Hand Checking vs machine checking

[capstan]

My recently acquired Colt pamphlet/book on 100 yrs of Colt/Colt's covered the period from 1836 to 1936. It shows Colt/Colt's workers "checking" (I have been calling it checkering) Colt revolver "stocks" ( I like "grips"-stocks are for rifles).
I am wondering when the hand checkered/checked stocks/grips stopped and the machine checkered/checked stocks/grips started.
I used to think the early 1950's full checked stocks for the Python were hand checkered But dfariswheel pointed out that they were machine checkered. I searched but can't find the discussion now-maybe he said when that hand checking stopped?

Does anyone know when Hand-checkering was replaced with machine checking? Maybe it occured at different times for different models? I would really like to get a good look at the old Hand checked stocks and compare with machine checked stocks.

I remember when I first saw the machine checkered stocks on Rifles -that pressed in checkering -I didnt like it - It didnt have the raised relief and didnt feel right and looked cheap. But I have it on my model 870 Remington Wingmaster shotgun and although I still dont like it that much, I love the model 870.

Now the Python machine checked full checkered stocks look really good and I guess I just assumed they were hand checked because they were raised and looked really good.

Anyone know when the hand work stopped and machine checking started?

[wraco]

Machine checkering was phasing in during the early 1960's. Winchester rifles built in the early 1960's had begun checkering their stocks with a checkering machine. The checkering was of very poor quality with run over lines, losy corners and flat smaller patterns leading Winchester, in 1964, to follow Remington with the pressed in basket weave design. S&W and Colt had better luck with machine checkering as the checkered panels were flatter where Winchester attempted to wrap the checkering around the pistol grip and forend. Both Colt and S&W devised a border design to the pattern which made for a neater appearance. Colt and S&W used a checkering design of fewer lines per inch than checkering done the old way, by hand. Computerized checkering today does quite a nice job compared to the earlier machine attempts but the checkering done by hand is easy to tell with more lines per inch and borders done by hand. Hand checkering was on the avrg. at 20 lpi where machine checkering on the avrg. at 16 lpi. Some computerized checkering is running at 18 lpi.

If you look close at some late pre-64 Winchester rifle stocks you'll notice, right off, they're flat and clunky in design because the checkering machine could not wrap around the curved pistol grips and forends. Winchester would have their checkerers clean up the machine checkering by hand. But the lousy grade of Walnut that was being used, and the lousy checkering done has made some of the late pre-64 Winchesters the least desireables of the pre-64's.

Rod

[capstan]

Thanks Rod, for the good information.