What are these Gold Medallion grips?
- Thread starter Vulcan Bob
- Start date
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These stocks were made for a square butt Model 1905, since they have the large gold medallions. They were put on revolvers from 1911 to 1920. I keep a list that was compiled from Jim Supica's SCSW Third Edition for K framed guns and it is a good guide, but I am sure there are exceptions.
Hard Rubber - 1899-1940
Diamond Wood-flattened top-No Medallion - 1904-1910
Diamond Wood-Large Gold Medallion - 1911-1920
Diamond Wood-Round top-No Medallion - 1920-1929
Diamond Walnut-Large Silver Medallion - 1929-1941
Diamond Walnut-Small Silver Medallion - 1946-1950
Magna Stocks - 1950-1967
Hard Rubber - 1899-1940
Diamond Wood-flattened top-No Medallion - 1904-1910
Diamond Wood-Large Gold Medallion - 1911-1920
Diamond Wood-Round top-No Medallion - 1920-1929
Diamond Walnut-Large Silver Medallion - 1929-1941
Diamond Walnut-Small Silver Medallion - 1946-1950
Magna Stocks - 1950-1967
Those are beautiful grips. One of the members posted pictures of those grips on a newer stainless K-frame. I thought they gave the gun a lot of class. Real beauty doesn't age.
donniedee
Member
have a set on my 1954 pre 27 3.5 in look awesome
OP
Vulcan Bob
Member
Funny you should mention that,I have a newly aquired M-64 without its grips on the bench and tried those grips out on it just fer grins before bringing them down to take the pics. They dident look too bad on it! Guess Im going to have to find a pre 1921 M&P for those grips.
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rburg
Member
I just love it when someone leaves an opening like this. The simple answer is so obvious, you have large gold medallion K frame grips!
The other posters have nailed it well. You have square butt 1910-1920 grips from an M&P or 32-20. They actually can be cleaned up a bit to look even nicer. A small puddle of WD40 and a tooth brush will remove a lot of the dirt and the loose finish, but won't damage the wood or metal. Anyone using these grips on later model guns and shooting hot loads will have a price to pay. Those finding N frame grips of the same style and putting them on a magnum will have a much steeper price. They do little to cushion the recoil, and N frame grips from that era often come with a nice price tag. The OP here has stumbled upon a well known fact. S&W grips for K and N frame revolvers often will fit guns produced over a 100+ year time span. They'll also look good while doing it.
Even more fun is confusing the troops at gunshows and the like. My 696 no dash wears a very nice set of round butt diamond magnas. From my perspective, they look really nice and do a good job on the gun. It came with some ugly goodyears that I hope I've lost over the last 10 or so years. Notice that what I've done is heresy to most collectors who only wish the fool with the nice gun had left it as it was shipped. Not me, I feel unconstrained by collecting ethics. Remember the saying from the 1960s? If it feels good, do it. Well, I've altered that to my liking. If it looks good, do it seems to work very well. Besides its fun confusing others.
OP
Vulcan Bob
Member
I just love it when someone leaves an opening like this. The simple answer is so obvious, you have large gold medallion K frame grips!
Anyone using these grips on later model guns and shooting hot loads will have a price to pay. Those finding N frame grips of the same style and putting them on a magnum will have a much steeper price. They do little to cushion the recoil, and N frame grips from that era often come with a nice price tag. The OP here has stumbled upon a well known fact. S&W grips for K and N frame revolvers often will fit guns produced over a 100+ year time span. They'll also look good while doing it.
Even more fun is confusing the troops at gunshows and the like. My 696 no dash wears a very nice set of round butt diamond magnas. From my perspective, they look really nice and do a good job on the gun. It came with some ugly goodyears that I hope I've lost over the last 10 or so years. Notice that what I've done is heresy to most collectors who only wish the fool with the nice gun had left it as it was shipped. Not me, I feel unconstrained by collecting ethics. Remember the saying from the 1960s? If it feels good, do it. Well, I've altered that to my liking. If it looks good, do it seems to work very well. Besides its fun confusing others.
