Ruger hand grips

[jban]

Was looking at some Ruger hand guns this last weekend. Why can't Ruger get a set of hand grips that fit? Especially on the Bisley models. What is the problem? Is there that much of a difference in each grip casting? Is the grip maker they use that worthless? Why don't they sell a gun without the grips, and knock money of the price to buy a good fitting grip. Any grip makers here? How do you stay consistent with the fit of the grips you sell? I know if someone paid for nice wood, and they got something that fit like the factory grips, someone would be pissed. 

[2sheriffs]

I had 2 stainless SA that were manufactured in 2014. A 357 and a single 7. The grip frame was hanging over the grips .060 or better most of the way around. I called Ruger customer told them about it last year. They told me that they were manufactured more years ago. I told her that they were nib and unfired. She said I would have to pay the shipping back to them. I asked to talk to her supervisor and told her how many Ruger SA revolvers that I owned, she said to wait a minute and she came back and said they would send me 2 prepaid boxes to send them back in. They came back a couple of weeks later and the fit was a lot better, but not as good as my older stainless revolvers. If they make you pay $30.00 pay them and you won't have to take them to a FFL to ship them. They sent a UPS truck to pick them up. I am going to try and sell the 357 and send the grip frame to Chigs for a custom fit. I just got a set for XR3-RED grip frame and he sent me a beautiful set of well figured Black walnut. His grips cost less than half as much as the big name makers. I look forward to getting more from him.
Ron

[Joe S.]

Most of the grip sellers that charge you good money for grips want the grip frame they are going on to make sure you get a good fit. You probably arent gonna get as good of a fit with a set of pre-made grips, no matter the cost.

I agree the factories could fit a little better. But wood that is proud to the metal is as big of a gripe, if not more so, to someone who doesnt know how to fit tthem.

To be given a discount for no grips is a good idea but then people would complain about not getting grips with a gun they “paid good money for”.

The cost of the factory grips are negligible in the overall cost of the sixgun and while fanatics like us notice, i’ve never heard a weekend plinker complain about ill fitting grips on their Ruger SA.

All that to say the discount probably wouldnt be that great, so send the frame in and buy you some nice grips and sell the factory grips for $20-30.

[contender]

I have discussed this with the folks at Ruger.
The grip makers (now) are using measurement specs sent to them by Ruger. And apparently the specs sent do not match up to the specs now. They are trying to work on it,, but once you set up machines, cut a lot of stuff,, etc,, it can take a long while to make the corrections. Especially when the AVERAGE Joe doesn't care. The numbers built & shipped, vs. the number of folks who actually complain is a very wide margin. Dedicated folks like us care,, while a lot of folks don't. And fewer complain POLITELY to where it gets noticed, to the factory.

[2sheriffs]

My older grip frames in both blue and stainless fit the factory grips good and all the after market grips good. The grips that I just got from Chigs fit the older guns perfectly, but I am going to send the grip frame off the Single 7 to make grips that fit.
I don't know why I bought the stainless 357 as I already have 5 357. Oh I know, I got a good price when I bought it. I never have shot it, I need to sell it to pay medical bills. My wife was in the hospital for 2 months (including Rehab) She was home a couple of weeks and she got real sick, so I had to put her back in the hospital. She pat away last May the day before Mother's day. I slipped and fell at MC'donalds in October of last year and was in the hospital from October 14th until the end of November. (Includes a rehab facility) Then I ended up in the VA hospital for a week just before New Year weekend. Last year and so far this year haven't been good. I still haven't recuperated from my hip. The VA sends a therapy guy out twice a week and a nurse once a week.
Ron

[Deleted]

Yep, Ruger could easily do better. The factory laminated grips have potential but the fit is awful. I need to find a decent set of grips for my Flattop 44...

[Steve]

Mar 6, 2018 12:19:27 GMT -5 @vmaxsplat said:

Yep, Ruger could easily do better. The factory laminated grips have potential but the fit is awful. I need to find a decent set of grips for my Flattop 44...

I had the same need for my Flattop 45 convertible. I solved my problem with a gorgeous set of Merino Ram's horn grips from Zane at LSCG. Even the Ultra Ivory Eagle grips that it came with were a terrible fit. Not Eagle grips fault, just the factory grip frames are not consistent.

