Who made these grips? - update Post 32

[Tom K]

Chad Gripp's (Gripper) thread of his K22 with Ropers (http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-hand-ejectors-1896-1961/310677-k-22-masterpiece-ropers.html) incentivized me to get some pictures taken of the grips that I found at the Tulsa show. I got these from Ray Brazille. He in turn got them as part of a batch from someone else, and has no idea of their history. They are for an N frame, and he believes them to be made prewar. The RH grip looks like it hay have cracked and been repaired. They didn't come with the gun, I just stuck them on this Heavy Duty for photo purposes. You can click on the pics for a larger version.

I displayed them at the Southwest Bunch show'n'tell on Saturday evening and a couple of people said they had seen grips like this before, but didn't know their origin either. Anyone have any suggestions?

This is kind of a good news/bad news thing for me. From time to time I get on the Forum and gripe about S&W factory grips, how they look good but feel bad. Service and magna stocks are skinny at the top and wide at the bottom, which is fine if you're using the gun as a club but feel lousy for shooting. Adding a grip adapter looks like what it is, a kludge to fix a situation that shouldn't exist.

Targets are wide at the top and even wiiiiider at the bottom, again good for using the gun as a club.

So the good news is, now I have a set of grips that feels good and looks good. The bad news is I don't have any more.

 

[H Richard]

I don't know who may have made them, but I sure wish I did as I love them. I can imagine you like them as they look like they will fit the hand very well.

 

[lawandorder]

Another I don't know, but sure do like them

 

[jsfricks]

Those are really nice. I like em!

 

[Green Frog]

I don't have a clue who made them, but if they came in K-frame size and got within my reach, they wouldn't get away easily! Those are some classy grips you have there.

Froggie

 

[Tom K]

I don't have a clue who made them, but if they came in K-frame size and got within my reach, they wouldn't get away easily! Those are some classy grips you have there.

Froggie

One of the folks at the Southwest Bunch said that he had two K-frame guns with grips like these on them. He was not inclined to sell....

 

[A10]

Very cool! I really like the way the prewar medallions were worked into the design. They appear to nicely fill the hand, yet the bottom of the grip is the same length as Magnas for concealability. Perhaps our good friend Mr. Brown will be inspired, and make some copies for the good folks here!

 

[rburg]

Well, we can be pretty sure they're not Ropers. Gagne had terrible taste in wood. Certainly not Kearsarge, he had great skill in woodworking and even better taste in his selection of raw materials.

The wood isn't great, but its nice. It compliments the design and the selection of large medallions. That tends to indicate the pre-war origins.

I'd suggest you spend some time on old American Rifleman mags from the 1930s and see if you can't find an ad in the back. That's the best suggestion I can come up with. Second best is to go through the 1940s editions.

 

[DCWilson]

Seems to me the basic design vocabulary in those stocks is more Coltish than Smithish. The scalloped edges for the checking field and unchecked ornamental intrusions into the field from above and below are characteristic of stocks seen on early Colt Officers Models.

Obviously similar designs are also seen on S&Ws because we are looking at an example here, but I just haven't seen them anywhere near as often as I have on Colts. Does anybody know the names of custom stockmakers who might have worked at Colt from 1900-1910?

 

[gdogs]

I've seen several sets of grips like these, all have been for a Colt double action. None were identified that I remember. I have a similar set, but the scallops are circular rather than pointed, and oddly enough only on one side. The other side just being normally checkered. I'll try and get a picture of them up.

Found this with a quick search.
FDL Grips

 

[DCWilson]

In case a moderator removes the live link to another firearms forum from post no. 10, I'll point out that gdogs was calling everyone's attention to a thread on the Colt forum that dealt with FDL (fleur-de-lis) grips. You can find it there with a search.

 

[66Park]

So, I am assuming that FDL refers to a style, and is not the name of the company that made them, correct? They are very nice and interesting looking stocks!

 

[lowhog]

Closed auction on gunbrokers item number 332370317. Same grips.

 

[DCWilson]

So, I am assuming that FDL refers to a style, and is not the name of the company that made them, correct? They are very nice and interesting looking stocks!

Yes, that's my understanding.

 

[Keith Brown]

I've seen several sets with this design and they all appeared to be made by the same hand. Tom K, thanks for the photos of the back sides, that part is usually left out when someone is looking too identify an old set of stocks. I've got a photo somewhere of a similar set but can't locate it at the moment. The FDL would be Fleur di lis, in French it's flower lily or something close I believe. The pattern on the stocks in question is likely someones take off of a classic Colt checkering pattern used on special stocks. Very cool old grips, I have two orders waiting for that checkering pattern. They look right at home on that Heavy Duty. kwill1911 might know a bit more about them.

 

[SG-688]

Pontiaker once posted a similar set. Nobody knew then either.

A couple of grips in this style were on eBay two years ago ... with Colt medallions ... but clearly inletted for a S&W.

A member who bought one set reported they were poorly made and ill fitting so he returned them.

Clearly not the case with this pair.

 

[66Park]

Very cool old grips, I have two orders waiting for that checkering pattern.

Keith, you should consider taking pictures of those when they are done to post on your website, so people know you do that style. They do make an interesting option.

 

[Green Frog]

I was about half asleep when I read this thread this morning, but when I went back and began reading the additions, I thought to myself "I bet Keith could make those!" I'm glad to see you're way ahead of me! I wonder how it work to make them in a sort of "Coke" profile? I agree that it would be nice to see yours on display to arouse further lust.

Froggie

 

[Tom K]

I've seen several sets with this design and they all appeared to be made by the same hand. Tom K, thanks for the photos of the back sides, that part is usually left out when someone is looking too identify an old set of stocks. I've got a photo somewhere of a similar set but can't locate it at the moment. The FDL would be Fleur di lis, in French it's flower lily or something close I believe. The pattern on the stocks in question is likely someones take off of a classic Colt checkering pattern used on special stocks. Very cool old grips, I have two orders waiting for that checkering pattern. They look right at home on that Heavy Duty. kwill1911 might know a bit more about them.

The term "fleur de lis" puts me in mind of two things - The Three Musketeers and Milady de Winter's mark, and the terrific film L.A. Confidential - "Whatever you desire." And of course it's been used widely in European heraldry and such - Fleur-de-lis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Keith, thanks for chiming in. I agree with you and David Wilson that this pattern is more Coltish than S&W, although I think it's a bit of a misnomer for it to be called fleur de lis - maybe an abbreviated fleur de lis. The traditional FDL has more of a tri-lobed shape and is sometimes found on custom rifle stocks, like this:

However it's not the checkering pattern that interests me so much as it is the shape of the stock. It fills in behind the trigger guard but is no wider at the bottom than it has to be - there's even a cutout at the front toe of the grip.

Closed auction on gunbrokers item number 332370317. Same grips.

Lowhog, the grips shown in this auction (which was not just for the grips, but for an Outdoorsman wearing the grips) are similar, but not quite the same. The checkering is similar, possibly just a variation by the same maker. But note the additional wood at the toe which completely encloses the bottom of the grip at the front. My grips thin down to a cutout that exposes the metal. I like that, they're just that much less wide front to back at the bottom. It's kind of like a set of magnas with a grip adapter, but without the ugliness.

That said, I do like the checkering pattern and may have to see if Keith can make me something similar. Hmmm, what guns do I have that merit a set of KB stocks....

 

[rct269]

An art for the sake of art artist made those grips---and that's the best artist there is!!

Ralph Tremaine