I really haven't seen any great pictures explaining/showing the characteristics of coke grips. Can anyone post a few pictures showing what to look for!

thanks!

I don't have any pictures, but the S&W Catalog #3 explains: "Early plain or checkered target stocks having a slight swell in the middle & a little flare at the bottom when viewed from the rear, vaguely resembling the profile of a Coca-Cola bottle. Coke bottle stocks were used from about the mid-1950s to the late 1960s, mostly on N frame target revolvers, especially the .44 & .41 Magnums".

I would add, to me, the resemblance to a Coke bottle shape is very _vague_ indeed.

Check out this thread (from the 1896-1961 revolver notable thread index): Types of Smith & Wesson Revolver Grips

Make sure you see post #5 by VM. It shows Cokes and diamond targets stocks side by side.

I

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thanks chad! exactly the kind of thread i was looking for

snubbie - welcome to the Forum!
At the top of the page is a "search" box. Once you click on it, I like to use the google search engine.
By putting in your title Coke Grips , there are alot of old threads for you to look at

http://smith-wessonforum.com/searchr...ke+Grips&sa=Go

Snubbie1398,

Here is a link to a photo album with various S&W grips. There are 3-4 pictures of Coke Bottle grips in the album. Just pause your mouse cursor over the picture to see the description.

S-W Forum - Doc44's Album: Handgun Stocks

Hope this is of some help,

Murphy2000

One easy way to identify Coke grips is the larger size of the checkering area.

Hope this helps.

Steve

Is there any good explanation for why S&W only offered Cokes for such a short amount of time? It seems everybody loves them, and I would imagine they would be very popular if re-introduced.
Also, what aftermarket companies offer them now, if any?
Jim

Eagle makes reproduction Cokes. Forum member Kurac makes nice custom smooth stocks with a Coke profile and I'm sure Keith Brown could carve some up, as well.

The Root Beer stocks are the rare ones.

A set of coke bottle type stocks by Keith Brown on a 44 Magnum (circa 1956). The stocks are made of zebrawood. Keith's work is superb.

S&W offered what collectors call coke bottle stocks for about ten years. They first appeared in 1956 on the NEW 44 Magnum and were phased out beginning in 1966. I think S&W was trying to standardize the type of stocks they made and the "standard" target stock introduced in the early 50s was more than adequate, so they dropped the coke bottle style in favor of it. I am sure there was a cost savings in there somewhere.

Bill

Here's a couple of pictures that may help you. In the first picture, at the top, my M29 has rosewood coke bottle stocks and in the middle is my pre-27 with unrelieved target stocks. If you look closely, you'll notice the checkered panel is larger and closer to the bottom with the cokes.

Rod