I came across this later 87xxx serial gun which carries the earlier concave stocks, which appear to be properly serialed to the gun. Is this legit? I have heard that the earlier stocks do appear at random at times on the later guns, but this seems fairly late? Playing the Devil's Advocate, it would seem odd that somebody would take an unserialized pair of the earlier (seemingly wrong) stocks and pencil them to match the later gun? If you were that much of a purist (to know they should be serialed on the inside, wouldn't you get the more correct later, convex grips? Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Last edited by mdmorrissey; 08-12-2020 at 08:33 PM.
If they fit well the most likely explanation is they sat at the bottom of the stock bin well past SN 25000, the usual accepted cutoff for this style of stock panels. Nefarious explanations also possible.
Anything is possible Smith and Wesson would not have cared which stocks went on the gun. As has been suggested they could have been in the bottom of the bin had newer stocks dumped on top, and there ya go. Or someone had a good fitting pair of stocks, and had read matching numbers increases the value. No way of knowing for sure...
Not an expert so I can't really offer an authoritative analysis. But the few penciled serial numbers I have seen are faded to the point of being so faint that you can barely make them out using a magnifying glass, if at all. If that was written in 1918, it certainly has held up very well.
Not an expert so I can't really offer an authoritative analysis. But the few penciled serial numbers I have seen are faded to the point of being so faint that you can barely make them out using a magnifying glass, if at all. If that was written in 1918, it certainly has held up very well.
Everybody's got a pencil.
I agree on the unlikely legibility of the penciled number. Also the stocks are numbered 87550 but the serial on the frame looks to me like 87530 (or maybe even 37530). Looks like a poor attempt at a forced match.
On the other hand, before I realized it wasn't a good idea I would write the serial number in ink on the inside of stocks that I had taken off, with the idea of being able to match them back to the original gun later. I now put them in a baggie and write with a Sharpie on the bag.
Serial looks like 37530 while the stocks are numbered 87550. Very poor attempt at matching numbers is my guess. Those stocks are worth a little on their own though.
After looking at the grips and the butt of the gun I have to agree the numbers do not match. On a positive note those grips are worth some coin to someone with an early 1917 , and you would have more than enough to buy correct ones, and pocket some money...
After studying it closely, I thought the next to last digit on the stocks was a very poorly written 3, so it would match. Still would take a lot to convince me that was written in 1918.
I appreciate everyone's thoughts. I had kind of the same feeling - something just didn't sit "right" with this. That is why I posted to get others' thoughts.
There were no smooth factory N frame stocks manufactured prior to the introduction of the Model 1917, so someone modified a set of 1917 stocks. The dishing in the top round is way to small to even represent standard pre-1910 S&W stocks.
I have always been amazed that changes in design of stocks were adopted almost without exception in a very timely manner.
There were no smooth factory N frame stocks manufactured prior to the introduction of the Model 1917, so someone modified a set of 1917 stocks. The dishing in the top round is way to small to even represent standard pre-1910 S&W stocks.
I have always been amazed that changes in design of stocks were adopted almost without exception in a very timely manner.
Except for the concave top smooth service stocks that came on the first 15,000 1917’s. These aren’t pre-1910 but the first version of the smooth service stocks.
I guess my point was that the I was thinking the concave on those stocks looked smaller, shallow, and hand done as compared to others I have seen. Easy for someone to do with a rasp, besides 87,XXX is not an early example.