Cowboy action grips...not rocket science

Z

Zathras

New member
I got tired of being told that "custom fitted" wood grips for my cattleman would cost at least $100.00 from these craftsmen, so I decided to try my own hand..this came with black plastic grips..which I hate...so I made these from straight wood stock..I made em in a few hours, stained and varnished em..and the following day..they were dry and ready to be screwed on...a drill, a dremel and a bit of sandpaper..all told...my cost was about 10.00
 
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grips

Nice job !! only thing I would do different is knock the shine off with 0000 steel wool but that's just my liking , I see by the screw these are 2 piece ?
I'm in total agreement 2 piece is relatively simply , 1 piece can be another story
though not always but can be .
 
Thanks.Since I'm new at this every time I see these guns in the shops or at shows, they always have a high gloss on the grips..I will dull em down a bit.
 
It's your gun, finish the grips any way you want and be proud of having done a fine job.

But, varnish looks like, well, varnish. That is to say, cheap, in my opinion (which is worth exactly what you paid for it).

If you want the high gloss look without using varnish, sand it all off, and I mean ALL, dewhisker thoroughly and finish with linseed oil or tung oil. It's a lot more work but well worth the result. Again, in my opinion.
 
Nice looking grips!

I know that the price of a well-fitted set of grips can seem outrageous, but remember, time is money.
 
I don't varnish. I use Tru-Oil gun stock finish. Mostly linseed oil, but if left to dry will leave a very nice gloss finish that will not chip.
 
Those are fine looking grips.
I recently made a pair out of cocobolo. Polished them up with 0000 steel wool and left off any finish. For my preference, they look great.
 
I did add a flare to em..guess the camera didn't show it..they feel nice and meaty..like I believe they should..I'm taking her to the range this saturday.This gun was unfired in the box when I bought it.I actually wanted a black powder frame, but this was a good price...I just hated the black cheesy plastic grips, and didn't want to ship my gun and fork out big bucks for custom made and fitted grips...I'm proud of the job..as it was my first attempt...hell..maybe I will fit and sell grips for half the price these craftsman are getting...only took me a few hours...& I wouldn't charge $75.00 and hour...
 
one things for sure..I wouldn't trust HOGUE ever again on making me custom grips..I shipped em my frame..and ordered the straight walnut grips on my 7 1/2 inch 45lc cattleman...I got back "fancy walnut " fitted grips..I hate that style..and told them they gave me the wrong style, and not what I ordered.they had the balls to LIE to me over that phone that it looks different in thier grips pictured..thats a load of bull**** I told em...then they said that was the only wood in stock they had..that's another reason I decided to make my own grips...want something done right?? its the old saying " DO IT YOURSELF"
 
They look pretty good for a first attempt. If you can do that work in two hours than I feel you could really do a nice job if you slow down a bit. From your photos it appears that there are several places that have flat surfaces where there should be curves. I also agree with a previous poster that it really doesn't look like the grips flair out as much as would normally be expected. Lastly, it does appear as you have left wood proud of the frame and grip straps.

Please don't take this as negative criticism, just some areas for future improvement. I also would have to say that $100 is not an unreasonable charge for a set of high end, hand-made pistol grips that have been properly fit to your gun.
 
Not at all Alex..This is my first attempt, so I know they are not perfect. Just good enough for me as a first shot.I don't plan to make them all the time..the next Saa I buy should already have wood grips.I brought this gun to a few gun shops I frequent and they thought they looked great..But then again..They are probably no experts either.
 
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Thanks..again..all the uberti guns I saw for sale..had a high gloss on thier grips..thats why I varnished mine...I like em that way..may not be authentic though...but its just for me..but I am going to look into the linseed oil..and try it out on my next set of grips I am going to make for my 7 1/2 inch cattleman..
 
This is exactly what I'm lookin to do on my Cattleman... what color stain? And ya got any tips for a first timer? :D Because I'm clueless where to start
 
Back in the '50s issues of the American Rifleman magazine, they were crammed with do-it-yourself articles. Too bad they're not like that anymore. Good work on the grips.
 
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