It's the little things that drive you nuts

[chipking]

Just when you think that you have it all figured out some simple little thing comes along and drives you nuts.

A while back I bought a Model 27-2 3 1/2" with a S297xxx serial number. That makes it a late 67 early 68 vintage gun and it came with non diamond magna grips numbered to the gun. "Ahh now I know that after that number I can expect non diamonds. My perfect little world is in order"

Today at one of my local pawn shops I purchased a Model 28-2 4" with a S302xxx serial number making it a little later than my Model 27 and it came with diamond magnas numbered to the gun. "WHAT no wait oh ****. There goes my perfect little world"

And this is why I LOVE accumulating S&Ws. You just never know what to expect.
Chip King

 

[Jaymo]

I'm still trying to figure out why some have original stocks with only one of the stocks numbered.
Why some from a date range are penciled, and others from the same range are stamped.
I wonder if I'll ever know.

 

[gwpercle]

And I have always wondered why my one owner model 58 Smith & Wesson, the original owner was a police officer friend who bought it brand new, carried it for many years on duty then sold it to me with the original grips and Tyler-T adapter still in place...has grips not numbered to the gun. I know those grips were on the gun when he got it and I looked at the numbers on the grips and couldn't believe they didn't match....they were supposed too...right?
No perfect world for me either.....Gary

 

[Doc44]

Chip King...Your revolver with the lower serial number may have been made and shipped after the one with the higher number. S&W paid little attention to doing things in order.

The order to eliminate the diamond around the escutcheon and nut was issued in January 1966 for all stocks except the target type. The diamond stocks on your 28-2 is probably a pair that was inventory and finally used when your gun was made. However, non-diamond Magnas appeared as early as mid-1966 on some of the higher volume models.

Bill

 

[Nframecollector]

Haphazard to say the least!

 

[Hapworth]

Hate to throw this monkey wrench in -- and it's meant as a general comment -- but we have to consider forgery too when looking over stocks that appear original to the gun, especially as the older S&W's continue to climb in market value.

 

[Cholo]

And I have always wondered why my one owner model 58 Smith & Wesson, the original owner was a police officer friend who bought it brand new, carried it for many years on duty then sold it to me with the original grips and Tyler-T adapter still in place...has grips not numbered to the gun. I know those grips were on the gun when he got it and I looked at the numbers on the grips and couldn't believe they didn't match....they were supposed too...right?
No perfect world for me either.....Gary

Back in the 70's when I 1st started buying handguns, it would have been nothing for me to say that I want that gun with those grips. I'm sure the shop would have done it. I don't recall ever doing it, but I would have.

 

[murphydog]

I'm still trying to figure out why some have original stocks with only one of the stocks numbered.
Why some from a date range are penciled, and others from the same range are stamped.
I wonder if I'll ever know.

In my observations, very few fitted stocks had both sides stamped with a number; my guess is one (usually the right) got the number and the other was stored or attached to the other until reassembly. My guess on the penciled vs. stamped numbers is the old-timers in the woodworking shop used a pencil and the new guys stamped, but there was overlap in their careers. As long as the numbering got done I would guess the factory didn't care about the method. Pure speculation on my part...

 

[Just another 22 shooter]

Back in the 70's when I 1st started buying handguns, it would have been nothing for me to say that I want that gun with those grips. I'm sure the shop would have done it. I don't recall ever doing it, but I would have.

I can confirm this, for sure. In the mid 70s I managed a gun department in one of Dave Cooks sporting goods stores in Denver. It was pretty much standard procedure for us to swap wood on Smiths for our good customers(not the tire kickers that were in every other day to oogle and fondle). I remember swapping some exceptional wood between a 27 and 57. I remember even swapping wood on Ruger No. 1s.

 

[Art Doc]

The change didn't occur like a slamming door. They used up old stocks as the new style started arriving from the supplier. There was no doubt an extended transition period.

I have S 298434 that wears correct, numbered non-diamond Magnas. I spoke with the owner of a gun exactly 50 digits earlier that had diamonds.

*SHRUG*

 

[H Richard]

I have never seen both panels of stocks numbered. Only the right hand panel. Target stocks were seldom ever numbered, only a few sets from time to time.

 

[nedlate]

Just when you think that you have it all figured out some simple little thing comes along and drives you nuts.

Throwing in another monkey wrench there is the double marked stock! Do I need to find the other gun and then swaps the stocks back and forth!
Ed

 

[Engine49guy]

Throwing in another monkey wrench there is the double marked stock! Do I need to find the other gun and then swaps the stocks back and forth!
Ed

Ed likely that if you did find the other gun it would be wearing targets that letter as being shipped with it.

IIRC when the factory removed Magnas they went into stock and were fit to another gun in production not just tossed.

I dont see how they could have forecast one day collectors would prefer one style over the other.
As a moatter O fact I would imagine 1967 68 a gun buyer probably wanted the newer style grips over the older style.

 

[sandspur6]

The grips that came on my 10-5 2" when I bought it new in 1970 are numbered, but are one digit higher than the actual SN of the gun.

 

[Sourdough]

I wonder whether several officers were together cleaning weapons after qualifying and they were inadvertently swapped, and neither officer thought anything about it?

 

[Cal44]

My 18-4 came with grips (see below) numbered one higher than the serial number of the gun.

Must be a manufacturing screw up.

I think these are the original grips.

 

[Class III]

The grips that came on my 10-5 2" when I bought it new in 1970 are numbered, but are one digit higher than the actual SN of the gun.

I have a 6" 10-5, Serial #D760136 that has the stocks from D760138. I guess that TWO sets of stocks got switched up by the "New Guy" on number stamping training day.

Class III