I sort of asked the question wrong, I was interested in what years they were used,my copy of the Standard Catalog of Smith&Wesson is out on loan and the thread I was reading sparked my interest in them (cant seem to remember anything anymore). I agree the old style service grips do not manage recoil well at all. My 22-4 came with a copy of them and they just plain hurt to shoot and a set of N frame magnas were installed.
glowe,
That's a pretty good chronology, with a few tweeks, in parenthesis, it can apply to M, I, J, K & N frame sizes:
Hard Rubber - 1899-1940 (1896 on I frame)
Diamond Wood-flattened top-No Medallion - 1904-1910 (premium ivory and pearl stocks had the gold over brass then)
Diamond Wood-Large Gold (over brass) Medallion - 1911-1920 (M & I had small size)
Diamond Wood-(Un-flattened Round) top-No Medallion - 1920-1929
Diamond Walnut-Large Silver (flat, plated over brass) Medallion - 1929-1941 (small on I and the majority of Ks)
Diamond Walnut-Small (flat & large flat) Silver Medallion - 1946-1950 ( on some transition guns)
(Diamond Walnut curved nickel plated brass (c. 1948 to present on non-transition guns, all frame sizes) (1950 thru 52, plastic 1st then steel used on I frames due to brass shortage)
Diamond Magna Stocks - 1950-1967 (optional starting 1935 and soon after becoming standard on K and N)
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I bought these large gold dish medallion grips to salvage the medallions for a upcoming N Target grip project, then spent about 3 hours cleaning and polishing the medallions.
I really like the round-butt K frame deep dish medallions on a 1916 vintage M&P; the freshly engraved rifle was just on the workbench.
I really like the round-butt K frame deep dish medallions on a 1916 vintage M&P; the freshly engraved rifle was just on the workbench.
donniedee
Member
your correct!!! on my pre 27 3.5 magnum with these grips when you fire off a hot fbi load its like catching a bumble bee in your hand 
BUT they sure make a ol n frame look good...
BUT they sure make a ol n frame look good...I have picked up a set of "N" frame no medallion round tops they reportly came off a early 44 that went back to the factory
with a crackrd frame later in life the factory replaced the frame with a 3 screw and the old grips didn't fit anymore but were returned with the gun. The owner said he would give me a crack at the gun but alais he said it had sentamental value to him but sold me the grips. They are pencil marked with 3539. the friends gun was serial # 363XX. I don't get it but I don't have a lot of experience with guns of that vintage yet. I dated his gun to 1931. I don't know if the pencil marking is serial number or a fitting # or what. As always need to gain more understanding from my peers on the fourm.
with a crackrd frame later in life the factory replaced the frame with a 3 screw and the old grips didn't fit anymore but were returned with the gun. The owner said he would give me a crack at the gun but alais he said it had sentamental value to him but sold me the grips. They are pencil marked with 3539. the friends gun was serial # 363XX. I don't get it but I don't have a lot of experience with guns of that vintage yet. I dated his gun to 1931. I don't know if the pencil marking is serial number or a fitting # or what. As always need to gain more understanding from my peers on the fourm.
The only pencil markings on stocks known to me are the gun's serial number. Pencil was used from c. 1900 until stamping resumed c. 1929. The four digit # is in the 1st model 44 TL range, pre 1910 (when medallions were added). But pencil marks aren't very durable. The stocks should be dished out where the medallions would be. C. 1920-29 2nd model 44 stocks without medallions are convex at the top.
How dissappointing to have a cracked frame triple lock come back repaired with a 3 screw frame.
The 363XX # is a 1931 vintage N frame which would be a 5 screw. If it's in the 363XXX range with S prefix a 3 screw would be correct from c.1970, or with an N prefix c.1976.
How dissappointing to have a cracked frame triple lock come back repaired with a 3 screw frame.
The 363XX # is a 1931 vintage N frame which would be a 5 screw. If it's in the 363XXX range with S prefix a 3 screw would be correct from c.1970, or with an N prefix c.1976.
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