engraving question
- Thread starter rubiranch
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
Here's the letter I received from Mr Jinks.
Some time ago I had posted pics of this 29-2 and someone commented that it may have been sent to Italy to be engraved.
I was hoping that the letter might provided more info than it did about the engraving. The only comment was "class A engraved".
How do I find out more info about the engraving like possibly who and where it was done??
S&W puts their engraving Scroll Work into 3 classes,,,A, B & C.
'A' being the most complete coverage on the gun
Here's what their Q&A page lists & describes the different Classes as:
Scrollwork
Class A (Rich, Complete Ornamentation)
Class B (Moderate, Complete Ornamentation)
Class C (Less Ornate Detailing On All Major Parts)
Engraving Services | Smith & Wesson
In the 1980's, S&W sent quite a few of their guns to be engraved to Italy to be engraved,,'Outsourced' is probably the word used today. We used to say it was 'Farmed Out'.
I don't think those artists in Italy were allowed to sign or otherwise place an identifying mark on the pieces they did. Maybe they did sneak a microscopic mark into the work on a few,,it's just the way we are!
The idea was to get the work done, done quickly and at a good price. It's a business and $$ was and still is the bottom line.
Custom work and special order pieces were still done here in the US. Some in house engravers and some work was done by outside engravers.
'A' being the most complete coverage on the gun
Here's what their Q&A page lists & describes the different Classes as:
Scrollwork
Class A (Rich, Complete Ornamentation)
Class B (Moderate, Complete Ornamentation)
Class C (Less Ornate Detailing On All Major Parts)
Engraving Services | Smith & Wesson
In the 1980's, S&W sent quite a few of their guns to be engraved to Italy to be engraved,,'Outsourced' is probably the word used today. We used to say it was 'Farmed Out'.
I don't think those artists in Italy were allowed to sign or otherwise place an identifying mark on the pieces they did. Maybe they did sneak a microscopic mark into the work on a few,,it's just the way we are!
The idea was to get the work done, done quickly and at a good price. It's a business and $$ was and still is the bottom line.
Custom work and special order pieces were still done here in the US. Some in house engravers and some work was done by outside engravers.
Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, 4th Edition, 2016, Krause, WI, p. 57, says:
"Currently, the factory catalogs four levels of coverage...
- Master - 100%
- A - 75%
- B - 50%
- C - 25%
"A few years ago, the factory coverages were reportedly defined as: A - full coverage, B - 2/3 coverage, and C - 1/3 coverage."
I have no idea how to quantify "A few years ago," but I would guess the guns shown so far in this thread (including my Chiefs Special in this post, which shipped September 17, 1981, and letters as "Class A") are full coverage.
Based on a few personal reviews I've heard about the new S&W engraving book, it might offer more, but I haven't seen it so I can't say that from personal experience.
Attachments
Last edited:
