Grip Question

[dsf]

I picked up this Colt Officer Model Special for a pretty good price, mainly because I have a set of fully checkered factory target grips at home - the "Python" type but 1st style and with silver medallions.



I'm familiar with Fuzzy Farrant grips, but figured "nah, can't be" and guessed someone would have snagged the gun quick if they were authentic.

Any opinions? Definitely made by hand -






The frame grip is clipped. I guess someone could have done that and made their own.

The factory grips will cover the front of the grip frame so the modification doesn't bother me.

 

[Vtgw938]

They are made by one of the LAPD guys. Many might say Farrant but I think maybe Joe Blackford or possibly Stark. They sure look very early. Hopefully SG-688 will be along, he knows the tell tale signs of a Blackford stock. Attached is a set I have that we think are Blackford's. Cut-frame guns aren't for everyone due to the damage, but heck I've cut two of my own.

 

[dsf]

^

Thanks. I haven't heard of Blackford re LAPD grips. No idea where this gun came from. Serial number puts it 1949 or 1952, depending on whether Colt website or Proofhouse is correct.

The grip pin onthe gun was removed, and I notice there's no corresponding hole in the grips. Leaving that big oval in the grip to mate up with the grip frame seems like a tad more work than keeping the pin and just drilling the grip.

 

[SG-688]

I agree that the grips are by Joe Blackford who predated Farrant in making grips along with Walter Stark.

--------------------------------------------
Walter Rickell July – August, 1973 Gun Sport magazine, “The Combat Revolver Grip”

The whole thing started around 1936 with Walter Stark, a Los Angeles police officer who was on the police pistol team. While firing his revolver standard NRA course one day, he found that most of these revolvers, which were converted to a short single-action, had unsatisfactory factory grips, so he started to experiment.

... the first models were equipped with finger grooves to facilitate the positioning problem, but still left the natural position of the hand to be overcome. Here Jo Blackford, a student of Stark’s, came up with the idea in 1953 to cut a section from the lower front portion of the revolver grip frame, which relieved the little finger and left the hand in natural position, eliminating any tension on the forearm.

From this grew the combat grips made today by Stark’s students, Jo Blackford, E. M. “Fuzzy” Farrant, John Hurst and Guy Hogue.

----------------------------------------------

JOE / JO BLACKFORD JOSIAH C. BLACKFORD -- DCWILSON

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-ha...14-k-38-target-masterpiece.html#post138525812

This may be the Joe Blackford we want to know about:

Josiah C. Blackford retired with pension from the LAPD on June 1, 1974. Here are minutes of the pension board acting in 2005 on his distribution after his death a few months earlier.

LAFPP

Josiah C. Blackford -- Police Service Retired: 06-01-74 -- Died: 09-22-04

He died in Sequim, WA on Sep 22, 2004. SSDI records record his DOB as Oct 19, 1922. We know from the two available census records in which he appears as a juvenile that he was born in California.

If he was a career guy with LAPD, which the pension award indicates, he could have joined the department in the mid- to late 1940s. That's exactly the time frame when he would have run into Stark, Farrant and the others. There are service records showing that he was in the USMC from January 1942 to January 1946, so could not have joined the department before his discharge. There are also records showing him as MC Reserve from 1956-59.

An interesting aspect is that his father, Clyde Blackford, is identified in the census of 1930 and 1940 as a carpenter -- in 1940, a finish carpenter. Joe could have learned some basic woodworking familiarity at home before running into guys like Stark and Farrant in his own work environment.

===========================

Picture of Joe Blackford attached is from 1957 USMC Reserve rifle team photo.

 

[dsf]

I'm reviving my older thread re grips. Just watched an interesting video re LAPD grip makers.

Colt Blackford Grips interior LR

• DCWilson
• Apr 27, 2025

I've kept the grips that came on my OMM and if they are Blackford made - any opinions as to value?

 

[walkin' trails]

They are made by one of the LAPD guys. Many might say Farrant but I think maybe Joe Blackford or possibly Stark. They sure look very early. Hopefully SG-688 will be along, he knows the tell tale signs of a Blackford stock. Attached is a set I have that we think are Blackford's. Cut-frame guns aren't for everyone due to the damage, but heck I've cut two of my own.

I was going to say the same thing

 

[Vtgw938]

No one is going to give you a value so I'll jump in. The bad is hard to say exactly which maker made them and they are for a Colt, are for a cut-frame and are not an exotiuc wood like rosewood. The good is they appear older than most and are likely Stark or Blackford which are hard to come by. I would guess no more than $250 unless you find the guy with the right cut-frame Colt who thinks they are made by the grip maker he is looking for. I would keep them with the gun, to me the gun & grips together have far more value than if the gun was unaltered and had factory grips but most would not.

 

[SG-688]

I hate talking value of these grips as I think especially Farrant grip asking prices are over the moon. I still think a Farrant is worth at most $200. A very few have sold for $400 + to people with the money who wanted them badly.

As noted in other comments, some other, lesser known, officers also made grips in this style. To a significant degree it's a guessing game. Later Hurst, Farrant and Hogue are much easier to differentiate as the makers found their individual styles. And even then, there are copies.

Looking now at Vtgw's grps, the top right side profile might indicate early Hurst. How's that for a curve ball? I'll have to look at his other pictures again.

 

[dsf]

No one is going to give you a value so I'll jump in. The bad is hard to say exactly which maker made them and they are for a Colt, are for a cut-frame and are not an exotiuc wood like rosewood. The good is they appear older than most and are likely Stark or Blackford which are hard to come by. I would guess no more than $250 unless you find the guy with the right cut-frame Colt who thinks they are made by the grip maker he is looking for. I would keep them with the gun, to me the gun & grips together have far more value than if the gun was unaltered and had factory grips but most would not.

They are much more comfortable than the factory target fully checkered types. Will likely hang on to them, unless or until the gun goes away.

 

[Legendarylawman]

Here is a Fuzzy doc.

 

[Legendarylawman]

I hate talking value of these grips as I think especially Farrant grip asking prices are over the moon. I still think a Farrant is worth at most $200. A very few have sold for $400 + to people with the money who wanted them badly.

As noted in other comments, some other, lesser known, officers also made grips in this style. To a significant degree it's a guessing game. Later Hurst, Farrant and Hogue are much easier to differentiate as the makers found their individual styles. And even then, there are copies.

Looking now at Vtgw's grps, the top right side profile might indicate early Hurst. How's that for a curve ball? I'll have to look at his other pictures again.

I just sold a set of Fuzzy's on Ebay for 550 bucks. They were on there for less than 1 day.

Carl

 

[Moo Moo]

This may help you out.

 

[SG-688]

Here is a Fuzzy doc.

Yes. That one's mine. Several of Fuzzy's order forms have been posted online over the years by various members. Here's a couple.

Any catalogs or order forms from any of the others are welcome.

There's a discussion in another thread about our quibbles with the video.