One of the more popular natural materials from which to craft handgun grips is Sambar Stag. The discarded antlers of a deer native to India, Sambar Stag is easily the best of the many kinds of antlers found around the world. Our own elk and some deer antlers work pretty well, but nothing seems to do quite as well as the Indian stuff. It is hard, dense material that has the one quality essential to a handgun grip—dimensional stability. Sambar Stag will not crack, split or warp. Better yet, it will not shrink. It comes in many shades of brown and gray, shading from an almost creamy white to near black. The pair shown on this old 5-screw S&W .38/44 Heavy Duty are probably at least 50 years old. They have yellowed up nicely with time and handling, but still fit the frame perfectly. Some unknown craftsman of many years past selected the material carefully. Note that the right grip is larger than the left, built to include a palm swell for a right-handed shooter. I bought the gun many years ago, out of one of the old time great gun emporiums, Sam Fowler's stockade in Westminster, Calif. I recall that I was about as impressed with the grips as the gun.
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