Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Clark
I possess a circa 1916-1917 manufactured S&W Model 30 HE chromed revolver in .32 Colt and am in need of replacement grips. The fragile black "plastic" or Bakelite-like grips are broken. I would ideally like grips in wood, if available. Any ideas?
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Welcome to the S&W Forum. The identity of your revolver is a mix of misidentifications, so the first thing we'll need to do is figure out what you actually have. If your revolver was made in the 1916-1917 time frame, and had the black hard rubber grips, it was an I-frame 32 Hand Ejector (we won't worry about the specific variant here.) It probably had a nickel finish, if original with chrome (if that's what it actually is) added later. The chambering is almost surely 32 S&W Long,
not 32 Colt, which is a good thing as this ammo is much easier to find. Whoever told you it was a Model 30 was misinformed as that term didn't arrive at S&W until the late 1950s.
So, in answer to your question, the grips you need are those for a S&W I-frame. If you want original wood grips, you'll need to look on e-Bay, Gun Broker, or other auction sites. There are reproductions of the original hard rubber grips now available in a very durable epoxy material as well as several kinds of "after market" grips in a dizzying variety of materials and styles. The main thing is to find a pair of grips for the
I-frame. BTW, if you are handy and just want a pair of wood grips on your gun, J-frame grips such as those used on the Model 36 (Chief's Special) will fit but are about 1/8" too long on the bottom and must be trimmed there. I hope this will be helpful, but if more info is needed please post again. Pictures and Serial Numbers will be helpful.
Froggie