kthom
Member
Story first! The revolver involved here is probably the firearm now in my possession that I have owned the longest. It is (I believe) properly described as a Post War 3rd model K-22 Target Masterpiece, SN K1334XX, produced sometime in 1951. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
I traded for this revolver in 1971, after which it became one of my very favorite handguns. As you can see, it has been both carried and shot a lot, but taken good care of along the way. Sometime in the mid 80's, I loaned it to my dad who had a need for it, and it was in his possession as long as he needed it. He returned it to me sometime in 2000. He was deadly with it! I am glad to have it back in my possession.
A fellow officer had an old model 10 that he had carried on duty for many years. This old gentleman was a fine officer who did not worry much about looks or proper decorum, and his revolver was strictly a tool for him. He kept his tools in working order but otherwise didn't give them much TLC. He had installed a used set of K Frame target grips on the old gun at some point and proceeded to subject the grips to the same treatment as he gave the gun. His old uniform holster was a drop loop style originally black but looked like it had been drug behind a horse through the desert for many miles. So eventually did the target grips. There were few door facings in Otero County, NM that had not been banged by the grips. When howl cars began to be issued with seat belts (which he hated but was forced to wear -most of the time!), the buckles took their toll on the grips. After his passing, one of his sons put a proper but well used set of magnas back on the old gun and was going to throw the targets away. I asked if I could have them and he gave them too me.
I took them and began to reduce them with sanding paper to see if I could get down to wood that didn't show the many dents and gouges present. The checkered area and the edges of the bottom of the grips had suffered the most damage. I was finally able to get them pretty smooth, but considerable size reduction was necessary to do so. All the checkering was gone, as was much of the wood at the butt of the grips and up toward the horns of the grips. The emblem on the left grip also suffered some reduction. But they felt pretty darn good in my hands. I refinished the grips with some oil based walnut stain and then gave them several coats of Tru-oil with in-between rubbing down with 0000 steel wool. The result was pleasing to me.
The grips were still in good condition when I received the gun back from my dad, albeit with a well handrubbed soft sheen. They still suited me just fine on the old revolver. However, I began to see pictures of the work that DWFAN performed on old grips. I contacted him to inquire what he thought might be done to them, particularly as to whether or not he could re-checker the originally checkered panels that were now smooth. I sent him some pictures and he suggested that we apply the skip checkering used by Herrett on their Shooting Star grips. After some thought, I agreed.
In the photos below (not great ones!) you can see the old Targets in their present condition after my work to salvage them from their beat up state and after having been well used for about 30 years. You an also see how they look now after DWFAN worked his magic on them, as well as how they look on my dear old K-22. I think they look great! They also feel great! And I think the old gun and the grips deserve this face lift after all these years of service. Now my grandchildren and I can go target shooting and rabbit hunting in a bit more dressed up style without looking gaudy! I think they fit the old gun very well.
Who knows? Maybe this Herrett skip checkering on a set of S&W Targets will start a new unique trend in time to come. Maybe not! But I like 'em, and I say that DWFAN did a great job. I also say that you should NOT hesitate to send your grips to DWFAN with confidence. He does GREAT work! Thanks for reading through this long story. I hope I might have brought a smile to your face. Now for the pictures:
I traded for this revolver in 1971, after which it became one of my very favorite handguns. As you can see, it has been both carried and shot a lot, but taken good care of along the way. Sometime in the mid 80's, I loaned it to my dad who had a need for it, and it was in his possession as long as he needed it. He returned it to me sometime in 2000. He was deadly with it! I am glad to have it back in my possession.
A fellow officer had an old model 10 that he had carried on duty for many years. This old gentleman was a fine officer who did not worry much about looks or proper decorum, and his revolver was strictly a tool for him. He kept his tools in working order but otherwise didn't give them much TLC. He had installed a used set of K Frame target grips on the old gun at some point and proceeded to subject the grips to the same treatment as he gave the gun. His old uniform holster was a drop loop style originally black but looked like it had been drug behind a horse through the desert for many miles. So eventually did the target grips. There were few door facings in Otero County, NM that had not been banged by the grips. When howl cars began to be issued with seat belts (which he hated but was forced to wear -most of the time!), the buckles took their toll on the grips. After his passing, one of his sons put a proper but well used set of magnas back on the old gun and was going to throw the targets away. I asked if I could have them and he gave them too me.
I took them and began to reduce them with sanding paper to see if I could get down to wood that didn't show the many dents and gouges present. The checkered area and the edges of the bottom of the grips had suffered the most damage. I was finally able to get them pretty smooth, but considerable size reduction was necessary to do so. All the checkering was gone, as was much of the wood at the butt of the grips and up toward the horns of the grips. The emblem on the left grip also suffered some reduction. But they felt pretty darn good in my hands. I refinished the grips with some oil based walnut stain and then gave them several coats of Tru-oil with in-between rubbing down with 0000 steel wool. The result was pleasing to me.
The grips were still in good condition when I received the gun back from my dad, albeit with a well handrubbed soft sheen. They still suited me just fine on the old revolver. However, I began to see pictures of the work that DWFAN performed on old grips. I contacted him to inquire what he thought might be done to them, particularly as to whether or not he could re-checker the originally checkered panels that were now smooth. I sent him some pictures and he suggested that we apply the skip checkering used by Herrett on their Shooting Star grips. After some thought, I agreed.
In the photos below (not great ones!) you can see the old Targets in their present condition after my work to salvage them from their beat up state and after having been well used for about 30 years. You an also see how they look now after DWFAN worked his magic on them, as well as how they look on my dear old K-22. I think they look great! They also feel great! And I think the old gun and the grips deserve this face lift after all these years of service. Now my grandchildren and I can go target shooting and rabbit hunting in a bit more dressed up style without looking gaudy! I think they fit the old gun very well.
Who knows? Maybe this Herrett skip checkering on a set of S&W Targets will start a new unique trend in time to come. Maybe not! But I like 'em, and I say that DWFAN did a great job. I also say that you should NOT hesitate to send your grips to DWFAN with confidence. He does GREAT work! Thanks for reading through this long story. I hope I might have brought a smile to your face. Now for the pictures:
