34. SINGLE ACTION GRIPS AND GRIP FRAMES

Single action sixgun grips and grip frames have been around since Sam Colt introduced the first successful single action sixgun, the Paterson in 1836. Colt made many modifications on their grip frames over the years as did other single action manufacturers including Smith & Wesson and Remington in the 19th Century, as well as Ruger in the 20th Century. Even as this is written, Gary Reeder Custom Guns is working on introducing two levels of single action sixguns both wearing modifications of the Harold Croft/Elmer Keith #5SAA, which in itself came about with these two gentlemen and their gunsmiths modifying then existing Colt grip frames.
Why so many different grip frames? The size and weight of each particular model has some bearing as the bigger and heavier the sixgun, normally the larger the grip/grip frame needs to be. Shooting comfort is another driving force as a grip that was comfortable on a mildly shooting percussion revolver did not always work with the switch to cartridge firing sixguns which were much more powerful. For many decades the classic Colt Single Action Army was considered just about perfect. It fits the most hands and also allows the grip to naturally roll in the hand under recoil. This worked fine with such standard loads as the .45 Colt, .44 Special, .44-40, .38-40, and even the .357 Magnum. Then something happened and that’s something is the .44 Magnum and suddenly the classic grip frame was no longer the answer. Since the advent of the .44 Magnum and subsequently more powerful cartridges the search has been for the most comfortable grip frame possible. It is not possible to make a comfortable grip frame for such cartridges as the .454 Casull, .475 and .500 Linebaughs, but rather the search is for the most control and comfort possible.
Along with the changes in grip frame sizes and shapes has also come many choices as to material. The first grips on Colts where one-piece walnut. It was not long before Colt switched to gutta percha, or rubber, and other options were offered such as ivory, pearl, and staghorn. Today we have all of these as well as micarta, bone from such creatures as buffalo and giraffe, ram’s horn, and a virtually endless supply of varied exotic woods. We can also add in the many synthetic grips offered with old-time designs molded into the grip itself. The installation of custom grips is one of the easiest ways to personalize a single action sixgun.
COLT SINGLE ACTION GRIP FRAMES: From 1836 and the Colt Paterson until the adopting of the 1873 Colt Single Action, Colt used five basic grip frames on their full-sized single actions. The grip frame of the Paterson was relatively small, however the 1847 Walker was huge to accommodate the 4 1/2# sixgun. One year later, the Walker was downsized slightly to the Dragoon. For the first time, Colt now used a 90- degree cut at the top of the frame instead of the somewhat oval shape of the Paterson and Walker. The three grip frames and grip shapes of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Model Dragoons where the same except the square back trigger guard was dropped on the 3rd Model.
The Dragoons were still very large weighing 4# and having correspondingly large grips and grip frames, however when the Colt Navy was adopted in 1851, Sam Colt came up with what has been considered the ideal single action grip frame for over 150 years;
this same grip frame would be used on the Single Action Army. The Single Action has been produced over three generations, 1873-1941, 1956-1974, and 1976 to the present. All grip frames are basically the same size and shape and the bolt pattern is the same for all three. That is, a 1st Generation grip frame can be attached easily to a 3rd Generation mainframe as well as any other combination. However problems arise when it comes to the generations of grips themselves. First Generation grips are slightly smaller and there are subtle differences between the 2nd and 3rd Generation grips. Add to this the changing tolerances of the grip frames themselves including the location of the grip pin, and quite often some fitting is needed to swap grips even when staying in the same generation. Once in awhile we get lucky and a 3rd Generation grip frame accepts a 2nd Generation grip panel, however this is rare.
What about the replicas? All of the copy-cat Colts, whether from Uberti or Armi San Marco, basically have the same size and shape grip frame as the original, however once again we run into the differences in tolerances. Since most of these grips are one-piece wood, they have been fitted to a particular frame and it is difficult to find a match when swapping. Usually the grip frames themselves can be swapped from gun to gun as the bolt patterns will lineup. I have fitted Colt grips to replica Single Actions. Some have required the grips to be made slightly smaller, while others required removing of metal on the backstrap to fit it to the Colt two-piece wooden grips.
