Bubba vs. Cokes, Bubba wins.....

[H Richard]

I understand he is too busy, and not taking on any new work until he is caught up. I have a pair of non-relieved K Frame targets on a K38 he redid for me, not near as difficult as those shown, but still made them good as new.

 

[mm93]

Gotta say "All is not lost", I have a friend that rebuilt an honest "Bunker Hill" Boston issued Brown Bess musket that only had about 8" of the buttstock left. His skill level of matching walnut pieces or "sisters" is nothing short of jawdropping. I saw the project when he had already installed 16 pieces and was working his way around the wrist and trigger area, I believe the total count of pieces needed to complete the stock was upwards of 30. When he was finished you really had to look for some of the seams, the metal was easy but looked in near issue quality in the bright. He has a partner on the East coast that is a genious at matching stains and finishes to bring the newly finished wood to match the deep burgundy almost black of the finish left at the butt. In the end it turned out museum quality as most of his work does.
There are people out there and someone on this site that does beautiful work restoring S&W stocks, just gotta find'em.

That type of repair is tedious and can be very time consuming. But when it's done it's well worth the effort to end up with stocks that appear unrestored. It's also something that can save a lot of money when looking at buying used collectible firearms. If you know you can do the work, you can get some pretty good bargains on something others wont touch.
Not to mention if the wood is serial numbered to the gun, you'll still have matching numbers when you're done!

 

[Muley Gil]

^^^ Exactly the technique to do the repair. It's painstaking, but doable if you have better than average patience and woodworking skills... speaking from personal experience in restoring these set of cokes.

Note to self: do not store Coke grips near the beaver pond!

 

[flagman1776]

DWfan Id'd mine as non-coke targets so not a match. Darn!

 

[STCM(SW)]

I fail to see where you guys would execute some one who does something
to a piece of property he owns....
So, when I had my 1955 target 6" .44 special cut to 5" with a ramp front sight, I should have been put to death.......
If it's not yours, you have no say to what's done to it!

 

[BC38]

I'd say Bubba deserves a beatin'...
Though telling him he just ruined a $600 pair of grips might be punishment enough.

 

[BC38]

I fail to see where you guys would execute some one who does something
to a piece of property he owns....
So, when I had my 1955 target 6" .44 special cut to 5" with a ramp front sight, I should have been put to death.......
If it' not yours, you have no say to what's done to it!

LIGHTEN UP FRANCIS! It's a JOKE!

Remember the Pace Picante sauce commercial?

New York CITY?!?
Git a rope!

Same deal here. Nobody seriously advocates stringing someone up for serving picante from New York OR for butchering a piece of wood - even a rare valuable piece of wood.

 

[Mistered]

Lets hope none of the metal on the gun got the same treatment!

 

[gmborkovic]

There has to be an up side here? I just have not found it.

 

[linde]

Now the question is, what the heck do I do with them? The appear to have been pretty nice before the belt sander got involved. Are these worth trying to restore?

I agree with others that DWFan is the craftsman to restore these ... if that is what you choose to do.

If they are N frame, I have a set with a bubba'd left stock. PM sent.

DWfan Id'd mine as non-coke targets so not a match. Darn!

If you are still considering a replacement right panel (PM sent to OP) I have an orphaned right panel that might make a match ... although I believe my panel is rosewood and suspect your pair is goncalo alves.

Would our wood grain experts confirm my wood IDs?

Thanks, Russ

 

[Art Doc]

Are they for an N frame?

I believe all "Cokes" are N frame. Early 1950s K frame Targets have a small amount of palm swell but I think only the Targets that came on 44 Magnums and 41 Magnums made up until 1967 are true "Cokes."

At least that is what I have been led to believe and I will not debate the issue for even one second. You say there are K frame "Cokes" then there are K frame "Cokes."

 

[apollo99]

I agree with STCM(SW) you guys are wrong wanting to hang bubba for screwing up the grips, just a really good beating should do it.

 

[moosedog]

I've got a pair just like that. Too far gone to resurrect, they are now shooter grips on an N frame 44.

 

[flagman1776]

Another tear jerker... the non-coke targets I have. I like the feel of them so they are currently on my M25-2 while the original targets are put away. Please note the ramp front sight that was installed at the Springfield Service Center as mentioned in another thread..

 

[Bakebfr480]

Maybe they fit the previous owners hand perfectly!

 

[RMFnLA]

LIGHTEN UP FRANCIS! It's a JOKE!

Best line of the week...

 

[Wyatt Burp]

Posted many times here, these butchered cokes had the bottoms shortened like the K frames pictured next to them. Only they weren't chipped like those. The late "Swamprat" at Colt forum and a member on this forum rebordered, recheckered and refinished them for me. Sadly, he died just a couple months ago. These chopped cokes fit my medium size hand perfectly and only look good on a short N frame. They look too stubby even on a four incher but perfect here on this 3 1/2" 27-2.

 

[andy52]

I understand he is too busy, and not taking on any new work until he is caught up. I have a pair of non-relieved K Frame targets on a K38 he redid for me, not near as difficult as those shown, but still made them good as new.

He's currently has a pair of non relieved Ks of mine right now, I was trying to get ahold of him to check if he wanted to work on some pre war stocks for me. I'll just wait till he gets caught up.

 

[mm93]

I fail to see where you guys would execute some one who does something
to a piece of property he owns....
So, when I had my 1955 target 6" .44 special cut to 5" with a ramp front sight, I should have been put to death.......
If it' not yours, you have no say to what's done to it!

Most collectors wont do harm to a gun of any kind, and often do whatever they can to help the gun get back to original as possible. I doubt any of the folks above would do harm to whoever ruined the grips either.
As a collector myself, I don't feel I "own" any of my old guns. I'm simply the caretaker, and as such I have a duty to retain them as well as possible. They're like family to me, and I'd no sooner do permanent changes to modify them, than I'd change my kids permanently.
Just my opinion.

 

[Kinman]

I tend to agree with my fellow Washingtonian that what the owner does with his firearm is truly his business. I also see the point that said wanton destruction of collectible and highly sought after items leaves others cold. We are not all collectors, that being said "To each his own" has often been a mantra that I have struggled to live with. I am still irritated by people that take the as-issued stocks off, then sell or trade the firearm with run of the mill stocks...Just an opinion. Keep stuff together...I'm still married to my first wife of 42 years. My Model "A" still has its original 4-banger, without tradition were just a bunch of Godless heathens.