Dustin Linebaugh grip question

[Snyd]

Hi all. I'm in the planning stages of a custom 500L and am considering Dustin Linebaugh and will have Dall Sheep horn grips. I have seen pics of his guns here and on his site. My question is. Does he reshape the Bisley grip frame? In the pics I've seen it looks like there is more room behind the trigger guard and that the backstrap is re-worked as well. Are my eyes playing tricks on me?

I don't want to take up his time by calling him yet since I am not quite ready to send off a gun and deposit. I figured I ask here.

thanks

[eisenhower]

Ultimately, you need to ask Dustin - I guarantee he's not going to mind spending two minutes on the phone with a potential client. For my part, I own a .475 he did the grips on and I'd say, no, there's no appreciable change in the shape of the grip. What Justin does do - and what makes it so nice - is that he grinds the grips down absolutely flush with the frame, like Colt used to do with the 1873 SAA. This is the smoothest, most seamless fit you can get, and it's what separates an originally fit grip from any grip put on after the gun is already finished, blued, etc. You can get close, but you can never get it perfect unless you shape the wood and metal at the same time, which is how Justin does it.

I guarantee you'll be pleased with the final product, but definitely talk to him if you have questions.

[500fksjr]

Dustins Grip is the only grip that has truely fit my hand and when you pick up one of his guns you will know immediatly...I have two of his and I am awaiting his third...I Have a 500L and 45Lc FWIW

[Snyd]

Feb 24, 2012 17:04:05 GMT -5 500fksjr said:

Dustins Grip is the only grip that has truely fit my hand and when you pick up one of his guns you will know immediatly...I have two of his and I am awaiting his third...I Have a 500L and 45Lc FWIW

So how does the grip differ for you from a standard Bisley? Is it just the shaping/thickness of the stocks or do you think he worked over the frame some as well?

I will give Dustin a call at some point, I've got other questions as well. In the meantime I'm looking for a suitable blue donor gun here locally which can be a bit of a challenge. Of course I'm looking for a deal! Not ready to buy new just yet.

I've got a line on a sheep horn here in Alaska. A guy I know knows where there's a winter kill ram and he said he'd pick up a horn for me this summer, but I'd sure like to find one myself for a custom gun. That'd be cool. Maybe I'll find a winter kill ram this August when I'm sheep hunting. I'll be lookin! When I kill another ram though the horns will be going on the wall!

[Fowler]

He reshaped the grip frame a fair amount on my Bisley Vaquero, really love the way it feels.



Once you handle one of Dustin's Bisley grips you just know they are his whenever you pick up another one he did. They are very distinctive in a great way...

[eisenhower]

I think you may be equating the different feel you get with Dustin's grips to a "reshaping" of the grip frame, when in fact, I don't believe that's the case. Most of us only ever feel a Ruger Bisley with the very flat, crudely cut OEM grips that come on it. This gives a very angular, blocky feel. When Dustin grinds grips right down to the frame steel, a much rounder profile is achieved (think "baseball bat" vs. 2x4). This isn't a removal or reshaping (to any significant degree) of the grip frame steel, it's just that the net result feels much better than the OEM grip.

Again, only Dustin can answer this conclusively, but my impression is that you're feeling perfectly made grips, not a reshaped grip frame.

[boxhead]

If you look closely you will see his grips are on the leaner side and round, everywhere, until the front just reaches the back of the trigger guard. Alan Harton does the same and that is what makes them right. Nothing flat anywhere. Same goes for non-Bisley grip frames as shown on one Alan just completed for me. My view anyway.

[cj3a]

Dustin and his dad did this for me. The frame appears to be the same size. The grip is fuller so it fills my hands better. Sorry about the picture quality.

[45spades]

He does not reshape the grip frame. I have just compared a stock grip frame and one with a set of Dustin's stocks. What I see is that there is quite a bit of material from the stocks removed in the area behind the trigger guard. I myself have modified some stock ruger grips in the way. It fits my hand better with this modification.