The Great Western single actions of the 1950s and 1960s were a very close copy of the Colt Single Action Army, however the grips are not only slightly smaller, the angle at the top of the frame is not a true 90 degrees. Colt grip panels can be altered to fit, however Great Western grips do not generally fit any Colt Single Actions
In between the 1851 Navy and the 1873 Single Action, came the 1860 Army. When William Mason set about designing the Colt 1873, he skipped over one of the best grip frames for single actions, that being the longer frame of the 1860 Army. The standard Colt grip frame is near perfect up to a point and has served for many years working just fine for 250-260 grain .44 and .45 bullets up to around 1,200 fps, so it works fine for most loads used in standard size single actions. In fact Colt did supply the 1860 Army grip frame on both their Cartridge Conversions and their 1871-72 Open-tops, however when the Model P arrived in 1873 it wore the smaller grip frame of the 1851 Navy. I do not know of any factory built 1st Generation Colt Single Actions made from 1873 to 1941 being issued with 1860 grip frames.
I have now installed 1860 grip frames on three 7 ½” Uberti manufactured single actions chambered in .44 Special, .44-40, and .45 Colt. The 1860 grip frame is not as natural pointing as the original nor is it is easy to reach the hammer, however it is more comfortable for prolonged shooting. So where does one get 1860 grip frames? With two of these guns, I just switched straight across with a pair of Uberti 1860 Army replicas. It is an easy switch for anyone able to disassemble and reassemble a Colt-pattern single action. The triggers must also be swapped out as the 1860 trigger is slightly shorter than the 1873 trigger, which will not fit in the 1860 trigger guard. For the third swap I went to the VTI Replica Gun Parts and ordered a complete 1860 Uberti grip frame assembly consisting of steel back strap, brass trigger guard, and one-piece wooden stocks all finished and ready to bolt on. If parts are ordered separately, one has a choice of brass or steel back strap, and brass or steel trigger guard. The all steel parts are found listed under the Richards Conversion and Open-Top. A new back strap to trigger guard screw must also be ordered as it is larger that normal.
In 1896 Colt came out with a target shooting grip frame, the Bisley Model. This grip frame is longer than the standard single action; it comes up higher along the backstrap and also behind the trigger guard, which is also larger; and it requires the use of a different hammer and trigger. Bisley Model mainframes are also slightly different from the standard Single Action Frame as they are longer where the back strap bolts on. The conversion of Bisley Model grip frame to a Single Action grip frame requires some gunsmithing to accomplish.
RUGER SINGLE ACTION GRIP FRAMES: When Bill Ruger introduced the single-Six in 1953 he used same basic size and shape for the grip frame as the Colt Single Action Army. This same grip frame would be used on the .357 and .44 Blackhawks. Subtle changes, that seemed radical to many sixgunners, were made to the Blackhawk line in 1963. The grip frame shape was changed ever so slightly to allow about one-fourth of an inch more room between the front strap and the back of the trigger guard with the result that the Colt Single Action feel was gone. The grip frames from the original Ruger Flat-Tops of 1953-1962 are marked XR3, while the Old Model grip frames are XR3-RED inscribed. Bolt patterns are the same and the grip frames will interchange. I have installed several XR3 grip frames and grips to Old Model Rugers with no fitting required.
The Old Army uses the XR3-RED shaped grip frame and they will generally bolt on to any Flat-Top or Old Model Ruger. All of these grip frames have a hole behind the trigger to accept the trigger return spring. This was changed with the advent of the New Model Rugers 1972. These frames are the same shape as the Old Model and Old Army grip frames and they have been marked XR3-RED for many years. However, due to differences in the actions it takes considerable alteration to fit a NM grip frame to an OM mainframe or vice versa. To add to the confusion, Ruger grip frames are now marked XR3. For those wanting a grip frame that is the same size and shape as the Colt Single Action Army, Power Custom now offers a steel two-piece grip frame to fit Ruger mainframes and they are not only the same size and shape as the Colt Single Action Army, they will also accept one-piece style grips. These grip frames are available for both Old Model and New Model Rugers.
Within three years of introducing the .44 Magnum Blackhawk, Ruger, in an effort to help tame felt recoil, increased the weight slightly with the use of a non-fluted cylinder and a steel grip frame replacing the alloy grip frame of the first three Ruger single actions. Instead of the standard Colt-style grip frame copied from the 1851 Navy and 1873 Peacemaker and used on the first Rugers, Bill Ruger reached farther back in time to 1848 and the larger, square-backed trigger guard of the Colt Dragoon. Most sixgunners praised the grip frame of the new Super Blackhawk, however, I find it to be more punishing to my hand than the original. Ruger Super Blackhawk grip frames, triggers, and hammers can generally be installed in standard Blackhawk models and vice versa. Of course we are talking Old Model to Old Model and New Model to New Model.
