I have a pre-27 S831xx. The grips that were on it when I got them are not original but:

1: Id like to know if anyone can date them and maybe tell the manufacturer.

2: Tell me what would be period correct for the handgun while staying with the same style. Smooth target is what I think I need. But Im not sure.

The grips have this on the inside. On the left they say
N-LH
4115
on the right they say
N-RH
4112

Any help would be appreciated. I like the grips but would like to have something correct for the age but still fits the same.

Michael

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Since I know very little about grips of that year for the Pre 27 ,
let me take a shot in the dark . First -they are gorgeous !!
second - the silver color on the washers tells us something .
3rd , I'd say they were made by/for S&W or else made by that
guy that makes them for around 350$.
My guess were made in 1983 and if you go to the sticky threads in this very forum -you will find I asked similar question a couple days ago

So there you go ..........

The stocks are factory smooth targets, probably from the mid to late 70s, but the stock gurus can give you better information about dates than I can. Very pretty (dramatic) wood. I would hang on to those.

Correct stocks for your Pre-27 would be checkered magnas, unless the gun was special-ordered with other stocks. Stocks for guns from that era were "numbered to the gun," so if the originals are missing, the best you can do will be to replace them with a reasonable facsimile.

Hang on to them ??? ....but I want them !! They are really pretty- stunning in fact .

I'm confused. You want smooth targets? Well, isn't what you have now?

I do not know when the STs became available so they may or may not be technically correct for your revolver. The odds are about 99% your gun shipped with checkered Magnas. If you want "correct" this is what you need. If you want what you like, you seem to like what you have.

__________________
No life story has happy end.

The factory optional stocks in 1951 (when your gun shipped) would have been checkered Target stocks, with no cutout on the upper left panel. These were only made for a few years and are somewhat difficult to find.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

If you want smooth presentation stocks, from that era, good luck. As others have said, I'm not sure that they were even available then, but they may have been, because there was an unrelieved presentation stock variety.

They are S&W factory smooth presentation stocks. The guy you're referring to is most likely Keith Brown, forum member DWfan

I thought by then the C speed loader cut variety grips were out. The grips from the OP most likely date to the 1970s, as others have said.

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}-----Jim----->
~SWCA #2732~

All righty then ! We got that all cleared up ; the O.P wants a set of stocks that are true to the year of manufacture -and he would like smooth targets (if there were those then) ........and he doesn't want the ones he currently has on his gun . That leads to him selling them to me !

Nonrelieved diamond targets would be right for the early 50s.

Nice set of smooth stocks that date to 74-76 or so. Target stocks for N-frame revolvers did not become available until late 52 and were not generally avialble until 1953. Your ".357" was probably shipped before target stocks were available and checked Magnas would be correct for your revolver. However, if you want to put smooth stocks on it, the ones shown below would be about as "period correct" as you can find.

Bill

The stocks that you have were made in the 1970 to 1982 time frame. The correct stocks for your gun are diamond magnas (numbered to the gun). I don't believe target stocks became available until 1952 and could be found smooth or checkered. They would have been of the Non-relieved style as shown above by Doc44. The very early stocks extend down the back of the trigger guard. A perfect set of non-relieved smooth targets will run $350 and up - when you can find them.

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Dick

Good grief !! The grips pictured above from Doc44, the darker ones on the right -ARE THE SAME ONES i GOT ON MY PRE 27 (#1059XX) !! I got it when I was a teenager and it had those grips on it then -and still does.
In fact , they are so dark you can hardly see the grain . I have been meticulously working on refinishing them for literally MONTHS .....
I must have steel wooled them 25 times between light coats of finish- I about gave up on them . Wow - I gotta get down there in the basement and get back to work on them

Thanks for all the information. I screwed up and should have mentioned that I got the gun in 1976 so they are no later than that. They came with the gun when I bought it.

Thanks again everyone. I love the feel of these and its nice to know that others think they are as nice as I do.

Any idea what type of wood they are?

Glad I saw your post Mike! I also have the smooth rosewood stocks with the "Coke" palm swell on my pre-27 123XXX. Like you stated, they are so dark that I have to look at a flash picture to see any grain. I keep telling myself to do something to lighten them, but now I realize it is probably futile.
Thought I'de post a couple of pix if y'all promise to not comment on the ugly hammer & trigger.

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cAPTIN-

I tell you what ....your grips and mine could be twins , right down to one of the pair being almost black with the other a good degree lighter with beautiful grain . After seeing yours I am going to just complete my refinish on them and stop trying to lighten up "the dark side" !

Way to go Capt !!

Are we rich ?

Hate to go off topic, but I've had it over 20 years and never got around to replacing, or re-case hardening, the hammer and trigger. I see some on Ebay all the time, but don't want to take a chance on the fit. It's a beautiful piece otherwise and I hope to bring it back to it's original look someday.

aw hell Cap - I got issues ,and go half cocked off topic all the time . So far no body has gotten too upset !

I could tell thats a pretty nice piece you got there -but couldn't say anything because of the naked hammer and trigger . I didn't even know those things could be re-case hardened .......... !