bravastar1
SWCA Member
I finally pulled these grips off the Non-Reg mag I bought last week. Here are pictures of the front and back. Any ideas on who made them?
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Who made these grips?
- Thread starter bravastar1
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But for the lack of jig holes in the back, my knee-jerk answer is Roper. I suspect your knee-jerk answer might well be the same. That said, I have a dim recollection of hearing some (real ones) didn't have such holes. I'll see if I have any notes/obscure articles or anything else to confirm that.
If Roper's, the wood is better than normal---as is what appears to be the inlays. That doesn't scare me off, because I have a (very) fancy pair of thumb-rest targets that are for damn sure Roper's---very fancy for Roper's anyway.
Ralph Tremaine
Well, that didn't take long---truly amazing what a little organization will accomplish. As close as I come to confirming some Roper's don't have jig holes is "almost without exception" they do have them. The "Gagne Fingertip Ribbons" on both sides identify these as ambidextrous grips in "Roperdom" (sometimes----my thumb-rest targets have the ribbons on both sides too---and ambidextrous they are not). Given a palm swell on one or both sides (not shown), the diamonds, and a slight swell at the bottom (also not shown), they're Roper's. Given they have no jig holes, they're not----"almost without exception". If you want them to be Roper's---with no arguments, fashion an appropriate punch for jig holes (about two inches apart---more or less centered, side to side, and top to bottom), and Voila!! If that would make your teeth hurt a bit (as it would mine), Griffin & Howe is my next (and last) choice. So far, everything I can see---no jig holes, the inlays, the checkering and the finish (original??) says G&H. (And it's not so much that the finish says G&H, as it is it doesn't say Roper.) Both Roper and Griffin & Howe are at the top of the custom grips heap for the period. Whatever they are, they're right up there on the spiffy scale!!
If Roper's, the wood is better than normal---as is what appears to be the inlays. That doesn't scare me off, because I have a (very) fancy pair of thumb-rest targets that are for damn sure Roper's---very fancy for Roper's anyway.
Ralph Tremaine
Well, that didn't take long---truly amazing what a little organization will accomplish. As close as I come to confirming some Roper's don't have jig holes is "almost without exception" they do have them. The "Gagne Fingertip Ribbons" on both sides identify these as ambidextrous grips in "Roperdom" (sometimes----my thumb-rest targets have the ribbons on both sides too---and ambidextrous they are not). Given a palm swell on one or both sides (not shown), the diamonds, and a slight swell at the bottom (also not shown), they're Roper's. Given they have no jig holes, they're not----"almost without exception". If you want them to be Roper's---with no arguments, fashion an appropriate punch for jig holes (about two inches apart---more or less centered, side to side, and top to bottom), and Voila!! If that would make your teeth hurt a bit (as it would mine), Griffin & Howe is my next (and last) choice. So far, everything I can see---no jig holes, the inlays, the checkering and the finish (original??) says G&H. (And it's not so much that the finish says G&H, as it is it doesn't say Roper.) Both Roper and Griffin & Howe are at the top of the custom grips heap for the period. Whatever they are, they're right up there on the spiffy scale!!
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DWFAN
US Veteran
Ropers are usually 18 LPI. Those are finer than that.
DW
DW
I have no idea, but they are nice. I don't think I have ever seen a pair of Ropers with inlays, but then again, I haven't seen a ton, and someone here might have a pair.
Now that was worthwhile---especially considering the source! I have two pair of these---the fancy thumbrest targets noted earlier, and a not so fancy pair of thumbrest targets on a "Roper Custom" (Colt Officers Model 38, with Roper everything---grips, sights, action job, and (maybe) hammer). (The hammer remains a mystery. I have determined what it is not---not Colt. It remains to seen what it is----and has been remaining to be seen for quite a spell.)
Now two pair is hardly a statistically valid sample, but both the plain and the fancy (which one might think could and likely would have finer checkering) are 18 LPI.
Ralph Tremaine
Some where I remember seeing a set of grips with an ebony diamond around the screw hole. Could they have been offered by Griffin&Howe out of NY City? Im going to look thru my old catalogs from Dads library. Best.
Mike, I remember seeing grips like those. I thought they were made by Keith Brown, but I could be wrong.
Here's some I remember.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/136866163-post1.html
http://smith-wessonforum.com/136866163-post1.html
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FWIW, I do not think they are Ropers.
bigmoose
Member
Those appear to be very high quality grips from back in the day. The checkering is outstanding with little to no overruns and the black diamonds just make the whole darn set very desirable.
Whoever made them knew what they were doing. Count your blessings... you did very well.
Whoever made them knew what they were doing. Count your blessings... you did very well.
