New N frame Service Stocks arrived.

[Art Doc]

Continuing an earlier discussion we had going regarding the N frame Service Stocks S&W is selling as replacement parts mine arrived yesterday and I put them on a pair of 1926 Model .44 Special revolvers that needed something other than the post-1967 Magnas they had been wearing.

The wood is very handsome. They look like walnut to me with one set being just a tad darker than the other. Both have nice grain and I think they look good.

Fit was nearly perfect on one set with the other leaving a smidgeon of frame protruding at the butt. Not quite perfect but not enough to worry about. I've seen original stocks on guns that did the same thing.

Both sets left the smallest sliver of a gap at the rounded top and if you held the gun "just so" with backlighting a tiny bit of light would show through. I could ignore it but I went ahead and slipped a tiny shim I cut from heavy paper into the semi-circular area and the gap disappeared.

S&W sells these for $55 and compared to buying decent original stocks that's a bargain in my book. I'm looking forward to having the old style Magnas available in a couple months.

Now I just hope these aren't too uncomfortable for shooting. I'm a tad recoil sensitive and I have never shot a .44 with Service Stocks before.

Left side of set 1:

Right side of set 2:

 

[Art Doc]

Continuing an earlier discussion we had going regarding the N frame Service Stocks S&W is selling as replacement parts mine arrived yesterday and I put them on a pair of 1926 Model .44 Special revolvers that needed something other than the post-1967 Magnas they had been wearing.

The wood is very handsome. They look like walnut to me with one set being just a tad darker than the other. Both have nice grain and I think they look good.

Fit was nearly perfect on one set with the other leaving a smidgeon of frame protruding at the butt. Not quite perfect but not enough to worry about. I've seen original stocks on guns that did the same thing.

Both sets left the smallest sliver of a gap at the rounded top and if you held the gun "just so" with backlighting a tiny bit of light would show through. I could ignore it but I went ahead and slipped a tiny shim I cut from heavy paper into the semi-circular area and the gap disappeared.

S&W sells these for $55 and compared to buying decent original stocks that's a bargain in my book. I'm looking forward to having the old style Magnas available in a couple months.

Now I just hope these aren't too uncomfortable for shooting. I'm a tad recoil sensitive and I have never shot a .44 with Service Stocks before.

Left side of set 1:

Right side of set 2:

 

[Raider]

Those are really nice stocks. Please tell how long it took S&W to ship them to you. I'm going to order a set. Thanks.

 

[Toyman]

I put a set of these on a second model 44 HE and had the same results as you, hold the gun up to the light and there is a noticable gap at he top but they are nice looking grips for the price.

 

[GLL]

SP:

Handsome grips ! I will try a set myself.

Too bad S&W did not spend another .25 cents and make them with large medallions !

Jerry

 

[Art Doc]

Took 5-6 days for them arrive.

 

[Nframe]

SP,
thanks for the report! I just ordered some for my pre-war HD.

 

[smith17]

Franklin:
Forgive my negativity but they don't appear to follow the contour of the grip frame right at the top on the right (where the sideplate begins) or on the left. In other words, the sweep of the curve isn't radical enough. Just my opinion. Maybe it is my aged eyes.
Ed

 

[GLL]

Ed:

I think less than perfect fit is because these were made for modern N-frames while Saxon Pig shows them on a pre-war 1926 .44HE. The pre-war frames are a bit different especially in length. That plus the fact that pre-war guns had the grips contoured to each individual gun. Even when you move pre-war grips from gun to gun the fit is not exactly on in many cases.

I feel that for about $50.00 these are nice looking wood and a very good buy!

Jerry

 

[Art Doc]

You are correct, they do pinch in a bit more than they should behind the trigger guard. But it feels smooth to the touch and is only a minor visual imperfection and like I said, they are $55. They would not be suitable for a pristine gun. On mine they look OK.

 

[j38]

S.P., Thanks for the update with pics. Those aren't bad handles for the price. Regards, Jerry

 

[G-Mac]

SP,

Will those handle +P rounds?

