Anyone Ever See Presentation Grips Like These?

girvin02

girvin02

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I need to stay off of the auction web sites. These days I find myself drooling over wood grips more than the guns themselves. I've almost pulled the trigger on some Keith Brown grips, but just cant justify paying as much for the grips as I paid for the gun. Maybe some day.

Recently, I purchased the following presentation grips, paying a handsome sum in the process. I know that I overpaid, but I just couldn't pass, as I've never seen factory S&W grips with such crazy wood grain. I'm guessing that they are Goncalo alves presentation grips, but would appreciate any info the forum experts may be able to provide. The seller claimed that "someone that used to work at S&W" told him that they were "Presidential Grade" reserved for custom shop guns. This sounds like a line to me, but I like them all the same. Again, if anyone can tell me anything about these grips and/or approximate value, I would be appreciative.

I threw them on my Model 19-4 for now, though I think I may move them to a nice 586 no-dash.











 
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They are called Bookends. See how the grain matches on the bottom. When they cut select slabs, a worker would put the fine grain pieces aside. The were used for engraved, or presentation guns. You have a very nice pair.
 
I agree that they are Goncalo alves, just from a particularly well figured piece of wood.

girvin02 said:
[...] The seller claimed that "someone that used to work at S&W" told him that they were "Presidential Grade" reserved for custom shop guns. This sounds like a line to me, [...]
Click to expand...

That sounds like "a line" to me also. Colt has a Custom Shop, S&W has a Performance Center, and I'd rather not know what the current president would say if they were presented to him. As for price, my father used to say after you buy quit shopping. You'll just find what you already bought on sale and make yourself unhappy.
 
k22fan said:
As for price, my father used to say after you buy quit shopping. You'll just find what you already bought on sale and make yourself unhappy.
Click to expand...

Good advice, no doubt. I know I overpaid, I'm just wondering how much I overpaid ;)

Either way, I'm happy - I doubt I'll find another set like'em. Take care.
 
Very nice looking grips.....myself, like I might guess, some other people on this fourm tend to "over pay" from time to time.....but if you find something that you really "got to have"...it's only money......I'm gonna get up in the morning, and go back to work, so I can get some more.

Semper Fi!
 
I have quite a few sets of S&W presentation grips with good to great graining in them, and several that are perfectly book ended like those. The ones in your pictures seem to have more of a thicker finish to them. I have a set I got from a forum member in a trade several years ago that are spectacular, but he had refinished them with several coats of lacquer or true oil (I can't recall right now) and they have a similar look to yours.


They get the book end look by taking a long slab of wood that has excellent grain, and cross cut it in the middle, then flip one end up to keep the two ends that were where the wood was cut together, then put them through the grip making process. If you look at yours, you will see what I mean. Sometimes the grain will match on the bottom end, but then due to the way the grain ran throughout the length of wood, and the fact that one piece gets flipped end for end to keep the cut ends together, the grain can be way off farther up the grip panels. I have sets like that too.

here's a set of S&W N frame combats that have a nice book end to them-


here's the set that I got from the forum member-
 

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In the 1980's they closed the woodroom at Smith & Wesson, I got a call from an employee. They sold shopping bags full of surplus stocks to the employees for $1.00 per bag. Thats right one dollar a bag. For quite sometime everyone had stocks. He came over to my house and gave me 3500 pair of match grade stocks. They were in mostly K's and N's, with some J's both round and square butt. To say they were spectacular is an understatement. I sold them over the years for $5.00 to $10.00 each. I kept about 25 or 30 pair. I wish I had them back, I could be sitting on a beach. By the way, the cut-out on the right side was also for engraving, some stocks will have both sides cut out.
 
girvin02 said:
I need to stay off of the auction web sites. These days I find myself drooling over wood grips more than the guns themselves. I've almost pulled the trigger on some Keith Brown grips, but just cant justify paying as much for the grips as I paid for the gun. Maybe some day.

Recently, I purchased the following presentation grips, paying a handsome sum in the process. I know that I overpaid, but I just couldn't pass, as I've never seen factory S&W grips with such crazy wood grain. I'm guessing that they are Goncalo alves presentation grips, but would appreciate any info the forum experts may be able to provide. The seller claimed that "someone that used to work at S&W" told him that they were "Presidential Grade" reserved for custom shop guns. This sounds like a line to me, but I like them all the same. Again, if anyone can tell me anything about these grips and/or approximate value, I would be appreciative.

I threw them on my Model 19-4 for now, though I think I may move them to a nice 586 no-dash.











Click to expand...

They look more like CocoBolo (aka Rosewood) to me. Very nice, whatever they are.
 
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