Stag Revolver Grips

Will Ketchum · December 08, 2009, 05:26:15 PM

I seem to recall that Guns & Ammo's Phil Spangenberger (spl?) mentioned in one of his columns that stag grips didn't come into use until after the turn of the century. I know that knife scales go back further but have never been able to find any pictures or references of stag grips in our time period. Any thoughts?

Will Ketchum

Ten Wolves Fiveshooter · December 08, 2009, 07:19:38 PM

Will it was my understanding that Stag Grips were offered on the 1873 Colt SAA, right from the Colt Company them selves. I have a friend that has one from the 1880's with original Stag Grips, so I know they were around.

Regards

tEN wOLVES

Will Ketchum · December 08, 2009, 07:38:05 PM

Quote from: Ten Wolves Fiveshooter on December 08, 2009, 07:19:38 PM

Will it was my understanding that Stag Grips were offered on the 1873 Colt SAA, right from the Colt Company them selves. I have a friend that has one from the 1880's with original Stag Grips, so I know they were around.

Regards

tEN wOLVES

Interesting. Does your friend have a letter from Colt stating that the gun came with stag grips?

Will Ketchum

Ten Wolves Fiveshooter · December 08, 2009, 08:15:17 PM

Will. I don't know if does or not, the grips have shrunk over the years, the gun its self is in white metal with an aged patina, it's a civilian model, with a 4 3/4" or 4 5/8", it's also my understanding ,( sorry I can't name a book for you) that colt during the gold rush days tried to cash in on some of that by offering custom Ivory and Stag grips along with fancy engraving, I think we have all seen these guns in either books or Museums. I wish I could give you more information on this, but it's been a topic on and off now for over fifty years now, I'm sure it will come up again, If I see it before you do, I'll post it for you.

Regards

tEN wOLVES

Curley Cole · December 09, 2009, 01:36:05 AM

Howdy

In RL Wilson's book (I realize his name is not in good graces now but bear with the info) THE PEACEMAKERS on page 179 is a pix of KId Curry's Colt SAA serial no 14744 and it appears to have stag grips

good shootin
curley

St. George · December 09, 2009, 01:37:41 AM

Spangenberger's probably right.

I always associated Stag with post-WWII production - reaching a peak during the heyday of the Western movies and TV shows, since it was dramatic.

Colt offered Ivory, Mother-of-Pearl, and different woods, as well as Hard Rubber during the Frontier era, as well as varying grades of engraving.

Colt understood 'marketing'...

Neither Kopec's 'A Study of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver', nor Sutherlands 'The Book of Colt Firearms' show any on Old West era originals.

In Cochran's 'Colt Peacemaker Encyclopedia' - their first mention is in 1952 - as being supplied by the Rocky Mountain Mineral Company, of Casper, Wyoming - for Colt, since Colt sub-contracted them out.

This dovetails with the turn of the century popularity of the horse opera, and all those sets of 'Franzite' grips as replacements for damaged originals that's doll the otherwise-tired piece up a bit.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

Chance · December 09, 2009, 07:46:19 AM

I think that stag grip panels probably came to being around the same time as the Buscadero holster. Over the years I have seen a number of 19th century Colt Single Action Army revolvers with stag grips, but they are invariably advertised as "after market" or "later additions".

Chance

St. George · December 09, 2009, 08:17:34 AM

Case in point...

I have a number of 'real' Colts, but the one I'm usually seen with was built in 1907 and went to Mexico with an American who fought in the 'Brigada del Norte'.

Lot of adventuresome Americans in that war...

When I got it, it had rested in a safety deposit box since the 1940's or so and it had a pair of those 'stag' Franzite grips on it, because the hard-rubber originals were on the 'worn' side.

I got the piece, 'and' both sets of grips, along with a number of other items from the grandson - immediately cleaned the weapon and the hard-rubber grips thoroughly, put 'em back on and never looked back.

The owner had said his Dad had put them on the silvered-out Colt so it'd look 'better'...

