I have a 28-2 that had K frame football stocks on it when I bought it. I suspect it left Smith with N frame footballs on it. SN is S327339 which puts DOB in late 68, early 69.

The reason I suspect this is the left side plate screw is a flathead fillister head screw.

On my Outdoorsman, the left side plate screw is a domed head fillister screw. It has service stocks.

Am I correct in ASSuming Smith used flathead fillisters on side plates when the stocks covered the screws?

And as another side question, is there any instance of Smith shipping an N frame with K frame stocks at a customers request? (not implying they have done other strange things at customer requests.)

serger - not exactly

Early Magna and Target stocks both had a doomed relief/cutout on the inside to accept the doomed head.
I'm only assuming that some money cruncher sharped his pencil and realized that it would be cheaper to put the flat screw on the side plate instead of the relief inside the grip (on the assembly line of the grip production).

We have experts here that will tell you the exact date when things happened but this is just an observation I made playing with grips

Since Magna stocks also covered the rear screw, it is very possible that's what is shipped with.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244