It would not be until the advent of the Bisley Model from Ruger that I would find a Ruger grip frame that would decrease felt recoil of heavy loads considerably for my hands. The Colt Bisley grip frame was designed for target shooting, however the Ruger Bisley is made to handle heavy loads. It is absolutely mandatory, at least for me, on custom Rugers chambered for the .475 and .500 Linebaugh, and Heavy .45 Colt as well. The Bisley Model Ruger grip frame is not the same as the Colt Bisley Model grip frame and it does not come up as high behind the trigger guard as does the Colt version. Bisley Model grip frames are all New Model style. Bolt patterns are the same, however the Bisley Model mainframe, as the Colt Bisley Model more than one hundred years ago is slightly taller. Until recently it required altering the Bisley Model grip frame to fit a New Model Ruger. Currently there are two fairly easy ways to turn a standard New Model into a Bisley Model. If one starts with the Bisley Model Vaquero and any New Model Blackhawk it is generally a straight across swap of the Bisley Model grip frame, hammer, trigger, grips, and back strap screws. With a couple hours work I was able to swap two Bisley Vaquero and two Blackhawk grip frames and corresponding parts with no required fitting. Both Brownell's and Ruger now offer Bisley Model grip frame kits, both blue and stainless steel, with all needed parts to convert the Blackhawk to a Bisley Model. Expect some fitting.
Why custom single action grips? There are a number of reasons. Personal taste in material is a large factor. Exotic woods, ivory, staghorn, ram's horn, micarta, to name a few. A look at famous sixguns used by several Texas Rangers and Southwestern lawmen reveals their preference for pearl or ivory as their grip material. Another reason for custom stocks is acquiring a better fit, and with some grips the shape or checkering adds greatly to security of handling when shooting. At one time many of grips found on single action sixguns were excellent. Over the years they have become more flared at the bottom resulting in a grip that, for me, accentuates recoil. Check a Flat-top Ruger .357 or .44 against a New Model Ruger in any caliber and notice the great difference in the feel of the grips. Grips should have great aesthetic appeal to the eye and emotions, feel good to the hand, and help with security and/or recoil. As single action sixgunners we are blessed with a relatively large number of single action grip makers, both custom fit and aftermarket. In a book this size we cannot cover everyone, however I offer the following as sources for great grips.
BLUMAGNUM/TEDD ADAMOVICH: BluMagnum's specialty is single action grips of exotic woods such as maple, rosewood, kingwood, ebony, and fancy walnut, with both two-piece and one-piece grips being offered. Genuine ivory as well as black and ivory micarta also are available along with genuine stag when available. For all single actions, stocks are made in the standard two-piece style, or in the case of Colt Single Action or replicas thereof one-piece style grips are offered. The original grips for the Colt SAA in 1873 were actually one piece of walnut that were grooved out to accept the backstrap and trigger guar¬d, and were installed by removing the backstrap, sliding on the grip and then reattaching with three screws. This style give a very smooth look to a single action sixgun. With today's epoxies, these one-piec¬e grips can actually be made by using two grip panels and a middle spacer all glued together. BluMagnum must have the grip frame in case of Rugers, or the backstrap and trigger guard from Colts for fitting of custom grips.
ROY FISHPAW/ROY’S CUSTOM GRIPS: Fishpaw is well known as both a craftsman and a complete grip maker with a line of grip materials that includes exotic woods, aged elephant ivory, even Mastodon ivory, and the very rare ram's horn. Single Action style I have Fishpaw grips in figured walnut on a Ruger Blackhawk, the very unusual Snakewood on a Colt Single Action, Dall Sheep horn on a Texas Longhorn Arms Improved #5 .45 Colt, big horn sheep on a USFA .44 Special, and ivory on a Colt Single Action. Fishpaw is one of the few sources for not only ivory but the almost mythical ram's horn as well. The latter makes into yellowish colored stocks that almost seem to be translucent, and is highly prized and extremely beautiful.
Fishpaw has a perfect feel for what a sixgun grip should be and his work is absolutely flawless and as close to perfect fit as is humanly possible. He achieves this by fitting each pair to the individual gun frame, and also dealing with each customer as an individual. He is normally back-logged and each customer is put on a list and the sixgun requested to be shipped to him when the name comes up on the list. It would be impossible to find better grips anywhere than from The Master Gripmaker himself!
