Old Colt 32 DA - Lexan Grips?

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DouglasB

New member
I inherited an old revolver labeled 32 Colt DA. The grips are 2 pieces (1 orange base, with clear plastic/ (lexan?) outer panel. My uncle put pin-up girl pics behind each side's inner and outer panels.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21629305@N06/

Question for you: Have you seen this type of after market grip before? I've never seen another set of grip panels like them and wondered if anyone on the forum knew how manufactured them (else they were hand made?).

If you are interested, the Colt SN is 222xx

I'm new to the forum, so hope this is the right place to post this question.
Best,
DB
 

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Al Thompson

Staff Alumnus
I've seen that before - on a WWII handgun carried by a soldier. The story was that the soldiers would get pieces of Lexan from the airmen and makes grips. The one I saw was a Mauser HsC.

HTH
 
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Mike Irwin

Staff
I believe that they may well be commercial grips.

I've seen them, or ones like them, before.

There was a company in the late 1940s or 1950s that made them. One of the advances of the post WW II plastics boom.


Oh, and World War II GIs wouldn't be making Lexan grips. Lexan wasn't discovered until 1953, and didn't come on the market commercially until several years later.
 
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Jim Watson

New member
These sure look like a commercial product with the different color backers.

I have seen a number of GI souvenir pistols with aircraft canopy Lucite grips, carved, sanded, and polished out with toothpaste. Sometimes seen with pictures of pinups or girlfriends, sometimes with nothing. On those, I figure Grandma made Grandpa take out racy pictures or snapshots of previous girlfriends.
 
D

DouglasB

New member
Uncle Fred

Thanks for the replies. The grips are neat and in nice shape. It's a nice piece with sentimental value mainly. My great uncle was indeed a WWII vet (Seabee) with a forearm tattoo similar to the ol pinup pics! -DB
 
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James K

Member In Memoriam
Based on my limited experience, the favorite WWII souvenir for such grips was the Radom. I have seen at least 10 Radoms with plexiglas grips, a couple with women's pictures underneath, some with just white paper to look like ivory. One even had pink paper! (No, don't ask!)

The reason is probably that the Radom has a flat frame and making grips was easy, where it would be very difficult with a Luger and impossible with a P.38.

Jim
 
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Mike Irwin

Staff
"He probably meant plexiglass."

Obviously. It's all clear now.

Get it? Clear? Plexiglass? BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBWWWWWWWWWWWWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHH!

Eh, you people don't have a sense of humor.
 
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