S&W Outdoorsman

[dwayne.22]

I have a S&W Outdoorsman lettered as shipped in April of 1935 ironically to a hardware store 12 miles north of my home. It has finish loss and honest wear for 90 years old. All numbers match including the grips! However, the grip is chipped on the inside bottom (picture attached).
I am very inexperienced in these prewar works of art. I am taking suggestions as to what to do with the grips? Can they be restored? Should I keep them as is and purchase another set? I found an absolutely perfect set of prewar magnas that I believe could have been on this gun as an accessory ($400). I am open to any and all thoughts.
Thank you all in advance.

 

[hkcavalier]

I have fixed corner chips like this and I'm not particularly handy. They look the part until you get very close. Of course, you'll always know they were repaired, there's no escaping that. If you don't intend to sell it and it's just for looks, fix the originals vs. getting something new.

 

[Spurdann]

Honest wear on a 90 year old will include a chip in the stock. You will not increase the value by repairing the stocks, but you sure can degrade the value.
If your repair is perfect you still need to get 90 years of patina back on the stock.

 

[Gun Relics]

That chip is best left alone. You want to keep these original. You can fix it with sawdust and superglue but on those lighter color grips the repair will be darker than the surrounding wood.

 

[22hipower]

Nice gun, I'd leave it alone especially since the grips are numbered to the gun. If I were buying it that would mean a lot more to me than having mismatched (meaning nicer than the gun) grips that don't number to it no matter how much better looking they might be.

 

[dwayne.22]

Sounds like great advice to keep the grips as is with the gun.
My gut told me that but it is always better to run these things by others who have much more knowledge than I especially on a prewar S&W.

 

[The Gila Bender]

I'd like to see the rest of your old Outdoorsman. I wouldn't mess with the stocks, either. Maybe swap in a set of target stocks for range day. I have a '56 .44 Magnum with Cokes that are chipped at the point where they meet the trigger guard. Annoying as heck, so I put tape on it for shooting, and now have a set of diamond football targets for range day.

 

[Elder Shooter]

I have a S&W Outdoorsman lettered as shipped in April of 1935 ironically to a hardware store 12 miles north of my home. It has finish loss and honest wear for 90 years old. All numbers match including the grips! However, the grip is chipped on the inside bottom (picture attached).
I am very inexperienced in these prewar works of art. I am taking suggestions as to what to do with the grips? Can they be restored? Should I keep them as is and purchase another set? I found an absolutely perfect set of prewar magnas that I believe could have been on this gun as an accessory ($400). I am open to any and all thoughts.
Thank you all in advance.

Do you intend to shoot it? If so, put a pair of replacement grips on it and fire away. Keep the originals to put back on it if you decide to sell it. If you do not intend to shoot it, leave it and it's collectors value alone.

 

[dwayne.22]

I will be shooting it! I'll have it cleaned up soon. I found a pair of mint prewar magnas coming for it. I'll post some pictures in a couple weeks.

 

[davek42_43130]

I have a S&W Outdoorsman lettered as shipped in April of 1935 ironically to a hardware store 12 miles north of my home. It has finish loss and honest wear for 90 years old. All numbers match including the grips! However, the grip is chipped on the inside bottom (picture attached).
I am very inexperienced in these prewar works of art. I am taking suggestions as to what to do with the grips? Can they be restored? Should I keep them as is and purchase another set? I found an absolutely perfect set of prewar magnas that I believe could have been on this gun as an accessory ($400). I am open to any and all thoughts.
Thank you all in advance.

Just have it repaired. A good gunsmith can fix that.
My guy fixed a chipped set of N frame grips for me, you could not tell it was repaired when he was done.
If you Do fix it,just tell the next guy the grips been repaired. A good gunsmith wood guy can fix it and you'll may never be able to to tell.

 

[Grayfox]

I don't think its big enough to worry about. Leave them alone.
If anything, get a set of grips for shooting that fit your hand better.

 

[JimW]

I also have an Outdoorsman from 1935. Plenty of honest wear and I'm more than satisfied to leave it as is. I would not attempt to mask the chip.

 

[Mauser 17]

In my experience, I prefer to keep the grips as is. They tell a story, and they look great for 90 years old, particularly better than I will look at 90!
I view myself as a temporary curator who shoots these era guns. If the grips really bug me, I'll swap them out for something more to my liking for shooting. However I ALWAYS keeps the original grips with the pistol for show and tell, or when I eventually pass it on to the next temporary curator in the pistols history.

Happy shooting!

 

[JimW]

In my experience, I prefer to keep the grips as is. They tell a story, and they look great for 90 years old, particularly better than I will look at 90!
I view myself as a temporary curator who shoots these era guns. If the grips really bug me, I'll swap them out for something more to my liking for shooting. However I ALWAYS keeps the original grips with the pistol for show and tell, or when I eventually pass it on to the next temporary curator in the pistols history.

Happy shooting!

Similarly, I have a first year Colt SAA Gen. 2 produced in my birth year. I shoot it regularly but I feared damaging the matching numbered grips so I keep those in my safe and I have a set of working grips mounted, Lett's, if I recall correctly.

 

[jcelect]

For those of us that do not follow the older guns, are we talking about a K22 Outdoorsman or a 38/44 Outdoorsman?
IMHO, any replacement grips will not be numbered to this gun which will decrease the value.