SCOTT KOLAR/SK CUSTOM GRIPS: I first encountered Kolar over the net when he posted he would refinish any Ruger stocks with a 2 for 1 offer. For anyone that would send in two pair, he would refinish one pair and keep the other pair as payment. I took him up on this offer, sending him four pair of Bisley and two pair of Vaquero stocks. The three pair returned were beautifully finished, so much so that except for the factory medallions one would doubt that they were original grips.
The grips found on replica single actions are the right shape, are well fitted, but the finish leaves a lot to be desired. They wood to metal fit is excellent, they feel good, however the finish gives them away as replicas. Grips were pulled from Patersons, Walkers, Dragoons, 1851s, 1860s, and both Remington and Colt Single Action replicas. Some were re-finished in walnut, others with an ebony color. The change in the personality of the sixgun was dramatic. Scott even managed to find some decent wood under some of the cherry colored Italian stain.
SK Custom Grips also offers custom-made grips in some of the most beautiful wood available such as flame-grained maple and burl mesquite. The color and figure in the latter definitely falls into the category of having to be seen to be believed. He has done several pair for me for Ruger’s Bisley Model both in burl mesquite and maple. Somehow he manages to come up with the most exotic of exotic woods. There is considerable variation so the grip frame must be sent to him for a matching fit.
BOB LESKOVEC/PRECISION PRO GRIPS: Bob Leskovec of Precision Pro Grips works with several media including exotic woods, the same with silver inlays, ivory, and acrylics with both of the latter being offered in carved motifs. I grew up reading Elmer Keith and always admired his ivory stocked single actions and even more so after I got to see, feel, touch, and experience them in person. Leskovec was commissioned to carry out a pair of Keith's favorite ivory grips with a carved steerhead in ivory polymer for heavy duty use. These now reside on a Colt New Frontier .45. I also had Precision Pro Grips do the same pattern to stock a pair of 4 5/8" Ruger .45 Vaqueros with one sixgun carved on the right panel and the matching gun on the left panel. The carved steerhead not only looks great but also provides a non-slip surface for one-handed shooting.
Leskovec can also copy any of the old style carved ivory stocks and reproduce them in a tougher acrylic that looks much like ivory. Precision Pro has their version of the B Western imitation stag grip carried out in ivory acrylic with the stag lines carved into the material. They are more eye pleasing than the plastic imitation stag, less expensive than genuine stag, and they are available now.
JIM MARTIN: Martin is long-time single action gunsmith, fast draw shooter, trick shooter, and instructor of movie cowboys on the use of the single action sixgun, as well as a master gripmaker. Way back in the 1950s Great Western not only offered completed sixguns but kits as well. As a young man, Jim Martin purchased Great Western kits, assembled them and sold them, using the money to buy more kits. Today Martin offers his single action sixgun tuning skills for Colts, Great Westerns, and all replica single actions. He also offers beautifully finished and fitted custom one-piece stocks of exotic woods, including mesquite, and when available, staghorn and bone.
Most grip makers taper the bottom of the grip panels for single action sixguns resulting in a smaller grip. For those that have larger than normal hands, Martin goes the other way and actually extends the grip panels 1/4” beyond the bottom of the grip frame and then tapers the insides of the grip panels to me the bottom of the grip frame. One-fourth of an inch may not sound like an awful lot but it makes a huge difference for those with larger hands. Many of the single action sixguns pictured throughout this book are fitted with custom stocks by Jim Martin.
PAUL PERSINGER: The Colt Single Action Army is one of the few factory sixguns that come with stocks that fit my hand. The only reason to replace them is to come up with a more exotic material then black rubber eagle grips or the extremely plain walnut stocks found on Third Generation Colts. Paul Persinger is an artist of tremendous talent in several mediums, his drawings are unbelievable, he can duplicate any of the carved ivory stocks offered by Colt on their cap and ball presentation pieces, any of several well-known carvings found on Single Action Armies, or he can work from a picture or sketch.
Persinger offers a full line of old-style carvings such as that Mexican Eagle, American Eagle, Hickok and Patton Eagles, buffalo and longhorn skulls, and just about anything else desired. Carved longhorn steer skulls not only look good, they also naturally fill in the crease in my shooting hand making it much easier to control the recoiling sixgun with heavier than standard loads and also to keep the sixgun from shifting in my hand while shooting standard or heavier than normal .45 loads. Persinger carries out carving to perfection, and most importantly, the raw material he starts with is of extremely high quality with lots of marbled milk showing. Tony Kojis, who fits grips for me often, looked at Persinger’s work, studied it, removed the backstrap to look closer, and said, “This guy is the best I have ever seen!” Paul Persinger is a true Western artist working in ivory.
