The RAREST Target Stocks

The earliest listing I have found for the Target Stocks is in the All Model Circular (AMC hereafter) dated Jan 1950. Take note of the phrase "WITH BUILT IN ADAPTER" because we shall be discussing that point later:


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In the AMC dated June 1950, that phrase is still present:


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Now, here is an AMC still dated June 1950, but they obviously overprinted it because changes have been made in pricing. I can date this AMC to Feb 1951 because there is a letter stapled to it. The letter is also pictured below for your amusement:




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The AMC below is dated Dec 1951, and the phrase "WITH BUILT IN ADAPTER" has been deleted:



Below are pictured the first variant of S&W Target Stocks.
Note that the two halves are flat on the frame with a plastic ADAPTER that fills the gap between the overhang at the frontstrap, bottom strap, and behind the trigger guard.
I believe the factory abandoned This idea VERY quickly. More on this in a moment.

This is only the second pair of these grips that I have ever seen. I have heard of a third pair, but I have not seen them.

It is very interesting that the factory tried this method. We know they had seen Roper and other grip makers fill this area with wrap-around grips fully 15-20 years BEFORE this debacle. Roper had worked at the factory, and we know a few Reg Mags shipped with Roper Grips, so suggesting the factory did not know about all wood Target Stocks would be ludicrous.
I can only assume it was an attempt at mass production of an acceptable product at low cost.

Enjoy.












Ok, so far so good.
Getting the first half on- no problem
Getting the adapter in place on the first half- difficult enough to make one nervous with the old brittle plastic.
Getting the second half lined up and snapped over the TWO pins- a major pain!



Success, with nothing broken-










NOTE the grooves on the little bit of plastic backstrap.






So, how many pairs of these stocks shipped?
Good question.
The AMC's above can only give us a clue by dropping the phrase "WITH BUILT IN ADAPTER".
I believe VERY few pairs shipped. Obviously, the fit and even the functionality is not up to The Swede's standards of excellence for his new line of micro sighted, ribbed Masterpiece's.
Remember I told you that I have only seen one other pair? That pair had a broken plastic piece.
Bear in mind that I have removed the grips from THOUSANDS of S&W revolvers, and these were making me nervous. They were that difficult to line up, and I was waiting for that awful SNAP.......
They are so ornery, I doubt that I will ever install them again. Matter of fact, I started the pics AFTER I got them on the gun. The pics of the components were made as I took them off.

Thanks for posting Lee.
A member on the Forum asked about a pair he had a few months back.............I noticed he just sold them on ebay recently for two bills - are these the pair?

Yep.
I totally missed his post.
Got a link?

These were quite a contraption, eh?
Thanks, I always enjoy grip info!

Lee - the thread didn't bring any discussion and then I forgot about it until your post.

I'm glad you ended up with the grips!

Mike

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-hand-ejectors-1896-1961/134186-grip-identification.html

Well, I'll just be damned.

Totally missed it. Spend too much time running this *&&^&^$ board to talk guns.

I've hunted a pair for years- since I saw that first pair. Figured it was a forlorn hope.

Thanks for the history lesson. I don't recall ever seeing or hearing about anything like this until now, so I also missed the thread with this type of grip package. When I saw the phrase "with built-in grip adapter" on the first all-model circular several months ago, I figured it was just a marketer's way of saying that the all-wooden target stocks both filled in the space behind the trigger guard and thickened a set of stocks -- in short, incorporated the functions of the old prewar grip adapter in a completely wooden product.

Now I see why that would be the wrong interpretation.

Lee, I know of only two pair, one I owned back in 2006 but traded it to some one, maybe Lyle, at the SLC meeting. The insert though had a crack in the bottom near the grip pin. This was probably caused as you stated, trying to put it in place on the gun. The other pair was in the last Amoskeag auction fitted to its original K-38 and numbered and factory lettered to the gun having shipped in 1950 to of all places, the Salt Lake City Police Department. I almost bid on this but resisted the urge somehow.
Chuck

Gosh, that is neat and to think the ones we saw years ago ,looked "home made" to us, so we "passed".....duh

Wow. I just LOVE stuff like this. I'd never seen or heard of this type of grip.

Congratulations and thank you for the education.

Any idea what kind of plastic it is?

Well,I'll be damned! Learn something everyday.
f.t.

Thanks for posting this Lee. I had never heard of or seen this thing before. And when you mentioned "plastic", I had to take a second look. I assumed they were steel. Seeing the fit, or lack of, after all the work you went through to get them on, it's understandable why not many exist!

Neat stuff, Lee. Thanks......

Very interesting. Thanks!

Great info. Another bit to store away until the memory goblins get to it and I forget I ever saw it.

Very interesting - thanks!

Learn something every day! Thanks for sharing.

Very interesting post. I've never seen these before.

Wow! Just when you begin to think there's not much left to see or learn about standard factory offerings.

Now that is really interesting.

Thanks for sharing that with us Lee.

Don

I swear I just saw a set of these for sale on ebay last week. They jumped out at me because they were very unusual and I'd never seen them before. I'm going to take another quick look, auction may be over and I think the starting price was $199.

Okay, just went back and checked ebay, they appear to be long gone. I do remember now, I was scrolling thru when I saw them and noticed the price, I thought they were cokes for $200 bucks so I put them on my watch list. Later I went thru my watch list and read the detailed description. I remember the plastic insert between the grips distinctly and decided these weren't for me since I knew nothing about them and actually wasn't sure if it was a legitimate sell for that kind of money, so I deleted the watched item.

Anyways, I learned something and I'm a little smarter for the future.