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S&W Antiques S&W Lever Action Pistols, Tip-Up Revolvers, ALL Top-Break Revolvers, and ALL Single Shots


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  #1  
Old 09-28-2011, 02:11 PM
seanbetsy seanbetsy is offline
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Grips for the 1891 3rd model single shot Grips for the 1891 3rd model single shot  
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Default Grips for the 1891 3rd model single shot

I cant find these grips anywhere. When I bought my single shot. all # matched but it hade the wrong grips. I had know Idea It would be so hard to find them. I put some old I frame grips on it that apeared to be the same. They go on but they dont fit quite right as if the back strap on the single shot is wider than the plaine I frame. any suggestions?
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Old 09-28-2011, 07:03 PM
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Those are hard stocks to find. They seldon appear on eBay. I would suggest you get your name on a "Want' list with the bigger grip dealers, such as Hugh May [email protected] and also post a wanted ad here on the Forum. Specify the type you want ( wood, hard rubber, ivory pears, etc. ) A nice pair won't be cheap! Ed.
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Old 09-28-2011, 07:30 PM
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Grips for the 1891 3rd model single shot Grips for the 1891 3rd model single shot Grips for the 1891 3rd model single shot Grips for the 1891 3rd model single shot Grips for the 1891 3rd model single shot  
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Are the correct 3rd model stocks with medallions? I have one that I believe has been assembled from parts, as it had some incorrectly fitted parts internally, and the barrel and frame do not match. I have corrected just about all I could internally with .32 HE parts which fit and work well. It dates to a ship date of July 1917.
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Old 09-29-2011, 01:21 AM
seanbetsy seanbetsy is offline
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I think 3rd model could go either way. with or without the medallions. mine is a very late 3rd model so maybe it is without the medallions.
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Old 09-30-2011, 12:48 PM
rboineau rboineau is offline
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H. Richard, my 1916 3rd SS is original, and it came with the gold-medallion grips.
Wish someone here could tell me how to brighten those old "gold" medallions--I have a couple of mint/new guns with them, and the tarnished medallions detract from the appearance.
I am reluctant to polish them, even gently, as I am afraid they are going to take on that obviously-messed-with look you get when you polish an old coin.
I wonder if one of the metal-cleaning solutions you see advertised where you dip the silverware or whatever into it and the metal comes up shiny would work--dab the medallion with a saturated q-tip maybe. I'm scared to experiment on mine, 'tho.
Anybody know just what those medallions are? . Are they a solid brass alloy? Or plated with something gold-ish?
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Old 09-30-2011, 02:16 PM
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I would try a mile dishwashing solution, liquid soap about 50/50 with water and use a Q-Tip to gently wash the medallions. It shouldn't hurt anything, and shouldn't shine the brass, just clean it. You could try it first on a similar dirty medallion on another less pristine gun.
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Old 10-03-2011, 06:15 PM
2152hq 2152hq is offline
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The early 'gold' medallions I've worked on were a brass alloy. No plating.

Polishing & brightening them completely all up will only allow them to tarnish again as most brass alloys do.
Remove dirt, grime, dried oil, etc with a bit of alcohol on a Q-tip. A brushing w/a soft toothbrush and alcohol for stubborn dirt and crud can be useful too.
Then very gently bringing up the highlights of the letters with a soft eraser can greatly improve the looks.

Pencil tip erasers are generally too abrasive. One of the older pink block erasers works best on brass, silver, gold ect..

Leaving a bit of patina in the background with a gently polished highlighted lettering looks correct for an older gun.
Not redone or refinished and all polished, gleaming bright.

The occassional wipedowns the gun receives will keep the medallions looking proper to the age and condition of the gun and grips.
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Old 12-21-2011, 11:47 PM
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Default 3rd Model Single Shot Grips

Quote:
Originally Posted by seanbetsy View Post
I cant find these grips anywhere. When I bought my single shot. all # matched but it hade the wrong grips. I had know Idea It would be so hard to find them. I put some old I frame grips on it that apeared to be the same. They go on but they dont fit quite right as if the back strap on the single shot is wider than the plaine I frame. any suggestions?
About what serial number do you have? The grips were without medalions about number 10,500 to the end of prodution. I just bought a 1st model with the incorrect 3rd model grips. Maybe we could trade if you have the 1st model target grips.
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Old 12-22-2011, 10:43 AM
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Seanbetsy - Since all wood grips were fitted to each gun as manufactured, one never seems to fit the other perfectly without work. I find that the grip frames on these pistols, including early I frames, are never exactly the same, probably due to hand fitting of the grips and hand finishing of the grip frame. It seems that the bottom pin is also a hand fit proposition in getting the new stocks to go on correctly.

I have a Perfected with non-medallion wood target grips shipped from S&W in 1919, so the premise of late models not having the S&W logo is probably correct. I would guess that most single shots were shipped with hard rubber target grips, and those should be correct for the period. I have seen those for sale in Gunbroker from time to time. The only way to know how the pistol was shipped is to get a letter from Roy Jinks.
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Old 12-23-2011, 11:43 AM
seanbetsy seanbetsy is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Modelof1891 View Post
About what serial number do you have? The grips were without medalions about number 10,500 to the end of prodution. I just bought a 1st model with the incorrect 3rd model grips. Maybe we could trade if you have the 1st model target grips.
My serial # is 11005 it is a late 3rd model with an olympic chamber barrel. It came with no grips.The grips I have do have medalions so I may have to swap them out to be correct
glowe thats probably the caes with these grips I bought. They are really nice grips but they may need a bit of work to fit perfect.
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Old 12-23-2011, 01:23 PM
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While looking for original replacements, you might buy a set from Vintage Gun Grips. I have bought their target grips in black hard rubber and was very satisfied with the quality. They also require some fitting, but not much work needed.

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Last edited by glowe; 12-23-2011 at 01:26 PM.
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