Persinger's carving and fitting, as well as his shaping of each grip, are all nearly perfect. In addition to ivory, Persinger also supplies grips of ivory micarta, ebony, and rosewood with either two-piece or one-piece styling, and the material that rivals, some would say surpasses, ivory, ram's horn from the Bighorn sheep. My two engraved 4 3/4" Colt Single Actions are very special sixguns to me that will be passed on to two of my grandsons. Both have been appropriately stocked to compliment their nickel finish, with the Jim Riggs engraved .45 fitted with Persinger carved ivory while the other, a .44-40 engraved by Dale Miller, carries Persinger grips of ram's horn.

KIRK RATAJESAK: I recently had the occasion to have a pair of my custom one-piece Colt Single Action Army grips carved by a master artisan by the name of Kirk Ratajesak. Ratajesak is a man who performs an amazing job of superb craftsmanship. Each grip panel contains seven carved maple leaves complete with vines and all the background design. They are absolutely beautiful. Special grips belong on a special sixgun. Two years ago a very special friend Ron Elerick, aka The Kilted Preacher, was suddenly and totally unexpectedly called Home. I now have his 5 ½” 3rd Generation .45 Colt. This Colt is a standard blued and case colored Single Action now gone close to the head of the line of Favorite Custom Sixguns. The addition of these carved grips by Kirk Ratajesak turned it into what is one of the most attractive Single Actions I have ever seen. ROGER WARMUSKERKEN: A new source for stag grips is found in the work of Roger Warmuskerken. Genuine staghorn has been in very short supply for several years and when found quite expensive, in fact getting very close to the price of ivory. This situation exists due to an export embargo being placed on Indian sambar stag antlers. Roger offers an excellent and reasonably priced alternative by using antlers from the red stag.
Roger is a pastor who supplements his income by crafting custom stocks. The material used from the red stag has a lot of bark and color however the surface is quite smooth in spite of this. Roger has built two pair of red stag antler grips for my use on Ruger New Model single actions. One pair went on a custom round butted Vaquero built up utilizing a Qualite Pistol & Revolver stainless-steel frame, while the other is on a .38-40 Blackhawk that has been fitted with a Ruger standard stainless-steel grip frame. Workmanship on both pairs is of exceptionally high quality with both pairs of grips not only fitting perfectly to the grip frame but also mating up exquisitely with my shooting hand. Warmuskerken’s grips are offered at a surprisingly reasonable price. Presently, grips are offered only for those one-piece grip frames as found on Ruger and Freedom Arms sixguns. The grip frame only must be sent for fitting as Warmuskerken is not set up to accept firearms.
BUFFALO BROTHERS: I first met Buffalo Brothers at the SHOT Show several years ago and was most impressed with the look and feel of their line of molded old style grips. A few weeks later at Winter Range I stopped by the Buffalo Brothers tent on Sutler's Row and wound up purchasing a 2nd Generation Colt Single Action .45 Colt with the coveted 4 3/4" barrel and totally tuned by American Frontier Firearms. Since it had to be shipped FFL to FFL, I made arrangements to have Buffalo Brothers first fit it with a pair of one-piece style checkered grips with a Texas Star in the middle. They look like old bone and the color in the butt is particularly striking.
Since that time Buffalo Brothers have greatly expanded their line and have stag, bone, checkered, carved old style patterns, almost anything anyone could want for a single action sixgun. I have now fitted their stag, bone, carved, and checkered grips to several replica single action sixguns greatly enhancing their appearance. All grips, whether one or two-piece style need to be fitted to each individual sixgun. They are usually over-size but once in awhile a pair of undersized grips will be encountered. Simply return them for replacements.