G-Mac

 

[Bell Charter Oak Holsters]

They look pretty good and the price is very fair. Particularly for a fellow who can't find (or afford) mint condition originals. Are they offering them for the K frames or J frames?

SP;

If you are recoil sensitive, these are probably not the ideal choice. I believe you will find that the Magna's, target stocks or rubber are better alternatives to tolerate the recoil. I use rubber on my .44 HE's when shooting, the service stocks when they go back in the safe.

 

[sureshotbob]

I got the same grips for my .455 HE but they realy fit like krap!!!!

But after seeing yours today I tried them on my Brazilian model 1917 and I was very happy with the fit just the smallest of a gap on the top of the round part by the emblems.

 

[Art Doc]

I have noticed some variation on the really old N frames when swapping stocks. Much less forgiving than on later guns.

I bought a set of stocks for a mid-1950s 357 but they were too small all the way around. Almost like half way between a K and an N frame size.

Tried them on a Triple Lock and they fit fine except right at the bottom where they still came up a tad short but I could live with it.

Seems to me like the pre-1920s guns vary a lot on the grip frame.

 

[BruceHMX]

Yes, but then the grips were custom fitted to each gun.

Damn that would be cool now. But then again S&W would have to hire 100 illegals to do it now

God forbid an American company hired Americans to do the job right.

Sorry for the rant. The grips you got fill the purpose of outfitting certain guns. But Doc you and I are the same. They will shoot for ****.

Those grips are too damn small.

 

[Art Doc]

Well, the advantage to hand-fitting is that the gun sure is tight and everything fits perfectly. The down side comes when you need to replace something. Deluxe Colt revolvers had their stocks polished to final size on the frame, mating them perfectly. But try to swap stocks on a Colt. That hand-fitting only works if you never, ever remove any original parts.

 

[Kamerer]

I also am having no luck getting grips like these for a .455 HE. I saw these on the web site at S&W a while ago - thought the medallions looked silver. One of yours looks silver, the other gold. Really wish they offered these in a variation of large medallions and gold. Maybe worth sending an email and asking or finding out who makes these for them. They look like Eagle's word to me.

Thanks for sharing those, makes me go back and possibly find a solution.

 

[Art Doc]

They are small and silver. S&W wasn't thinking of them as replacements for original HEs.

 

[tskunlimited]

They are pretty handsome stocks and I ordered a
pair for my Brazilian as it was originally shipped in 1946 with checkered grips according to the factory letter. There is a slight gap at the top which is hardly noticeable. The Brazilian now looks pretty snappy in its new furniture I am pleased to report.

 

[glypnir]

I don't have one of those

But I don't think the recoil for .44 specials can be all that bad.

I did some experiments with my Registered Magnum with the Magnas, and I found out an interesting thing - if I fired one handed, bullseye style, like they would have done when those things were new, the recoil was significantly less annoying. I think that the combination of the one handed and one-armed grip permitted the recoil to be absorbed more by the gun moving in my hand, and by my arm moving up.

With a rigid two handed modern grip, firing the big nasty 750 ft lb magnums eats the web of my hand pretty well. Ouch.

So since you are going for vintage, try a vintage grip as well, and see if you get the same results as I did. You don't have magnas, but you aren't firing Magnums either.

Now I should add that I weigh 300 lbs, so the basic platform isn't going anywhere, even with 750 ft lbs. That also helps focus the recoil on the web between thumb and forefinger too, I'm sure.

But then you would have to be pretty small to get pushed around much by a .44 special.

I've shot next to a small guy who was trying to do triple taps with a .44 Magnum. He was practically falling backwards out of the firing position.

 

[Dosgatos]

If these were made fro modern N frames can I assume that they should fit about right on a 24-3?

 

[Art Doc]

They should fit a 24-3 but they would be the wrong style for that model.

 

[Dosgatos]

That's OK, so are these, AND the Diamond PC Magnas I have for it. They're all prettier than the stock Magnas.