Cokes?

Pizza Bob

Pizza Bob

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I am doubting myself in being able to tell.

cokes.jpg


What says the collective mind?

Thanks for any help.

Adios,

Pizza Bob
 
This is the first time that I have really been able to see and understand the differences. Did all coke bottle grips have the diamonds and the football cut out? Did all cokes have the larger checkered area with the more narrow uncheckered area at the bottom of the grip?
I have 3 sets of diamond grips. One set has the smaller checkered area and no cut out. The second set has the smaller checkered area and the football cut out. The third set has the larger checkered area and the football cut out and when I look closely I see the slight bulge in the middle of the grips so I assume they are "cokes".
 
Thanks guys - I bought them and as a bonus they came attached to an S prefix 6" Model 27-2 - which became a real bargain given that these are cokes - not that I'm going to part with them.

One more question for the experts - I know that photos can skew the color perception, but these appear too red to be either GA or Walnut - do you think that these are Rosewood?

Thanks again.

Adios,

Pizza Bob
 
Thanks for posting the pictures. I too didn't realize the differences until I saw them side by side. A picture is worth a thousand words!
 
whittier said:
This is the first time that I have really been able to see and understand the differences. Did all coke bottle grips have the diamonds and the football cut out? Did all cokes have the larger checkered area with the more narrow uncheckered area at the bottom of the grip?
I have 3 sets of diamond grips. One set has the smaller checkered area and no cut out. The second set has the smaller checkered area and the football cut out. The third set has the larger checkered area and the football cut out and when I look closely I see the slight bulge in the middle of the grips so I assume they are "cokes".
Click to expand...

Please post some pictures and we can help out?
It sounds like you have a set two sets of Target Grips (one with and one w/o the cutout) and a set of cokes.
There were a very few cokes without the cutout. Perhaps three or four known to be in the hands of collectors. These are presumed to have been among the very early examples for the very first experimental 44 Manums.
 


At first in different lighting I thought these Cokes on my 1964 29-2 were possibly redwood but as Doc44 pointed out I later found out they were Goncalo Alves, or tigerwood.

I sure wish mine were redwood. ;)

Then when you said they came on a 6" 27-2 I had to go look at the one I sold hoping it wasn't mine and that I had sold it with Cokes on it. :eek: It put me in a panic mode. But the one I sold was a 27 and not a -2. :)
 




I think Cokes are the ultimate grip for a S&W N-frame.

I asked a good friend to find me a really nice set for my 1960 6.5" M27 and he did.

They are perfect ad look brand new. The perfect grip for the perfect gun.

If you're looking for some you might try contacting George Dye at Salt Lake Collectibles.
 
Hi Kenny, your side by side pictures of the diamond center targets and Cokes is outstanding, thank you, It really makes it much easier to recognize the characteristics of the two.

But "redwood?" I hope you meant to type "rosewood."

I saw 6.5" 29 no dash and a 8.375" 29-1 that were locally offered for sale this past weekend. Lots of finish and mechanical wear on both guns (same owner) but the bluing was absolutely the best I've ever seen and they both wore original cokes--used, somewhat dinged up, but the hand-feel was PERFECT. I agree with you, cokes are the absolute best feeling and looking grips for N frames.

I couldn't come to an agreement on price with the owner, but that's a different story for a different thread.

Thanks again for the pics!
 
I don’t know what you paid, but if you subtract $500+ for the Cokes, you probably got a great deal on just the gun!😀 I have never been lucky enough to buy a gun with Cokes on it, but I did get a couple of pair years ago before everyone was looking for them.
Larry
 
In any discussion of "Cokes" it's important to mention the original Cokes which really gave them the nickname, lest readers get the wrong impression that all cokes are checkered or started ~1955:

One of the rarest of factory target stocks which are the early 1950's special-order-only Smooth target stocks known as "smooth coke bottles" or "smooth cokes" documented in the SCSW by Jim King II, shown on Pg. 38 and specifically described on Pg. 39 in the 4th Ed. Here’s how they look with long wood behind the trigger guard and pronounced flare at the butt as well as a very pronounced palm swell much more suggestive of coke bottles than later checkered cokes with football relief:


IMG_0457_zps5cdf233d.jpg

Photo by weatherby.
 
Last edited:
Here are my Pre-27 (1956) and My Model 57 (1964) both wearing their original COKES.....I also dug up one more set of checkered COKES and what I believe to be a smooth set without the relieve cut......but not 100% on the smooth?? Thoughts??













 
Tom,

Yes, they're the original cokes from the early 1950's. Once the checkered version with football cutout were introduced with the 44 Mag, they were no longer seen. The oval base with pronounced flare, longer wood behind the trigger guard and distinctive palm swell are the giveaway characteristics. They gave rise to the original 'coke bottle grips' moniker.
 
Hondo44 said:
Tom,

Yes, they're the original cokes from the early 1950's. Once the checkered version with football cutout were introduced with the 44 Mag, they were no longer seen. The oval base with pronounced flare, longer wood behind the trigger guard and distinctive palm swell are the giveaway characteristics. They gave rise to the original 'coke bottle grips' moniker.
Click to expand...

Thank you Jim, I appreciate the confirmation on the smooth targets being early Cokes.

Any idea how many of the smooth Cokes were produced and from what years they were offered??

Also, were these offered on only certain N Frame models?
 
No as far as I know, since they were an optional order grip, they could be ordered on any N frame or bought separately.

We don't know exactly when they were offered but found on guns shipped between ~1950-55.
 
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