Grip expert

W

wingman

New member
Looking for someone who can tell me what I have, set of grips for a S&W K frame, manufactured 1950's, look like plastic however no cracks, nearly perfect, yellowing like Ivory.
If this is plastic from the 50's certainly better then current plastic.

Any grips experts on board??
 
Far from an expert, I have had some plastic grips from the past. There are more or less two types of plastic grips. One, the Franzite type, are "hollow" or shell type grips with reinforcing ribs on the inside of the grips. These are prone to warp and pull away from the gun frame, also might shrink slightly with age and use.

The other is a solid type of grip, sometimes with a rosewood backing (Jay Scott). These are the better of the two, less apt to warp.

Current grips are of better material, such as the fake ivory and stag from Ajax or Eagle.

There is one old type of grip that is very yellow and solid that is made of a material called Catalin that is a very good synthetic material.

Can you find any markings on the grips?

Bob Wright


P.S. Pictures help. Both sides.
 
Not sure that I am grip expert, but I have a collection of S&W grips, Colt grips, and some others. I also have a box full of pachmayrs and I've owned dozens of other grips, which I sell on ebay from time to time. Its like a "cottage collection" within my gun collection. I started of just buying loose sets at shows in case I ever needed them, then I started looking for specific types. I often will buy groups of grips, 5 or 10 at a time, and sell the ones I don't want.

If they are S&W K frame, they are very common. Perhaps the exact style is not, or perhaps the maker is not BUT K frame S&Ws are very common, and thus are their aftermarket grips. The plastic today is probably actually better, but other stuff from back then is a better quality. I would say they are probably worth about $20. After market special material grips (stag, pearl, ivory, etc) are often worth bigger money. Also factory grips can be pretty valuable, as can aftermarket wood grips such as Kearsage or Roper's.
 
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FWIW, the only yellowed plastic grips were made that way.

The gun might have real Ivories on it, so why don't you test them (on the inside surface) ?

Heat a pin or small nail with a sharp point (hold it w/pliers) and apply the hot point to the grip surface - the hot tip will melt/penetrate the surface of plastic, but not Ivory.



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Ok after the pin test comes up plastic and using a fairly good magnifier I found the trade mark Franz, however these have not warped but have turned yellow.
 
Sounds like Franzite. Along with Jay Scott, probably the two most prolific makers of faux stag and ivory grips from that time period. Not particularly bad but not very good either.


If this is plastic from the 50's certainly better then current plastic.
Click to expand...
Absolutely not. These days we actually have some really good ivory substitutes made of superior materials. Like paper micarta, bonded ivory, Eagle's UltraIvory and BarS TruIvory. That old stuff is "just plastic".
 
As to warping, the Franzite grips did not warp except when tightened down an a gun. The tension on the grip screw, combined with Hoppe's solvent, caused warping.

Bob Wright
 
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