I was just wondering what Smith and Wesson uses as a checkering standard on their grips ? 20 lines per inch ? More? Less ? I wanted to try my hand at it and I like the feel of the Smith targets that I have.

__________________
1st smiles,lies.Last,gunfire.

The checkering gauge I have only goes down to 16 lpi....the Target style full size grips (N-frame) are just a bit wider than that dimesion. I'm guessing, but they look to be 14 lpi. I don't have a full size set of checkered grip panels for the K-frame.

The Magna grips, and the ones on my j-frames, appear to be 16 lpi.

These are all older grips....not sure if the checkering pattern in the newer grips would be the same.

__________________
Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Thanks ! I did find a checkering guide that I had ( I knew i had it, wasn't sure where ) and you're right in the ballpark ! It didn't quite match the 16 LPI, but mine is probably the same thing you have...that's as far down as it goes.

__________________
1st smiles,lies.Last,gunfire.

I use a thread gauge to find checkering size . Same pitch as some screw threads

Great idea....thanks.

__________________
Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

If checkering is measured in lines per inch, shouldn't you be able to measure one inch and count the number of lines in that inch.... that sounds too easy, so what am I missing here????

You're right in thinking that way. Never really tried that. And it isn't so easy when you get to the finer checkering..30 LPI would be hard to count.

__________________
1st smiles,lies.Last,gunfire.

Trying to measure the # of lines inside an inch on a ruler placed on a checkering pattern to determine LPI usually gives you a bad reading.
But it can be done if you are real careful. A machinest ruler is good for this. More precise markings than a common desk ruler.

Sometimes it's actually hard to find an inch of flat, straight checkering on a lot of layouts to measure from. Measuring around a curved surface will always give a slightly inflated figure.

The thread gauge is a trick used by a lot of checkerers. Works good.
Brownells (and others in the past) sell a template overlay with different LPI layed out on it.
You line them up with the checkering and match one with the existing work to determine the lines per inch.
They work pretty well. I use it often. I place it both on the cut lines and over the tops of the diamonds (points) in trying to determine the LPI.
Checkering isn't always perfectly uniform,,it's only as good as the person that cut it. So sometimes you have a bit of a problem determining the LPI.
The templates could use finer lines inscribed on them IMO. But they are what they are.

Also don't overlook the fact that the checkering could be an in-between LPI of just off from a standard LPI due to the fact that checkering tools are sometimes sharpened making them smaller by a few .000",,or the tools are hand made to begin with.
The former may not sound like a lot but moving spacing closer together by a mere .003 per row of checkering and cutting 20LPI,,you can quickly see that over the one inch span we started talking about measuring above, the 20 lines of checkering is now .060" short of filling 1 inch.

Hand made tools were common at one time. It isn't uncommon to find patterns w/ odd-ball LPI in them that store bought tools won't accomodate.