Fitting a frame to a grip

K

KEYBEAR

New member
I bought a new Magnum Research BFR Revolver in 44 Mag 5 inch barrel .
The gun is very well made and shoots great .

Now a small problem with Grips .
Magnum Research only offers two/three Grips for the BFR Revolver .
All are less than nice looking and none well fitting to the hand .
It one time MR used the Ruger Super Blackhawk Grip frame but changed to one of their making . The newer MR grip frame is just a tad bigger (less than .050) .

If I sand the MR(BFR) Grip frame down to fit the Super Blackhawk Grip I would have access to a lot of cheaper grips .

Would this be a reasonable thing to do and what would the best tools be for the job .

THANKS
 
Less fuss and money to fit the grips to the frame.
Sanding steel will take a 1,000 years. Even just 50 thou. Grind or look at Hogue's site.
 
T. O'Heir I agree but if the Grips are too small to start with how do you make them bigger ? It is easy to assume the grips can be sanded to fit .
Also no custom grips can be found .
 
I take it that they are all rubber grips? One option would be have a stockmaker make a new set of grips in the wood of your choosing. There are a lot of various things that can be done to make the grips fit the hand by doing this.
 
I have e-mailed or called three or four Custom Grip makers and no luck . They call themselves Custom Grip makers but they are not . If you have a Smith or colt no problem . One problem I have is the back strap on a BFR revolver is wider than most . The grips need to be thin like the old Super Blackhawk Grips . Really all I need is a set of wood grips all Magnum Research offers is Micarta and you fit them At 80 bucks a set .
 
That is a single action revolver, not a Luger; the grips are simple flat pieces of wood. Hie thee to a lumber supply and buy a couple of pieces of walnut, get a set of escutcheons from www.gungrip.com, and make your own the way you want them.

Jim
 
You could order an aftermarket grip frame for a Ruger, and install it on your gun. Then you could use Ruger grips.
This, assuming the Ruger part will actually fit your gun.
 
I may try a Ruger Super Blackhawk Grip frame . I have some I can take off and see if they are the same . I think the cylinder frame is wider ?

How did anyone think it was a Luger ?
 
I'd rather fit the grip to the frame. Get oversized grips and work on those.

Sounds like a good idea but where do I find oversize grips ?
 
keybear

Do a little web searching about the various ways to bring out the grain or look of the wood before plunging in. I have an older Navy Arms with walnut grips. When you tilt or move the pistol at different angles to the light, the wood grain seems to glow and move. I think it may be quarter-sawn ( how it was cut to the angle of the grain). Anyway, since you will be making grips, you should go for a look that you will like.

James meant that your grips would be simple to make, compared to complicated Luger grips.
 
foolzrushn

Thanks good Site .
I may order a slab of wood from them .
My old high school shop teacher is a woodworker and I talked to him yesterday . At age 91 he still likes doing things with wood .

He said he never made Grips for a Revolver and would love to do it .

I also have a hardwood place south of my home that dries hard wood and has some to look at .
 
Grip woods

Keybear--I have been looking too, just for grips on a different gun. I found another site with a wide array of woods ( I like too many of them ), but I think this guy only sells the finished product. Still, it gives a person ideas about what they might like to make.

www.classicsingleaction.com
 
Hit the woodshop

I have to agree with the others here. I'd start w/ the exact hardwood I wanted, and get ahold of someone who knows wood and have them do the "rough work" on the inside, fitting the "blocks" exactly to the frame. Then you can get real sexy and form the grips to fit your hand to perfection, if that's what you want. It's easy if you've got the tools to do it right and the sandpaper and patience to make it look good. BIRCHWOOD CASEY TRU OIL should make the custom grip nearly impervious to the environment if its properly applied. That depends on how many coats you wanna apply and how patient you are. Or just use multiple coats of pure tung oil. Sets up hard as glass. Looks like a mirror. Hand rubbed finishes are hard to beat for beauty.

Now I'm going to say this, if it makes me look like an idiot, I apologize I'm trying to help. Could you use ACRAGLASS steel bedding to form the inside of an existing grip and fill in the gaps and eliminate the looseness?? If you "bed" the grips to the frame and follow the directions to the letter, DON'T GLUE THE METAL TO THE WOOD WITH THE STUFF...I would never do that without consultation first....probably something I'm missing, just asking.
 
Now I'm going to say this, if it makes me look like an idiot, I apologize I'm trying to help. Could you use ACRAGLASS steel bedding to form the inside of an existing grip and fill in the gaps and eliminate the looseness?? If you "bed" the grips to the frame and follow the directions to the letter, DON'T GLUE THE METAL TO THE WOOD WITH THE STUFF...I would never do that without consultation first....probably something I'm missing, just asking.

I guess I do not understand . I have a set of Macarta grips I fit to the gun I can use that as a pattern .

I am thinking this will be a Winter project and will have all winter .
I did order a slab of wood and it looks real nice .

It is funny that no one makes a wood grip for this firearm .
 
This is better seen

And then addressed directly. I mean you have to LOVE BIG WHEEL GUNS to own one to begin with IMHO. It's kind of like a 460 XVR or 500 Magnum...once you go that far you have to make her be all she can be, and really fit your requirements, or it will aggravate you to the point of bad dreams.

One of those things a Magnum Wheeler understands..."why do you own a 500 S&W...??" Reply..."because S&W didn't make a 600 Magnum...that's why!!!"

But I have to confess that the Smith 629 with a 6 inch tube or more is about all I want to handle, at least if I'm gonna cook off more than 20 rounds, even in practice!! It's sexier, but I'd bet dollars to doughnuts it won't eat a steady diet of hard cast lead bear busters the way that BFR WOULD.

Those are the loads I'd put in that gun for outdoor social work with a mad pig or black bear. If that's the case the grip needs to take the pounding so YOU WON'T HAVE TO....AMAP.

I've never seen in person, fired or worked on the BFRs but they're called BFR for a reason, that's for sure. That "steel bedding reinforcement blurb" was just an idea off the top of my head...trying to find something that won't be pounded out of existence, and still serve your purpose without making such a beautiful revolver as ugly as home made sin..Most bedding compounds can be dyed black, BROWNELLS carries the dye.

But I digress ..you have the wood and are almost ready to proceed. Keep me posted and in the meantime Ill look this over and see what's out there and try to help if I can....Mark
 
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