OK, experts...
I'm looking for a time period during which Charles Wendell's original Kearsarge target grips would have been manufactured.
I'll appreciate your information.
Don

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OGCA Life
NRA Life

OK, experts...
I'm looking for a time period during which Charles Wendell's original Kearsarge target grips would have been manufactured.
I'll appreciate your information.
Don

__________________
OGCA Life
NRA Life

Don,
recently had the pleasure of looking at some grips he made. The guns were DROP-SHIPPED by S&W directly to him.
K-22 OD and 2 Reg Mags.
I am working on getting copies of the docs.
Obviously, this was late 30's.
The full time span? I'm clueless....

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

I would also like to know the time period the grips were made since I just picked up a set. thanks Bob

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

Thanks kwill1911, for posting that ad it answers one of my questions which was whether it was common to have the owners initials carved in the design. The pair of grips that I recently bought have initials on one side which was one of the features of Kearsarge grips according to the ad. Thanks

I would like to see a pic of those initials on Kearsage grips, if someone could post a pic. I don't believe I've seen initialed Kearsages, tho to be sure I have only seen photos of Kearsages on the forum here.

Omomea, this is a picture of a set I made for my 5 inch 629. The circular area with my initals falls at the heel of the gun hand (I'm left handed) It's what I think was pretty much the standard location, although I'm sure Mr. Wendell would have put it wherever the customer wanted it. The Kearsarge style with the carving is great in the hand with a hard kicking revolver.


Keith

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kbgrips.com

Thanks, Keith. That looks very nice, and I can see how it would aid one's grip without biting into the heel of one's hand like sharp checkering.

Sorta reminds me of a John Taffin article I read about his realization, handling Elmer Keith's guns, that Elmer's fondness for steerheads had to do with the way they helped provide a sure grip for a heavy recoil.

Arlo,

There used to be a bunch of pictures of period Kearsarge stocks on this site but apparently they have dropped off. Unfortunately I didn't save any of them but perhaps the original posters will re-post them.

Regards,
Kevin

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

Arlo, you have mail.

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Dick Burg

I just posted pictures of a pair of Kearsarge target grips on an Colt Officers Model on the Colt forum.

They do have the initials of the owner carved into them.

He was making grips in the 20s, but what we know as Kearsarge started in the early to mid 1930s. Long after he officially closed Kearsarge Woodcraft, he was still making custom grips with his oak leaf design, and I am sure that at least some of the grips we are seeing were made as late as the ealy to mid 1970s. The 19-2 I own that beloned to him is a 1964 DOB gun, and the K frame grips on it are from a bit later no doubt. I also suspect that a couple of sets of smooth stocks I have seen posted here on this forum, with "unknown maker" attributed to them, are examples of his work but I can't prove it.
Obviously the grips we see on RMs and older N frames are mostly from the time era those guns were being produced, the time he was advertising in American Rifleman. But the bottom line is, he was still carving stocks long after the other vintage stock makers ceased production, and made at least a few sets not too long before he died in 1989. What I would really like to ID is the differences (in tooling marks and similar) between Wendell's very early hand carved stocks and the ones he did later that were done with a dremel. I think Geoff Moore had at least 1 set of his early hand carved stocks, but I am in the dark as to the whereabouts of Geoff and his collection.
The initials were one of his features he offered, put on the bottom of the right stock in a nice monogram style carving. You can see 1 example with the DW initials (interesting!) in McGiverns Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting. Now lets see if I can find Charles' own stocks from my 19-2, with his own CBW on them:

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Geoff. Since 1960.

geoff40, those grips couldn't be prettier if they were made of gold! Thanks for sharing such a gorgeous piece of history.

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John

Nice, Dick! Thanks!

Well, one conclusion I have is that this Kearsage fellow was not shy about seeking out gorgeous wood!

Any differences with Ropers other than the surface carving and wood quality? The shapes sure look similar...

I purchasedt the set Arlo posted above a few years ago. I had no idea who the maker was at that time, just that they met my standards and then some. I had them stashed away for a while when SmithNut posted a picture of a set. He got the pix from someone who lives near him. When asked he did a little research and the name Kearsarge came up. From there we all began to look and Geoff started finding them near where he lives.

When Keith Brown started carving Roper style grips a few years ago I brought along the pictured grips and loaned them to him for a couple of months (the interval between OGCA shows.) He was doing a pretty good job of making reproductions, but when he saw them he realized that his early attempts were a bit thicker than the originals.

I just wish we could get him to start using that kind of wood!

If anything, the distinct carving of the Kearsarge grips takes away from the beautiful wood he selected.

This thread has got me thinking (dangerous). I think I'll chuck the large medallion ivories and install the Kearsarge grips on my 44 3rd target. That'll make a nice, low key BBQ gun when coupled with the vintage Heiser holster.

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Dick Burg