Beauty's in the eye of the beholder - and the influence of those oaters and all those 'stag' gripped revolvers must've made quite the impression on Dad, way back when - though I wonder what Grand-Dad had thought...

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

Will Ketchum · December 09, 2009, 12:47:29 PM

Quote from: Curley Cole on December 09, 2009, 01:36:05 AM
Howdy

In RL Wilson's book (I realize his name is not in good graces now but bear with the info) THE PEACEMAKERS on page 179 is a pix of KId Curry's Colt SAA serial no 14744 and it appears to have stag grips

good shootin
curley

I know of the gun you speak of. In one of my books, which I can't seem to find, it shows the engraved silver plated revolver. It said that Kid Curry (aka Harvey Logan) stole the gun from a Colt Salesman he was robbing. I am sure that it also said that it was after 1900. He killed himself in 1904 to keep from being captured.

Will Ketchum

Marshal Deadwood · December 10, 2009, 09:09:30 PM

http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/admin/product_details.php?itemID=31109

It does not say if these grips were added later,,or if they are contemporary with the manufacture of the revolver.

But, they do look good.

MD

WaddWatsonEllis · December 10, 2009, 09:53:04 PM

Marshall,

My Schofields came (used) with Eagle Stag grips. The nice thing about them is that when it is 115+ degrees outside, they never get slippery ... and I decided long ago, anachronistic or not they are what I want on anything I shoot ....

Curley Cole · December 10, 2009, 11:27:28 PM

This century or last, I do think a good pair of Stags can look real nice.

good shootin
curley

Marshal Deadwood · December 11, 2009, 12:50:41 AM

Curly,,,them are super grips ! WOW is about all I can say.

MD

WaddWatsonEllis · December 11, 2009, 02:21:38 AM

Curly,

The photography is a gorgeous as the grips! What nice detail on those scuplted grips!

Angel_Eyes · December 11, 2009, 03:43:54 AM

I had a set of "Stag" grips made by Eagle on one of my ROA's .
They had obviously missed out the smoothing stage as they were very uncomfortable on recoil.
They used to rip hell out of my palms when shooting, and I was I horny handed mechanic at the time!
I have to say though, they looked really good on the s/s revolver.

AE

Will Ketchum · December 11, 2009, 10:13:47 AM

Quote from: WaddWatsonEllis on December 10, 2009, 09:53:04 PM
Marshall,

My Schofields came (used) with Eagle Stag grips. The nice thing about them is that when it is 115+ degrees outside, they never get slippery ... and I decided long ago, anachronistic or not they are what I want on anything I shoot ....

Funny that you should mention the slippery part. I put genuine stag grips on my Vaqueros when I first bought them in 94. That was when they were about $50.00 a set. The thing I didn't like was when it rained or my hands got sweaty they became very slippery. I finally replaced them with some black plastic ones that resemble the vintage Colt grips. These don't slip and I always liked the black grips on silver colored guns.

Will Ketchum

WaddWatsonEllis · December 11, 2009, 10:23:38 AM

Don't know about any other experiences ... mine were made by Eagle Grips as I said and I am guessing that they are Sambar Stag.

But I have fired shiny plastic grips that would just slip abound my hand with any recoil.

These just don't do it ....

Will Ketchum · December 11, 2009, 10:34:00 AM

Mine to were Ajax Sambar stag. The grips I put on are checkered and don't slip at all.

Will Ketchum

Forty Rod · December 11, 2009, 10:34:39 AM

I had a first model S&W Russian (Stolen from me years ago) that had stag grips. It was nickel plated and had the barrel cut off (crookedly) at about 4 1/2 inches. The left side was badly corroded as if someone had carried it shoved in their waistband for a long, long time.

I have no way of knowing if the grips were original or not, but they looked to be as old as the pistol.

WaddWatsonEllis · December 11, 2009, 10:45:28 AM

My grips, in fact the entire pistols, are in the if-it-works-don't-fix-it category.

They were previously owned by a very experienced shootist and he had worked them over, added the grips, put a brass front sight and opened the back sight. They are tack drivers as they are and I could only 'improve' them to their detriment ....