model Down Under
Sam.S 07.16.25
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! This Australian-proofed Smith & Wesson K-200 shows how American guns ended up arming Commonwealth forces during World War II. S&W made this .38 Special between 1940-1945, and it traveled halfway around the world to serve with Australian military and police when their own gun production couldn’t keep up. The K-200 was basically the pre-Victory Model – the civilian version before S&W stripped out features to speed up wartime production. Early war guns like this kept the nice finish and features from peacetime manufacturing. The Australian military proofs tell the story. That “FTR/MA54” marking means “Factory Thorough Repair” – the Australians rebuilt this revolver in 1954, nearly a decade after the war ended. Shows how long these guns stayed in service.
Australia was hurting for weapons during WWII. The Japanese were breathing down their necks while most British manufacturing was tied up in Europe. American Lend-Lease filled the gaps with everything from rifles to revolvers when local production fell short. The import markings show this revolver’s trip back to American collectors, part of the massive surplus disposal in the 1960s-70s. Thousands of these weapons came home as Australian military surplus, creating a weird reverse migration of American-made guns. Just shows how global WWII logistics got and how much Australia depended on American factories to stay armed.
“Australian Proofed Smith & Wesson Model K-200 Revolver.” Rock Island Auction Company, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/5012/533/australian-proofed-smith-wesson-model-k200-revolver. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
