To the OP: Don't know if you're aware of this or not, but in case you aren't: I think that one of the reasons old S&W target grips are more desirable and pricier than standard grips is that they were not (to my knowledge) ever serial numbered to the gun, whereas standard grips were. So what does this mean?
It means that if you're buying old magna stocks (grips) to return the gun to "original," your efforts will fall a little bit short, as it will be pretty easy to tell that the grips aren't original to the gun since the numbers won't match. Not externally, however, since the grip numbers are in the inside on one of the grips. I mention this because if I'm ever buying an old original looking Smith, I always take off the grips to verify the numbers - it only takes about 45 seconds to do.
With target grips, on the other hand, there's no number to match up. A person would be able to find out if the gun came with target grips or not, but that involves paying S&W to research the gun, and is a fairly drawn out process. Even if it did come with targets, there would be no way for anyone to tell whether the targets on the gun are original to the gun (as long as they're era appropriate.)
This is NOT advice on how to misrepresent a gun's originality to a potential buyer, but it is advice on how to get the gun to come across as original as possible if you're one of those people who likes the look and feel of originality (like me.)
Nothing wrong with grips with numbers that don't match the gun - I have a couple guns like that now, and have had others in the past. But if your 15 is real nice and you want it as original as possible, you might consider targets, since a gun from the 1970's won't need the ultra expensive "diamond" targets that came on earlier models.
Hope this isn't redundant knowledge for you. Best wishes.
