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Jerry Murray
06-16-2009, 9:49 AM
I finished these up yesterday.

This is Amboyna Burl. Amboyna Burl is a rare wood and you won't see much of it in any woodworking projects, much less gun grips. This wood was used by Rolls Royce for some of their dashboard treatments in years past.
What do you think?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v610/Jmurman/CRW_2265.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v610/Jmurman/CRW_2267.jpg

Ed Sallee
06-16-2009, 10:13 AM
I like the grips.... looks like a fun project to do. I do have a question, and I noticed the same on the last set that you posted.... Would it be possible to make them just a little wider to cover that screw hole on the metal of the grip? Or is that something standard with the guns.... I am not a gun person.... so, I don't have a clue...

Jerry Murray
06-16-2009, 10:19 AM
I like the grips.... looks like a fun project to do. I do have a question, and I noticed the same on the last set that you posted.... Would it be possible to make them just a little wider to cover that screw hole on the metal of the grip? Or is that something standard with the guns.... I am not a gun person.... so, I don't have a clue...

Ed, that 'screw hole';, and I think that you are referring to the top photo, is a spring retained magazine release. If it is covered up, then the magazine won't release...make sense?

Ed Sallee
06-16-2009, 10:21 AM
No.... the one in the bottom photo, lower right towards the rear of the pistol.....

Great job, by the way!

Jerry Murray
06-16-2009, 10:24 AM
No.... the one in the bottom photo, lower right towards the rear of the pistol.....

Great job, by the way!

Ah,that is a pin which holds the mainspring in place. Most grips will have a cut out for that.I don't as I like to keep the 'snaggy' parts to a minimum.

Also I have to go with as much materialon the Amboyna Burl piece as I can, this one was cut a little thin, but that'swhat I had to work with.

Ed Sallee
06-16-2009, 10:32 AM
Cool..... I was just curious about that.....

Looks realy good...

John Thompson
06-16-2009, 12:09 PM
Beautiful grips Jerry... and I have seen that burl on very high end European cars. I worked with foreign a few years after Vietnam before getting involved with American Muscle Cars.

Question.. I am a die-hard .45 Auto person since VN with a concealed weapons permit. The quesion is.. do the polished wooden grip have a tendency to rotate in your hand from impact which would create a little more time getting back on target for a second shot?

I have never used wooden grips and have always wondered about that?

Regards...

Sarge..

Jack Camillo
06-16-2009, 12:18 PM
Beautiful grips Jerry... and I have seen that burl on very high end European cars. I worked with foreign a few years after Vietnam before getting involved with American Muscle Cars.

Question.. I am a die-hard .45 Auto person since VN with a concealed weapons permit. The quesion is.. do the polished wooden grip have a tendency to rotate in your hand from impact which would create a little more time getting back on target for a second shot?

I have never used wooden grips and have always wondered about that?

Regards...

Sarge..

I'll throw in an answer based on personal experience: depends on the individual's grip. For me, with finger inside trigger guard (since we are talking second and subsequent shots) and the ridges on the backstrap as well as the tail in the web of my hand, it's not much of a problem. I like the looks of smooth wood grips.

Jerry - very nice! And where'd you get that burl? I'm about to make a set for a guy, but haven't selected and purchased wood yet.

John Thompson
06-16-2009, 4:08 PM
I like the looks of them also, Jack. But.. I have always been hesitant to try them because of the concern. I've never used anything but plastic grips with grids or Pacmeyer (sp) style which also give a pretty good grip. My concern evolves from having to take out two targets at very close quaters (maybe 5 meters) in a very short span of time. No real time to re-adjust the grip.

Both were raising AK-47's from the barrel pointed down carry grip in an attempt to be the first combatant to squeze off rounds. Using that experience has made me question anything but a very firm grip of the hand-gun. They are probably fine but.. just an attempt to get a take from someone that uses a smooth grip. Hand size may be a slight factor also.

I might ask someone at my local range that has a .45 Auto with wood grips if I can fire a couple of rounds with it to better understand just how my hands and grip are affected. I don't know anyone with smooth grips but I'll ask the range owner if he could assist.

BTW.. if you are a .45 Auto carrier... both rounds that I mentioned were one round knock-downs using Military Ball and it became my choice of hand gun caliber after I departed the military where I could use premium headed catrigides and loads. Quite frankly... I hope I never have to fire in self defense again but there are no guarantee's I'm afraid.

Regards...

Sarge..

Jerry Murray
06-16-2009, 4:50 PM
I like the looks of them also, Jack. But.. I have always been hesitant to try them because of the concern. I've never used anything but plastic grips with grids or Pacmeyer (sp) style which also give a pretty good grip. My concern evolves from having to take out two targets at very close quaters (maybe 5 meters) in a very short span of time. No real time to re-adjust the grip.

Both were raising AK-47's from the barrel pointed down carry grip in an attempt to be the first combatant to squeze off rounds. Using that experience has made me question anything but a very firm grip of the hand-gun. They are probably fine but.. just an attempt to get a take from someone that uses a smooth grip. Hand size may be a slight factor also.

I might ask someone at my local range that has a .45 Auto with wood grips if I can fire a couple of rounds with it to better understand just how my hands and grip are affected. I don't know anyone with smooth grips but I'll ask the range owner if he could assist.

BTW.. if you are a .45 Auto carrier... both rounds that I mentioned were one round knock-downs using Military Ball and it became my choice of hand gun caliber after I departed the military where I could use premium headed catrigides and loads. Quite frankly... I hope I never have to fire in self defense again but there are no guarantee's I'm afraid.

Regards...

Sarge..