[Deleted]

Mar 6, 2018 12:27:31 GMT -5 Steve said:

Mar 6, 2018 12:19:27 GMT -5 @vmaxsplat said:

I had the same need for my Flattop 45 convertible. I solved my problem with a gorgeous set of Merino Ram's horn grips from Zane at LSCG. Even the Ultra Ivory Eagle grips that it came with were a terrible fit. Not Eagle grips fault, just the factory grip frames are not consistent.

Yeah, his work is very impressive but I'd hate to put a scratch on a set of customs out on the river in a kayak... I wonder if anyone offers a set of oversized (unfinished) laminated grips? I could finish fit them to my grip frame and would enjoy the project.

[caryc]

The grip panels that Ruger uses are "cookie cutter" grips. They are made by CNC machinery. The CNC machine makes the same cuts every time.

I specialized in making and selling Ruger grips for over ten years, before health problems made me quit. Ruger grip frames are pretty consistent but they are hand finished when they come out of the mold. I've had a lot of grip frames sent to me for fitting grips. I've seen them come in with almost sharp corners on the corners of the butt to a large radius. It all depends on the guy doing the hand finishing. I've also seen them with the grip pins in slightly different places. I would guess this depends on how they are placed in the jig for drilling that hole. If the chips from the previous frame are not completely blown out of the jig and the next frame is placed in their with them, then the hole will be off. So, as I said it all depends on the hand finisher.

Now as far as the cookie cutter grips, Ruger has to have them made so they can be placed on any grip frame with no problems. Ruger doesn't do any hand fitting on those panels. When you buy a Ruger, you're getting a gun built like a tank for the price. You are not paying for hand fitting on their grips. You want hand fit grips on a gun? Buy a Freedom Arms piece.

Ruger's stainless and carbon steel Bisley grip frames are slightly different sizes, especially around the top. I did not even makes Bisley grips unless the customer sent me his grip frame for fitting I've taken lots of pictures of how the grip frames vary over the years but I don't have time to put them all in this post. I'm just giving you an explanation of what I've seen over the years.

You want grips that fit the gun like they should? Buy a set of custom grips and send the grip maker your grip frame for fitting. Or like I said, pay more for a gun.

[chutch]

Back in the day when you could send Cary a grip frame , he would do something like this.


Not to Hi-Jack the thread just trying out Imgr

[jban]

Thanks everyone for replying. Just seems that in todays cnc world, things like this shouldn't be a problem.

[Deleted]

Mar 6, 2018 18:11:29 GMT -5 jban said:

Thanks everyone for replying. Just seems that in todays cnc world, things like this shouldn't be a problem.

It shouldn't be a problem. Ruger is a great outfit but they are being sloppy regarding the SA grips. 

[contender]

Ruger doesn't make the grips. They are farmed out. The maker, is using specs sent to them, and the specs have changed a bit. No hand fitting is done. They don't even try & mate up sets of grips to the frames. The workers at Ruger are assembly types, not true gunsmiths. The frames, as Cary has mentioned can be well polished, or barely polished. It takes a practiced hand to just polish enough to make the gun right, AND have it all look like it should. With production being the big push, many of the frames are still a bit larger than they could be, and as such, the grips look small on the frames.
With the 10's of thousands sold WITHOUT many complaints, the folks who do all these little things will not change anything.
When Bill ran the company, it was a smaller company, with skilled GUN PEOPLE in general,,, working the lines of assembly. Now,,, the company is bigger, and the work force is made of of labor types that "it's just a job" and are not the same skilled (read expensive to hire,) gun folks.
Still,,, I press them to see about working on the changes to make them "better."

[caryc]

Mar 6, 2018 18:11:29 GMT -5 jban said:

Thanks everyone for replying. Just seems that in todays cnc world, things like this shouldn't be a problem.

As I said before, the grips are CNC machine made not the grip frames. The frames, due to hand finishing will vary. You can't expect the cookie cutter grip panels to fit every frame well.

You want perfect, you have to pay for it.

[bobwright]

Sure seems strange to me to mention CaryC and ".........back in the day" in the same sentence.



Bob Wright