When did grip checkering make its transition from the finer checkering pattern with a hand-excised border to the coarser checkering with the routed border?

How long were magnas made with the finer checkering and hand-excised border?

I don't know the exact dates, probably shortly after WW2. Roy Jinks can tell you, however it had to do with the change to checkering machines and their installations. Ed.

That's a very good question.

Generally the sharp corner borders were pre and during WW II. However, on all frame sizes these show up after the war on transitional models mixed with round cornered borders and different checkering LPI in this order:

1. Sharp corner borders with pre war flat silver medallions left over from pre war.
2. Sharp corner borders with post war nickeled brass medallions
3. Round corner borders and change in LPI w/post war medallions.

Checkering size I have studied on the I frames and contrary to the SCSW: pre war checkering is 16 cut lines per inch (15 rows of diamonds) replaced with 13 LPI (12 rows of diamonds).

More observations:

22/32 HF Targets (Bekearts) pre and post 1920s inc. Kit Guns 16 LPI (15 rows of diamonds) and including PW transitional I frames with sharp corner borders.

Early post war I frames with round corner borders 13 LPI (12 rows of diamonds).

1953 Kit Guns 14 LPI (13 rows of diamonds).

Triple Locks 17 LPI (16 rows of diamonds).

__________________
Jim
S&WCA #819