grips

pohill

New member
I also posted this on THR.
I got these grips. I was told they were either bone or ivory. They are cold on my face, they are heavy, a red hot pin will not penetrate the surface (it broke). One has a purple stain.
Any ideas on what they are?
DSCF4685_zpsd6620b32.jpg

DSCF4686_zps535e1f35.jpg

DSCF4688_zps39a980e5.jpg
 

Pahoo

New member
My SWAG says, Ivory

To me, the color, size and grain, looks right for Ivory. Not only that, but they look old and in keeping with the access to Ivory back when many things were made of Ivory ..... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 

pohill

New member
I didn't think they were ivory until I researched and did some tests. Now I think they are.
Now I gotta figure out what kind of gun they go on. They're about 3 1/2" long.
 

PetahW

New member
.

Yep, Ivory - bone has more visible pores.


They definitely look like they fit a single-action revolver - I'm trying to remember where I've seen a flat-sided gripframe with that large circular opening around/below the gripscrew hole (aka: a clue ;) )


.
 

pohill

New member
I tried them on a Remington-Beals .36, Whitney .36, Remington New Model .44, Spiller & Burr repro...close but not a fit on any.
 

swathdiver

New member
Remington also had two smaller framed guns between the Navy and Pocket, the New Model Belt and New Model Police, could be those too. Ruger also had a small revolver, the Bearcat maybe, with a similar grip shape but those guns are about 50-60 years old and the grips look much older to me.
 

savit260

New member
If those are the same grips that were in another thread somewhere, they likely belong on a Colt New Service.

The grain on the bottom of the grips don't really look like ivory to me, but it's tough to say from a pic on the internet. That could just be the pic though. Ivory was a popular upgrade back in the day.
 

pohill

New member
I've posted the pics on 3 forums. Some replies say they're positively ivory, a few said bone, several said there's no way to ID them from those pics. It is tough IDing them from pics. I also think they're from a Colt Service, Special, Detective, etc - along those lines. I'm going to bring them to a local store this weekend that has quite a few old Colts.
 

Captchee

New member
They sure look like ivory . I wonder could they be walrus tusk vs. elephant ?
i remeber reading some time ago something about the CMP puting walrus ivory on their pistols
 

savit260

New member
I'm about 99% sure they go on a double action Colt. The pic I saw on another forum looked far too big to fit a D frame (detective special, cobra, diamondback etc.) Could be an I/E frame (Python , Official Police, Officers Model etc.) but more likely the large frame New Service.

As to Elephant Ivory, I wouldn't want to say for certain unless they were in my hand. The grain really isn't visible enough IMO , in the pic to say for certain. The grain I can see, seems to be running in the opposite direction that I would expect to see on elephant ivory grips. It seems pretty clear it's some kind of natural material though. Bone, some other kind of ivory etc.
 

savit260

New member
The pic I'm referring to was with the grips next to a Speed Six, and they were clearly WAY too big for that size frame , which is fairly close to the I/E frame Colts. That's why I'd say New Service (large frame) Colt.
 
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