By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
It’s summer, and with any luck, the High Lonesome and tall timber will once again be greeting me with open arms, hungry skeeters, annoying wasps and those soft breezes which have a habit of lulling us to sleep in a camp chair.
It’s the time of year which finds me off looking for signs of the grouse hatch, deer movement and to simply check on my hunting grounds. Darned right I’ll be packing a sixgun, adorned with some sort of fancy grips which set my packin’ pistol apart from the crowd.
I’ve discussed grips before, but having monkeyed with a couple of my brother’s wheelguns in recent weeks, with their own distinctive grips, maybe now is a good time to take a really close look at what’s available.
We’ll start with one of my favorite materials from one of my favorite people, the Kirinite grips from longtime pal Raj Singh at Eagle Grips. This material, crafted by the Illinois-based outfit, is really remarkable stuff. It can be wildly mixed for some eye-catching patterns, or it may be gently blended to resemble ivory.
I’ve had Kirinite replacements on a 4-inch Model 57 Smith & Wesson for several years, through all kinds of weather, and they have come through like champs. Kirinite is tough enough to use for bowling balls, which tells me a lot. Raj’s team crafts grips on what Eagle calls its “Heritage” pattern, which has a subtle palm swell, and when I let go with a full-house .41 Magnum load, they help control the recoil.
Described online as “a high-tech, acrylic-based composite material,” (it definitely isn’t plastic!) Kirinite is used for knife grip panels, handgun replacement grips for revolvers and semi-autos, and other things not related to guns or knives.
On my Ruger single-actions, I’ve mounted some Magna Tusk “aged ivory” panels from Arizona Custom.
They came out of the box looking like the grips on John Wayne’s sixgun in his later westerns, and for what it’s worth, shooting a revolver chambered for either the .45 Colt or .41 Magnum is actually kind of pleasing.
I’m not sure what Magna Tusk is made from, but it is a robust material capable of withstanding all kinds of weather changes. Carried in Pacific Northwest damp or snowy climates, it has never let me down. If you’re looking for a set of grip panels which harken back to the appearance of genuine aged ivory with a patina, these are what you’re looking for.
One of my brother’s revolvers, a big .44 Magnum Ruger Redhawk, has been fitted with a checkered rubber grip, and if that’s your poison, I’d be looking at Pachmayr or Hogue. While the former features molded checkering, the latter has a trademark pebble pattern. Both offer firm holds in wet weather, and you simply can’t break them.
There are several outfits producing hardwood grips, among them being Altamont. I recently spotted online a set of checkered laminated hardwood grips made from Rosewood. They were on a Charter Arms revolver, and they definitely made that wheelgun look snazzy!
Genuine stag is tough to come by, but elk antler is considered a suitable substitute. Eagle and others have utilized elk antler to good end. I even crafted a set of grips for a Ruger Blackhawk from an elk shed I discovered on a grouse opener maybe 10 years ago, or longer. On a long-barreled single-action wheelgun, elk antler adds a touch of class, and they aren’t uncomfortable during recoil.
I did mention hardwood earlier. Well, most good grip companies produce hardwood grips, and I’ve got wood grips on a Colt Diamondback, an N-frame S&W, and even crafted a set for my Ruger New Vaquero out of a piece of walnut my brother had in his shop. Done correctly, walnut, Rosewood, Cocobolo and other hardwoods look sharp, and I have a set of Holly grips from the old Herrett’s company for an N-frame, and they have aged some to look a bit like ivory.
If you’re shopping for a set of replacement grips, the best advice I can offer is to snoop around and find something that grabs your fancy. Expect to pay more for premium grips, depending upon your pleasure, but don’t be surprised to find some bargains, too.
Darned right I wish I could still get a genuine set of ivory grips for at least a couple of my wheelguns, but I’d probably settle for old walrus tusk or maybe a big chunk of mammoth ivory, which occasionally shows up along some riverbank in remote Alaska. Right…fat chance of that!
