best looking grip material for case colored revolver???

[magnumwheelman]

got A blued bisley Single Six Centerfire at John Powers right now... conversation has turned to case coloring the frames... I had planned on having some custom grips made, when I get it back ( LSCG ) my original thought when thinking blued, was some lighter Rams horn... now I'm not sure... if the gun is dark, I'd like something lighter, with the multi colored, I started thinking maybe birdseye or quilted maple... but maybe with the multicolored gun, something of more consistent color might look better... maybe even the Rams Horn???

what are your favorite grips on a case colored gun???

the only case colored guns I have ( where the case color is bright & clear ) are on a pair of reproduction 51 Navies, & those are the typical Italian medium & plain Walnut

[bobwright]

Well, let's see now.............grips on case colored revolvers.

There's mesquite, as from CaryC:



Walnut:



Elk stag ain't bad, either:



And maybe a little more walnut:



And a touch of ebony:



Guess I'm sorter partial to stag:



Stag looks good above a holster:



Bob Wright

[mike454]

I like ivory or dall. Elegant and doesn't compete with the case color. My Bowen best quality 50 special had black micarta and looks nice too. And I've seen some really highly figured walnut on case colored guns that go great together. It's really hard to go wrong!

[magman]

I like the darker woods, though I do have one with elk horn that's pretty nice.

[magnumwheelman]

Bob... that 1st one you pictured is what I had in my mind, thinking a honey colored wood with figure... of course they all look awesome, but that 1st, & the one on the right in the 3rd to the last picture ( you added some )... to me, the grip color adds a "richness" to the over all look... Thanks for posting the pictures

[magman]

While not exactly dark wood, I find this somewhat appealing.

[magman]

Not a fan of ivory. Replaced these grips with Stag.

[magnumwheelman]

MAGMAN... I like those... have a similar set Zane fit for my Buckeye

[bigbrowndog]

i.imgur.com/DsCBprLh.jpg
I’ve been partial to well figured walnut.

Trapr

[Stump Buster]

I like figured Walnut, Spalted Maple, Holly, Musk Ox, Smooth Stag with minimal bark and Ivory Micarta. That said, I went with Manzanita Burl...


I'll try to remember to take a prettier picture tomorrow. (ETA: Trying to get the light right in the afternoon is TOUGH!!!)...

[Aggie01]

I like Maple.

Or buckeye burl.

[potatojudge]

Apr 16, 2019 15:46:38 GMT -5 bobwright said:

Well, let's see now.............grips on case colored revolvers.

There's mesquite, as from CaryC:

You can't hardly go wrong. Ivory, holly, or other white grips look good with a matte finish. Stags look good- that is real Sambar stag and not elk. Walnut looks good if you get a feathered/crotch piece that's on the lighter side for color. Lighter walnut allows for better appreciation of the grain. Maple isn't my favorite for this style of gun, and birds-eye tends to take stain weirdly and it's less common to find birds-eye with tight enough figure to make interesting grips. Tightly flamed maple is an attractive option, but it depends on the finish chosen. Some finishes destroy the lenticular nature of the figure and leave it looking muddy and lifeless. For maple, a light golden stain or tinted topcoat is best with whatever clear coat on top that you prefer. Ebony is best reserved for stainless or nickel guns, but is never out of place on any nice gun. My preference for ebony is with checkered panels; essentially a classy upgrade in the spirit of gutta percha grips.  

I'd focus more on the specific piece of wood rather than a species. The above gun, my favorite shown so far, is mesquite but could as easily be another species given the color and grain. Lightly figured, a nice amber color, and well fit and finished. I have a NMFT 44 special with walnut grips that look nearly identical, and it's a favorite. 

I've had the best luck finding special woods on eBay. Lumber yards rarely cater to this sort of work and don't carry prime specimens. Knife and pen supply companies sell blanks that are too small. 

If you took a board like this and had just the crotch portion re-sawn and stabilized for two sets of grips, you'd be in it for less money than a lot of grip makers charge using their wood supply and would know exactly what you were looking at for your gun. 
www.ebay.com/itm/Live-Edge-Hard-Wood-Slab-Spalted-Crotch-Mesquite-Table-Craft-Board-Lumber-836/333029789460?hash=item4d8a1f4f14:g:MWQAAOSwxFVcR4eI

One last thing that's a lesson from custom woodworkers: the great strength of craftsmen's work over that of a factory often isn't the quality of the finished product, but the time and attention that can be paid to material utilization. Make the effort to find the exact blank that will make the grips that in your mind are perfect for the gun. 

[whitworth]

Here you go...

[magnumwheelman]

Lighter Highly figured Walnut???

[eskimo36]

Here you go....