The original question was about the effect of the round-butting on the value of the gun.
The postings seems less concencerned about value than about who might have done this work.
And, of course, depending on who might have done the work, has implications as to the
originality of the finish.
I have never believed that the factory had anything at all to do with this customization.
Furthermore, I don't believe that any of the work was done at the factory. These thoughts were
furhter confirmed, in my mind, when viewing the photos of the customized grip frame.
The factory was never in the business of being a customizing shop. Any work they ever did
was always guided by staying with the original manufacturing specifications. All of their
specifications came from their engineering department. As a manufacturer of firearms, the
very last thing they would do is make a change to a gun that would, in any way, change the
structural characteristics of the gun. Given their standing as a firearms manufacturer,
they simply would not engage in that kind of activity.
There were plenty of customizing shops,like King for example, that would remove metal from a gun.
But, I argue, not the factory. To this day, the only work that the factory will do on a gun
is bring it back to factory specifications. If they don't have the older parts, they simply
will not work on the gun.
In this context, there is no way that they would have removed metal from the butt of the frame.
That backstrap has been thinned way beyond any factory specifications, and I believe that they
would never have done that. If they had received a request for that work, they would have
replaced the frame with a proper round-butt frame. The rough forgings were all the same for
any of the K-frame calibers.
There was a case, in the 1950's, of an employee , in the barrel department, who made up some
non-standard .45 barrels. He apparenty bought new guns, either on the open market or through
some employee purchasing plan, and then, in his spare time, rebarreled the guns in the
factory. This did not go on for very long, and at some point it was terminated. Even in
this case , the guns were within factory specifications.
The customizing of this gun was done nicely, but its not factory. That scribed line could be
anything. Perhaps some subsequent owner wanted to put on a pair of factory round-butt grips,
and realizing that they would not fit right, scribed a line so as to get a feel for how much
work might have to be done.
Later, Mike Priwer
The postings seems less concencerned about value than about who might have done this work.
And, of course, depending on who might have done the work, has implications as to the
originality of the finish.
I have never believed that the factory had anything at all to do with this customization.
Furthermore, I don't believe that any of the work was done at the factory. These thoughts were
furhter confirmed, in my mind, when viewing the photos of the customized grip frame.
The factory was never in the business of being a customizing shop. Any work they ever did
was always guided by staying with the original manufacturing specifications. All of their
specifications came from their engineering department. As a manufacturer of firearms, the
very last thing they would do is make a change to a gun that would, in any way, change the
structural characteristics of the gun. Given their standing as a firearms manufacturer,
they simply would not engage in that kind of activity.
There were plenty of customizing shops,like King for example, that would remove metal from a gun.
But, I argue, not the factory. To this day, the only work that the factory will do on a gun
is bring it back to factory specifications. If they don't have the older parts, they simply
will not work on the gun.
In this context, there is no way that they would have removed metal from the butt of the frame.
That backstrap has been thinned way beyond any factory specifications, and I believe that they
would never have done that. If they had received a request for that work, they would have
replaced the frame with a proper round-butt frame. The rough forgings were all the same for
any of the K-frame calibers.
There was a case, in the 1950's, of an employee , in the barrel department, who made up some
non-standard .45 barrels. He apparenty bought new guns, either on the open market or through
some employee purchasing plan, and then, in his spare time, rebarreled the guns in the
factory. This did not go on for very long, and at some point it was terminated. Even in
this case , the guns were within factory specifications.
The customizing of this gun was done nicely, but its not factory. That scribed line could be
anything. Perhaps some subsequent owner wanted to put on a pair of factory round-butt grips,
and realizing that they would not fit right, scribed a line so as to get a feel for how much
work might have to be done.
Later, Mike Priwer
