I was just in a gun shop without a camera looking through a big box of grips and saw two pairs I thought had to be Farrants. One smallish pair had a palm swell on the right, partially exposed backstrap, checkering only on right side, plugged screw hole on the right. NOT made for a cut gripped gun. The other looked just like the ones in this picture with the clipped grip corner, small thumbrest protrusion, but for an unknown gun.
My question, does it make sense to buy the one for the modified gun since how many people have a gun modified like that without the grips already to sell them to? They were $15 each. I'll go get the first pair now that I think I verified them, but was wondering about the other. Are they worth getting when they only fit a gun with a cut frame?
Here they are, more pics below.

For 15 dollars they would make good trading stock.
Besides, they are Farrants

$15........ add a 0 and maybe multiply by 2 ........................OK maybe only by 1.5

Seriously...

You've been a member here for almost 8 years and you walked away from both for $30 total???

__________________
"I also cook."

Snag em quick and flip em here

Correct. I am more into the ones for an unbutchered gun, but I was only 85% sure they were Farrants. I could not remember if they only checkered them on one side sometimes. And I won't pay even that for something that just resemble the real thing. And I didn't even mention the S&W grips in that box!
I'll go get them tomorrow.

I always liked how the Farrant's were thin and narrow at the bottom of the grip and I can't believe that hardly no one else makes grips that way. It looks good and makes a gun much easier to conceal. Even if you aren't going to conceal it and wear an outside belt holster, those target style grips that flare out are always bumping on something.

I just bought this pile of grips assuming two pairs were probably Farrants. One pair for a modified grip frame and they are both K frame. I posted yesterday here about this before I got them. Also included were old service K frames and very unusual cut down N frame diamond grips that feel fantastic in the gun. These deserve to be recheckered. And a pair of Colt plastic jigged bones. $20 for all of them. I'm left handed but I love those grips on my nickel Model 19. Now that I have pictures, are they in fact Farrants?

Several years ago (about 15-18), I went to all the shops around town in mid August and paid cash for their box of "Orphaned" grips. I would say I averaged about $1 a set, but I ended up with around 300-350 sets. I I.D.ed all I could and priced them to sell. I took them to small shows for about 3 years and noticed, no one even looked at the 100 or so remaining sets, For the ones that sold, I averaged about $6-7. So I made money, just need to find somebody to buy the lot of them for sale in another market.

I've said all this to say, Buy in Bulk, Pay Green money, and you'll be amazed what kind of deals they will give you. The odds are they hove no money invested and they are tired of looking at them!

Ivan

Hey Wyatt, I'm no expert but they look like Fuzzy's to me.
The other thing, those S&W targets look like butchered Cokes.

Here they are on my Model 24-3. I don't know if they are/were cokes. They don't flare out too far in the middle, but I've never owned real ones. They feel great in the hand. Like when you have a grip adapter with service grips only more hand filling, of course.

My vote is no to the thumb-rest cut-frame grips.

I'm bouncing back and forth for Joe Blackford, an LAPD grip maker credited with pre-dating Farrant, or early John Hurst. Or ... someone copying the style.

We've got a line on another LAPD maker using a similar style. Still working on that.

How about the other set, the rosewood pair? They look just like the style on the Python in this 1970 G&A article picture though I can't see a trace of a screw plug. Mine is missing or was never there. And how collectible are the other guys you mention? BTW, the screw on my darker pair does not fit the thumb rest grips which are missing the screw.

Yes to the square butt pair. The wooden plugs are pretty easily pushed out by the screw. I had a thin pair without a plug and doubt there ever was one.

Turn a couple more pages from that Farrant page in the G&A Annual to see the Blackford grips on a Chow Python. "The frame is notched to accept the bird's head, finger grooved grips pioneered by Walter Stark, and made by J. Blackford." Cooper also wrote that Stark was first while mentioning Hurst and Farrant.

I think they're all collectible, but identification is the problem.

They fit a N frame so yes they are/were Cokes. You can tell by the larger checkered area. I have a couple of pairs and on some of them you have to look hard to see the bottle shape. Kind of use your imagination.
They really do feel good in my hand. Much better than newer targets.

OK, SG, my left panel on the rosewood grips are very thin on the left side. Just slightly more than 1/4". And then of course there's the palm swell on the right. But they are thin overall. Maybe they never had a plug either.
Were these police/gripmaker guys freinds or aquaintences in L.A. back then, or did some teach others to make grips? That Blackford grip is so similiar. or vice versa.
Bamabiker, There was another pair of cut down S&W grips where I got these. Frame size unknown. I think I'll go take another look. So now I can say I have some "cokes"! Or a diet coke cut down like that.

OIF2 has addressed some of that through his friendship with Hurst -- and reports that one would make a grip in the other's style for a customer who couldn't wait.

And then this from Rickell putting them all in one place together.

Walter Rickell January, 1986 Guns magazine, “Custom Colt Officers Model”

"What really makes this a piece of history is that everyone in the match that day (3-21-54) signed [the target] —notable shooters like John Hurst and Fuzzy Farrant, from LAPD and premier handgun grip makers;... and Walter Stark and Joe Blackford, who both taught Hurst and Farrant the art of custom handgun stocks and started the whole business of finger grooves."

And I'll throw this out. The new name to turn up is Arthur R. Kanthack [Retired 11-01-68 Died 02-24-89] also a 50's/60's academy instructor.

SG-688 and I are currently researching Stocks by Kanthack based on a couple of S&W's I purchased earlier this year that are documented to an LA retired LT. One being a 6in pre-27 and the other{at last} a George Matthews modified M&P. Both are mentioned in the Officer's published book as well as paper work that came with the revolvers. More to follow. I also agree with SG-688 that the pair{checkered one side} are Fuzzy's. Great buy I might add. All my best, Joe.

I was gonna say snag en before Larry sees them.