Quote:
Originally Posted by Mehutch
BB57 said: "The wood target grips arrived the other day, so it's now looking like it should."
Mehutch says, "Where oh where did you get the old 'coke' S&W grips and how much?
|
They are speed loader cut target grips. My understanding is that "coke" grips have a palm swell (that varied from a little to quite a bit) in the side of the grips rather than the straight side of the target grips.
Coke grips also have checkering extending to within about 3/8" to 1/4" of the bottom of the grip, as well as wrapping a little further around toward the front and back straps, which is the easiest way to distinguish them from extractor cut target grips if all you have is a aside profile picture.
Coke grips had an extractor relief cut, rather than the speed loader cut on these grips. I am not aware of the coke grips having a speed loader cut in them, since that wasn't thing in the 50s and 60's when the cokes were made.
Unless I badly miss my guess, these particular grips probably date from the mid to late 1980s.
----
I have the same grips my Model 15-4, my Model 19-4 and now my Model 66-2. They show up all the time on auction sites. Prices will range from a low of around $70 to as high as $125, with $100 seeming to be about average for a new or excellent condition set, while a ding or two will reduce the price a bit. They are not exactly cheap, but this seems to be the going rate.
I'd rather spend the money and get a time period correct target grip as it greatly improves the look over a "goodyear" grip, and it gives all my target hammer and trigger revolvers the same basic feel and pointing characteristics.
Sometimes I can get $15-$20 out of the goodyear grip and recover some of the cost. Rubber is a lot more comfortable if you're into shooting .357 Magnum on a regular basis, but that's not a great idea in a Model 19 or Model 66.