My New Grips

by
posted on March 28, 2013
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
wiley-clapp.jpg (4)

To my admittedly prejudiced hand and eye, the classic handguns are great examples of the saying that “form follows function.” Shaped for completely practical reasons, they are as efficient as they are beautiful. Like many tools, they exist for immediate but specific needs and are more often carried than actually used. As such, it is not surprising that some shooters decorate their tools. Some employ the services of artists who engrave the handgun’s surface, others like to use various forms of etching. I personally like to take advantage of a classic handgun characteristic that is fast disappearing. For me, fancy handles, scales, stocks or grips are the thing. In a world of very nicely shaped butt sections of moulded polymer, my eye—and hand—turns to the pistol or revolver with custom grips.

I’m always looking for new and exotic woods in pieces suitable for a known or as-of-yet unknown craftsman to turn into gems. Plain black walnut is excellent, as is Claro, French and English walnut. I have also used African Blackwood, Holly, Bocote, Myrtle, Cocobolo, Purpleheart and others. Recently, it has been some of the flashy North African wood—Amboyna and Thuya. It has all been a great deal of fun and not terribly expensive. On a few occasions, I have been able to put together the bucks for (legal) ivory and pearl, as well as stag, sheep and elk grips.

But recently, I have received back a pair of grips that are so beautiful that I have to share them with you. They are on a USFA SAA revolver in .45 Colt with the short 3 ¾-inch barrel. The gun is full blue and grips are in the one-piece style. The material is musk ox horn, which is exceptionally rare, especially in pieces big enough to make SAA revolver grips. In color, the material is a light cream with slightly darker streaks of butterscotch and off-white. To some degree, you can see the remains of the growth rings in the animal’s horn, which leads to the real beauty of the grips. Apparently, the horn grows in such a way as to produce wild swirls and streaks that are completely random. To the everlasting credit of the craftsman, he matched the curve of the Peacemaker grip to the grain curve of the material. He then cut and fitted them to absolute perfection. The artisan who did the work was Aaron Pursley of the Little Sharps Rifle Company of Big Sandy, Mont. Craftsmanship is alive in America, and one old musk ox did a pretty good job of growing these things.

Latest

Taurus Expedition Rifleman Review 1
Taurus Expedition Rifleman Review 1

Rifleman Review: Taurus Expedition

Taurus entered the bolt-action rifle market with its Expedition, a Remington 700-pattern design that's built to be versatile and affordable.

New For 2025: Charter Arms Pathfinder II

Charter Arms updated one of the oldest models in its lineup with the new Pathfinder II, which features a lightweight 7075 aluminum frame, making it more well-balanced and easier to carry.

Review: Kimber 2K11

The 2011-style pistol was designed to address the capacity limitations of the single-stack M1911 platform, and Kimber's approach to the concept is its 2K11, a competition-ready offering with several notable features.

Favorite Firearms: A High-Flying Hi-Standard “A-D”

Manufactured in New Haven, Conn., in late 1940, this Hi-Standard pistol was shipped as a Model “A,” but a heavier Model “D” barrel was installed later to replace the original, light barrel, leading one American Rifleman reader to call it a Model “A-D.”

Ruger Helps Families In Need Through The Kids & Clays Foundation

In the effort to help tens of thousands of critically ill children and their families across the nation through local Ronald McDonald Houses, Ruger is among some of the industry’s foremost Platinum-level sponsors of The Kids & Clays Foundation.

Unlocking The Future: Smith & Wesson's "No Lock" Revolvers

The future is shaping up to be a good one for fans of Smith & Wesson revolvers. The iconic American company had released 14 new models thus far in 2025 at the time this was written mid-year. And, with one exception, they have all shared a common feature—no internal lock.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.