well i am looking at finding a set of grips that most will not expect on a smith j frame...what got me started is a newer j frame with a set of grips i had never seen...they looked like early pair of i frame grips from a 1903 as they did not have the high horn and washer like the newer ones do......maybe i am crazy to think there is something factory made that will work...but has anyone else ever seen anything like this?...i want to use a Tyler grip filler as well...any help will so be appreciated...if they will not work i will just find some early j frame grips with the black washers on the back..God Bless,John
the ones i seen look very close to the second ones...

Attached Images

	smith unknown grip a.jpg (62.5 KB, 128 views)
	smith unknown grip b.jpg (13.8 KB, 145 views)

Personally, if you intend to shoot it, I would go with the Magna's with the Tyler -T, they are somewhat more comfortable to shoot with than the ones pictured

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Well i like the older first version magnas with the diamonds maybe that is the way to go
I love the tyler grip too
This is my carry gun


Sent from my LGL41C using Tapatalk

Not real "old" stocks but I took the rubber grips off a new 442 & put these on with a Tyler T ...



they look good & the revolver is easy to hold on to.

GF

Ringo, what you are showing in your photos are what used to be called "service" stocks. There are still some custom grip makers who would make a pair for you, but as has been pointed out, they are not as comfortable to shoot as the "magnas", which cover more of the frame, and spread out the recoil, which is probably why they were developed in the first place.

The very first few Chiefs Specials were fitted with service stocks, I believe, but then switched to the magnas. The older Terriers had the service stocks, but about the same time frame, they switched over as well. Early 1950ish. I believe that the second gun you show is a Terrier,(Edit: 7/27/16: on second thought, this seems to be a six shot, so not a Terrier, but more likely a .32 Hand Ejector), and it still has the flat mainspring, so it would be either pre war, or very early post war, as the coil mainspring was added to the I frame to create the "Improved I Frame" about that time. Hondo44 and many others know much more than I about this subject, though....

Best Regards,

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

les,

I always thought these were two terms for the same thing. Regarding post WWII production, what precisely are the differences? Is it so for all frame sizes?

(This is not a question about small details: like washers, medallions, and such.)

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~ S&W aficionado in training ~

I just checked ebay: vintage s&w j frame grips. Several of the older
wood grip styles available.

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In Omnia Paratus

Altamont sells these grips
Smith & Wesson | Altamont Company

Well, Kernel, here is my .32 Hand Ejector, or I guess it could be a pre model 30, a little .32 S&W Long on the post war "I" frame, but after the introduction of the coil mainspring, so I guess it's an "Improved I frame". It is wearing the grips that I have always called "Magnas". They come up higher on the frame, and overlap the cutout in the frame, in fact there are washers that set behind the medallions, which fit into the frame cutout. I am only using this photo because it was handy, this was pretty much a standard stock by the early fifties on these small frame guns, and was used much earlier, I believe that they may have been first introduced on the Registered Magnum in 1935. But I believe that they remained relatively rare until the fifties.



On the other hand, what I am calling "Service" stocks are smaller, and just nestle into the frame cutout. Here is one of the OP's photos, of what looks to me, at least to be the same model as mine, probably a .32 HE. It appears to be a six shot as well, so either a .32 or, less likely, a .22., the same frame size as my gun above, and a straight "I" frame. It still has the flat mainspring and has not acquired the coil spring yet, so pre-war, post-war, or very early fifties. It still has the half-penny front sight, and the "Service" stocks, so is probably not much later than 1950 or so.



Anyway, I may be wrong, but that is how I always refered to the stocks, and the main difference between them. These differences covered the I, Improved I, J, K, and N frames, but as noted, not simultaneously. I could be wrong, and frequently am... !!! Hondo44, handejector and a host of others are really knowledgeable about this sort of thing. I'm just a rookie!!!

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

les-

You're right, but in the prewar days, the newer Magna style was referred to by that name. I think the grips were special order on some models, maybe all.

After the war, Magnas were the standard service stock on most models. I think the Terrier and .32 HE kept the older service stock longer than most, maybe to use up the supply.

Either style is often called a service stock, as opposed to target stocks.

Texas:

Well, that's what I like about the forum. I learn something everyday. I guess I had just gotten used to thinking in a certain fashion about this terminology, and was off a bit. Thanks for the heads up!!

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

Les, seems that whenever you post, I at least have a lot of fun. First, your thread on 1920's hardware. Today, your posts on J-frame stocks. BTW, did you have to show that pic of your wonderful .32 snub? All of a sudden, it's become a grail gun for me. Best wishes and good shooting.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

Thanks for the compliment! I have several of these little I and J frames. I am thinking about starting a thread on them. I've got a couple of Terriers, and the .32 snub that I just posted, and a "Baby Chief", some later Chiefs and Centennials and a few others. I also have a bunch of Colt Snubbies.

Unfortunately school is going to be starting soon, and I won't have quite as much time to spend here on the forum. But I'll still be around!!

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064