S&W M&P Odd Grips

[Skofnung]

Hey folks.

I have a question regarding factory grips for the S&W M&P.

Did the S&W factory ever put out any brow plastic or Bakelite diamond Manga grips without medallions?

If not, do you have any idea who may have made grips of this description?

 

[rcmodel]

The only K-frame S&W I can think of that came sans S&W logo of some kind on the grips would be WWII Victory model wood grips. But they were not Magna style.

They did use black hard rubber grips on round butt K's until WWII, but again, they had S&W molded into them and were not Magna style.

Yours are undoubtedly after-market grips of some sort.
After WWII, many small manufactures went into making styrene plastic & Bakelite grips on the new fangled molding machines left over from the war effort.

Most of those companies did not survive, and I.D.ing unmarked grips now would be difficult to do with any certainty.

rcmodel

 

[Oro]

Like Rcmodel said, no, S&W never used plastic. The most common after-market maker was Fitz, but there were many others. I understand he's still around and occasionally pops in at the smith-wessonforum.com. Other small maker's I don't know. Here's a pic of two older Hand Ejectors (one a 20's Pinto .44, the other a WWI .455) with Fitz grips on them. They aren't my grips, though I do now own the .455 - this was the photo the seller sent me).

 

[rcmodel]

Cool!

My first S&W in 1961 was a 4" 1917 chop- job with Fitz target grips just like those.

I learned to roll soup cans DA from the hip with that old gun!
Wish I still had it!

BTW: Do they have a Fitz logo molded on the outside?
I can't remember.

rcmodel

 

[Oro]

I don't have the Fitz grips - the seller was attached to them and kept them. But there were no "maker" marks on the outside I have seen on Fitz - usually on the inside.

I am really smitten with pre-war N frames. I have two other post-war ones, they are great, but the pre-war is very neat. The long action, the high polish, the Carbonia blueing, just a great combination. I really want to find an older outdoorsman and 1917 to go along with the .455 (it is in .45LC now so it's easier to feed!).

 

[bannockburn]

Skofnung

I found an ad for Fitz grips in an October 1959 copy of Guns and Ammo that I had. The grips were molded from "UNBREAKABLE Fitz Duramite". Each Fitz Gold Bond Ten-O-Grip came with a warranty against breakage of any kind, or your money back. Available in Butt-Walnut, Flame-Grain, Rosewood, African Ebony, Antique Ivory, or Mother of Pearl, they were right hand only and cost $6.95, postage paid.

 

[Skofnung]

Thanks Guys.

I was able to get a look at the insides of the grips, and the right hand slab had the word "Fitwell" in raised lettering. They are just about the same color as the top set of grips that kamerer posted. Beautiful guns by the way!

They don't appear to be of super high quality. I just figured that S&W might have made a budget run or something. They just seem so strange.

 

[bsaride]

Do an ebay search on Fitz, he is sellin there on a different name
so you might have to include the descriptions.

Send him an email thru one of his auctions and he will let you know
if he still has stock.