RWGF No.5 has arrived. (Updated)

[potatojudge]

Part of the value of RW grip frames and grips is the decking and impeccable fit of grip blanks.

The hard work of grips is done and the personalization of contouring and finishing is all that remains.

If you decide after trying to make your own from scratch that it’s harder than you thought you can order grips a year later and they’ll fit like they were custom made. If you find blanks you like later, same story.

Compare the cost of an RW set to a Ruger or PC grip frame plus the time and expense of a custom grip maker, only the best of which will get your grips as tight as Ronnie.

$350-400 plus a couple or few hours (or less for the experienced) is a good value for what you get, not to mention the ridiculous assortment of designs.

[RDW]

And Growing BABYYYY! HA
Keep them ideas coming brother Judge!
Thanks for the kind words man, Makes this all worth while.

[willicd]

May 21, 2020 15:01:20 GMT -5 RDW said:

May 21, 2020 14:53:20 GMT -5 willicd said:

Love the old model with the Pjudge bisley...

Buddy, it has the most amazing feel to it. A real natural pointer.
PJ is a stud man, He always has some amazing ideas. Im just glad i have been able to bring them to Fruition.

Did you find me one in the pile?

[Bagby]

Update on the Not so No.5 project.
I finally made some time for myself and did some preliminary shaping of the grip frame and grips.

The frame is as close to fit as it is going to be till I decide which gun it will live on. 
I like the 4 5/8 however I do have a 6.5 flattop 357 it could go on just as well.

Concerning the grips, Rasps and files are slow but it is getting there. I plan on the grips being the flat bottom type. So far it has been fun. Due to this forum I have been able to look at pictures of lots of No.5s, see the contours and make some educated guesses as to the basic shape. That has been very helpful.
A big thank you to all who have posted their pictures on this forum over the years. Y’all have made this a much more pleasant process.  









Thanks,
Jonathan. 

[foxtrapper]

Looks great! The more I see that Clements hammer actually installed ,the more I’m warming up to it!

[Jamey Worrell]

May 21, 2020 12:21:05 GMT -5 leadhound said:

Had a couple arrive as well, any recommendations on having fitted. Dare not try it myself.

Bobby Tyler did mine...great job!

[reflex264]

Looking good. One of the beauties of the RW thing is being able to tailor fit it to your hand. I put just enough palm swell on the right side to index it in my hand. I am sure you have figured out something for your as well. Ronnie is the man.

[Sarge]

As I said on another forum-

"Ronnie should get a Nobel Peace Prize for humanitarian effort in civilizing the New Model Ruger."

[gcf]

Grip panels look great! They follow the front & back radius nicely - which takes a good bit of effort. Kudos!

I put a set of Ronnie's mylar on my factory .480 Bisley GF. Asked Ronnie how he would recommend starting out. He said "kinda depends on what tools you have to work with". Told him I had a bunch of sand paper. "That's gonna take forever" he says. True dat...

Ended up (carefully) roughing out with a dremel, then following with a rasp, then a couple grades of emery. Still took forever - little at a time, but I learned a lot, & happy with the results.

[bradshaw]

Thanks,
Jonathan. [/quote]

*****

Jonathan.... excellent progress.

A lateral arc across backstrap directs recoil away from the base of my thumb. To shoot----in process----a RWGF insures the the revolver does more than feel good in your hand. Especially when the issue is RECOIL MANAGEMENT and CONSERVATION of ANATOMY. The flat backstrap concentrates heavy recoil at the base of my thumb, a recipe for damage. Some large hands prefer the flat backstrap, with rounding grip panels only. If both styles feel good----until the revolver recoils----shaping must follow the Firing Line.


Jargon to ease grip discussion
Profile----side view.
Contour----shape of grip, as seen from: back, front, top, bottom.
David Bradshaw

[Bagby]

Thanks for the kinks words all. I did a little more work this afternoon on the profile. I prefer the grips to be narrower at the front and thicker at the back.
The shape still needs more tuning. Thankfully  I enjoy the work. Here are a some pictures of the grip frame on the 357. Flattop I have, then a bottom view showing the front to back contour. 

[cr390gt]

Very sweet looking I can’t wait to get mine from Ronnie he’s a master