Generally those old grips were made from Gutta Percha, which was derived from the sap of a tree in South Asia. It becomes brittle over time, so you have to handle it with care if you're attempting to remove the grips from a gun of this age.
"If it does all those things it is at least a representative example of a class of popular handguns during that time period. At least in the towns and cities it was probably as common to find someone carrying a gun like yours every day as someone toting around a Colt SAA or S&W No 3."
In a thread here a few years ago I opined that guns of this type -- relatively inexpensive single and double action solid or hinge frame revolvers -- did more to "make men equal" than Col. Colt ever did.
Guns in this class were produced in MASSIVE quantities, were chambered for decently powerful cartridges that made them useful for self-defense, and were far more affordable than one of the large frame 6 shooters from Colt, S&W, or Merwin & Hulbert.
My Great Grandfather was a ranch hand in the Dakotas at the end of the wild west era. His "cowboy" gun was an H&R breaktop double action in .32 S&W. I've got it, and I've shot it. I suspect, in fact, that I shot it a lot more than my Great Grandfather ever did.
I suspect that the vast majority of "cowboys," especially those who didn't participate in large cattle drives, were really similarly armed.