Smooth Cokes?...Or Not?

[Ol' Drover]

These came on a Triple Lock Target I bought in 1970 and I always thought of them as just smooth target grips.

However, I recently saw an almost identical pair sell at auction that were labeled as "smooth cokes" and I took another look. No checkering to go by, of course, but they do have a subtle palm swell and the oval butt.

The Triple Lock they were on went back to S&W for re-bluing in 1950 so they might date from about then or a little after.

They never looked quite right to me on the TL so I put a set of period jigged bone on it instead and put these on my 4-screw 44 Mag.

Cokes or not, I think they look right at home.

 

[S42N8]

Smooth target grips, I believe. The experts will be along shortly to edumicate me if I’m wrong.

(Added later… mostly because I should have posted this first)
More than you may want to know at Smith & Wesson N Frame Stocks / Grips - A Reference Guide. Examples of yours about a third of the way down

 

[weatherby]

They are smooth targets
A very nice set I'll add.
Also with the flush escutcheon they'd be pre 1968 or thereabouts.

They wouldn't be a cheap set to buy nowadays.

 

[RKmesa]

Beautiful smooth GA presentation stocks - my guess from the late 1950s or early 1960s. They do have a Coke shape from the bottom. These are the stocks that came on factory engraved guns of that era. I love them and I think that they look great on that Magnum.

Very nice!!!

 

[Hondo44]

That's a stunning pair of presentation targets.

In my post #29 in the above thread you'll find these:

One of the rarest of factory target stocks, which are the early 1950's special-order-only Smooth non-relieved (no football cutout on left side) target stocks, the first known as "coke bottles" documented in the SCSW by Jim King II, shown on Pg. 38 and specifically described on Pg. 39 in the 4th Ed. They exhibit longer wood behind the trigger guard, obvious flare and oval shape at the butt, as well as a pronounced palm swell much more suggestive of coke bottles than later checkered cokes with football relief. I've only seen two pair and they were both of Birdseye Maple. Here's weatherby's pair:

Photo/ownership: weatherby

 

[Ol' Drover]

Thanks to all for the expertise.

It's interesting to note that the stocks alone are now worth serveral times the amount I paid for them and the Triple Lock Target they were on!