Sarge,

The grips I made are 'slightly' oversized. By how much? I don't really know. I DO know that they fill my hand very very well. I used the Beall polishing system after one coat of Tung Oil.

They feel 'grippy' but not tacky or sticky..if that makes any sense. I have been a 'checkered' guy for a long long time and I feel very comfortable with these.

Logan William
06-16-2009, 5:59 PM
Excellent looking grips! I'm in the camp of preferring some checkering/texture on the grip but that's a personal preference based on the individual.

John Thompson
06-16-2009, 7:17 PM
Thanks for your feed-back Jerry. They may look slick but not really be in all actuality and the reason I would like to try some. They are absolutely gorgoeus though. I have my fathers (he died when I was 12 in 1959) 4" S & W 38 that I would love to have some extremely nice grips on as that burl.

I might give them a try on that hand gun as it rarely gets fired anymore. When I was in HS.. I used to take it the open garbage dump in my hometown and shoot large rats with it. But.. after VN... I really lost a bit of enthusiam for shooting in general as I had had. I don't even hunt anymore but do go to the hand-gun range and occasionally do some skeet which I am not too bad at.

Again... nice weapon.... extremely nice grips you built.

Sarge..

Jerry Murray
06-16-2009, 7:29 PM
Thanks for your feed-back Jerry. They may look slick but not really be in all actuality and the reason I would like to try some. They are absolutely gorgoeus though. I have my fathers (he died when I was 12 in 1959) 4" S & W 38 that I would love to have some extremely nice grips on as that burl.

I might give them a try on that hand gun as it rarely gets fired anymore. When I was in HS.. I used to take it the open garbage dump in my hometown and shoot large rats with it. But.. after VN... I really lost a bit of enthusiam for shooting in general as I had had. I don't even hunt anymore but do go to the hand-gun range and occasionally do some skeet which I am not too bad at.

Again... nice weapon.... extremely nice grips you built.

Sarge..

Sounds like a 'memory gun' I have one from my grandfather...its a Winchester Model 60 .22 that is priceless to me. I sent you a PM

Jack Camillo
06-16-2009, 7:29 PM
Hey, Sarge, I know a woodworker that makes grips :)

Mark Kosmowski
06-16-2009, 7:36 PM
Those grips look fantastic! These have been on my list for some time for my Kimber. Did you turn the round shape or get it some other way?

Regarding combat usefulness, would applying finish at a lower grit than usual on the sanding spectrum, say 120 or even 80, give a "grippiness" similar to grip tape?

Jerry Murray
06-16-2009, 7:42 PM
Those grips look fantastic! These have been on my list for some time for my Kimber. Did you turn the round shape or get it some other way?

Regarding combat usefulness, would applying finish at a lower grit than usual on the sanding spectrum, say 120 or even 80, give a "grippiness" similar to grip tape?


Mark, I'll tell you how I do these. The MOST important thing is to get the hole pattern correct...I mean down to a 64th. Not easy and I have plenty of scrapped pieces to show for it. I outline with my band saw and with a 'correct' template I rout the edges and use my belt sander to get the correct outline shape. After that it's all belt sander for shaping, and drill press for holes, and the dremel for inletting.

I couldn't say about the lower grit I haven';t tried that.

Jack Camillo
06-16-2009, 7:43 PM
Those grips look fantastic! These have been on my list for some time for my Kimber. Did you turn the round shape or get it some other way?

Regarding combat usefulness, would applying finish at a lower grit than usual on the sanding spectrum, say 120 or even 80, give a "grippiness" similar to grip tape?

Mark,
I'd say at those grits, it'll be hard not showing big scratches.

Mark Kosmowski
06-16-2009, 7:58 PM
Mark, I'll tell you how I do these. The MOST important thing is to get the hole pattern correct...I mean down to a 64th. Not easy and I have plenty of scrapped pieces to show for it. I outline with my band saw and with a 'correct' template I rout the edges and use my belt sander to get the correct outline shape. After that it's all belt sander for shaping, and drill press for holes, and the dremel for inletting.

I couldn't say about the lower grit I haven';t tried that.

Hmmm... I wonder if a hand plane would work for the shaping - I don't have a belt sander. Wait, I do, the belt / spindle sander by Ridgid, just not a handheld belt sander. Guess I'll start with the plane - give me an excuse to practice.


Mark,
I'd say at those grits, it'll be hard not showing big scratches.

You might be on to something there. I'm still pretty new to this woodworking thing. Thanks for pointing out the possible issue. If I try this myself I'll use some easily replacable wood, maybe some of my free maple stash.

Thanks for both answers!

John Thompson
06-16-2009, 9:58 PM
Hey, Sarge, I know a woodworker that makes grips :)

I know a wood-worker also.. but in 38 years he has never made a set of grips or a rifle-shotgun stock. :) I have altered the lenght on my Remington 870 pump to get to my shoulder quicker.. but never built a stock from scratch

Funny.. after my dad died in 1959 I would purchase British Lee En-field .303's from Sear & Roebuck for $12.95. War surplus and re-packed in cosmoline. I would clean them up.. take the old blue off and re-blue all the metal pieces and then cut the fore stock (walnut stocks on a military issue weapon.. things have changed) down to the lenght of a hunting rifle. There was a trading post in town that dealt with about everything including used hunting rifles.

He would purchase all I could get from me for $35 each. About a $15 profit which was considerable to a 13 year old in 1960 when I had to contribute to family with no working dad. I loved handling those military rifles then and I suppose my love of guns carried over to latter years.

Maybe it's time to change that WW's status on no hand gun grips in the near future. Just finishing up a desk-hutch and it's getting hot in Georgia. I usually piddle in July and August until the cooler breezes of autumn start rolling in.

Regards...

Sarge..