EAGLE GRIPS: To fill in the void caused by the shortage of ivory, and to also supply a grip at a much lower cost than the real thing, Eagle developed a new synthetic that is the closest to the genuine article I have ever seen. Most imitation ivory has a flat plastic look. Not so with Eagle's Ultraivory. Not only do they not look cheap, they also have a wavy, milky pattern throughout such as one finds in real ivory. This milky pattern really shows up in strong sunlight. These grips are offered in three single action versions, plain smooth, carved, and checkered. I have had Ultraivory fitted to several single action sixguns. First, a 2nd Generation 7 1/2" Colt SAA .44 Special that I had totally re-built from a .38 Special by Eddie Janis at Peacemaker Specialists; then a custom Ruger .44 Magnum with a 4 5/8” barrel and standard grip frame built by Mag-Na-Port on a Three Screw Super Blackhawk with a stainless steel looking finish and utilizing a grip frame from the Ruger Old Army grip; and a 4 ¾” Colt SAA .38-40 now wear a pair of UltraIvories with a carved steerhead on the right panel.
With the shortage of real staghorn, several companies have been looking for viable alternatives. Eagle’s answer has been elk horn. They look exceptionally good on the blued Vaqueros and the polishing brings out a lot of color not present in the staghorn grips from the antlers of the Sambar stag. These are an excellent alternative for those that prefer genuine stag. In addition to the elkhorn grips, Eagle also offers genuine mother of pearl grips, yes, I know what General George Patton (one of my all-time heroes) said about Pearl grips. However, many of the old time Texas Rangers preferred pearl grips on their Colt Single Actions and Tom Threepersons always carried a nickel-plated, 4 ¾” Colt Single Action with real pearl grips. No one ever dared accuse him of anything.
Eagle's answer for a secure shaped grip for competition is the Gun Fighter featuring a narrow butt portion and a wider top portion with a obvious shelf that serves to keep the sixgun from rotating upward in the hand allowing faster recovery between shots. I have these grips in checkered buffalo horn on a pair of 5 1/2” Ruger Old Army sixguns, which are used with black powder in either the original percussion cylinders, or with black powder loads in a pair of R&D .45 Colt cylinders; and on Diamond Dot’s stainless-steel Vaqueros.
GRIPMAKER: Not finished grips but rather a do-it-yourself kit, all of these grips are of ivory urethane and Larry Little, Gripmaker, says they will age just like original ivory. Gripmaker's grips, which must be hand fitted by the purchaser, are offered for almost every single action sixgun imaginable from the 1848 and 1849 Pocket Colts, through the 1851, 1860, and 1861 Colt cap-n-balls, the Colt Single Action Army and Bisley, all both real and replica. The imports, Remington cap-n-ball and 1875 Single Action, the New Thunderer and Lightning, the S&W Schofield and Model #3, and all of the Ruger Single Actions are also provided for.
In addition to a plain synthetic ivory, Gripmaker offers well over a dozen carved designs which are copied from Frontier versions such as the Hickok Eagle, the Mexican Eagle, the Texas Star, and the Liberty Head. Of course, all carvings are not available for all grip shapes. I have had a pair of 7 1/2” Cimarron .38-40s fitted with one-piece staghorn grips from Larry and then colored them to my page using orange and brown leather dye. I have also been able to fit Gripmaker's grips myself to a pair of 1860 Armies with a few hours work and the use of a Moto-Tool. Panels were first fitted fairly closely to the frames and then epoxied together to make a one-piece grip. For this operation the frame was heavily coated with Vaseline to prevent the panels being glued to the grip frame. Using the spacer provided by Gripmaker, the panels and the spacer were both given a light coating of glue, then placed on the sixguns, rubber banded in place, then left to dry overnight. The next day they were ready for final fitting. Carefully. If I can do it anyone can!
My latest “discovery” when it comes to custom grips is Larry Caudill. Actually, Larry has been around a longtime making beautiful custom rifle stocks as well as handgun stocks with leftover pieces of wood. When I recently had David Clements build a .44 Special/.44-40 on an Old Model Ruger .357 Magnum Blackhawk he suggested capillary for the grips. Larry sent pictures of several blanks of circassian walnut so I can take exactly what I wanted. In addition to expertly fitting the grips to the frame he also flat filed the frame behind the trigger and also removed the built-in flare at the heel of the grip frame. His grant also have a blind screw, that is instead of drilling completely through two-piece stocks, the nut is hidden behind the right hand panel so grips appear to be one-piece. His work is outstanding.
General George S. Patton, Theodore Roosevelt, Tom Threepersons, Hopalong Cassidy, Tom Mix, Buck Jones, Tim McCoy, Elmer Keit¬h, and Skeeter Skelton all had two things in common. At one time in my life or the other they have all been personal heroes, and they all personalized their single action sixguns with custom stocks. I prefer to join their select company.