Fitting Tombstone Grips

Installing grips often involves more than simply screwing grips onto the frame. Quite often some fitting is needed. I have discovered less-than-ideal fit on many modern revolvers. The procedures I have used to realign and fit these grips is simple but requires attention to detail. A good source for aftermarket grips for classic firearms is Tombstone Grips (TombstoneGrips.com, fax Over the past decade or so I have used quite a few sets from Tombstone.

They offer modern synthetic grips for many popular revolvers as well as some for the more difficult-to-find handguns, such as the Colt 1903. The grips are well made of good material and they are not difficult to properly fit when the initial fit is not perfect. They’re purposely made just a bit over sized as there are variances in production specifications among handguns. Fitting the grips properly to a vintage handgun is important and so is adjusting and modifying the finish of the individual grips.

Other companies include Eagle Grips (EagleGrips.com, Gripmaker (Gripmaker. com, and MD Grips (MDgrips.com, As an example, a common type is their dark brown type grips. Some are dark and others have a more glossy black depending on what is ordered. The first step is to sand and fit the grips to the firearm. If you want to work the grip’s finish, it must be done after the panels have been modified to fit. Otherwise you will find that you are removing the highlights that you have added. Sand and fit the grips first.

Actually fitting the grips isn’t difficult. I line the top right front of the grip one panel at a time and am certain to only sand a very little amount of material away until I have properly fitted the grip panel. By starting with the right top of the grip panel first and getting a good, tight fit there, the lines of the rest of the grip are not difficult. The top fit gives an index and reference for the rest and the overlap at the bottom will remain until the very last bit of sanding.

A good procedure is to screw the grips to the frame using the grip screw. Carefully but forcefully, use a pencil to mark the portion that is hanging over the grip frame. I’ve even had to do this on new model Ruger grips and also on a Taylors & Company revolver to get the proper fit. That’s OK as it wasn’t a bad chore but was something the customer had to pay in addition to the purchase price. By marking the overhang carefully with a pencil, it isn’t difficult to get the job done and get back to a perfect fit.

I use 400 grit for the initial sanding. Later, for the finger sanding and getting a smooth surface, I switch to 600 grit. Next, mark the grips for the alignment pin. When you are certain the grips are fitted properly, mark the spot on the grip where the alignment pin hole will be drilled. Tombstone Grips does not supply grips with the hole already drilled, so this is a necessary move. Some producers, such as Gripmaker, offer single action revolver grips with more than one option for fitting.

One option allows the user to use an insert between the grips to glue the grips together. The grip frame must be removed to remove these. An alternative is to drill a hole for a grip screw and socket. I have removed the alignment pin before fitting the grip. After I have the grip properly sized and fitted based on how it is to be mounted, Ire-insert the alignment pin.

I sometimes lightly press the grip panel to the frame in checking the alignment pin, making a small indentation where the alignment pin will meet the grips. This isn’t difficult. The hole in the grip must be

exact. I put the grip in a padded vise and then carefully use a hand drill and painstakingly drill the hole. A power drill just isn’t exact enough for this type of close work and I feel much more comfortable with the hand drill. Polishing And Finishing With the grips fitted, it’s time to polish. Not long ago I obtained a nice vintage shoe polishing stand at a flea market for a pittance.

It was filled with black and brown paste The index pin in the handle must also be removed as it is causing the grip to rise and not allowing for a good fit. shoe polish that comes in tins. Being wax based, this works well for polishing Tombstone and similar types of grips and be readily applied with a toothbrush and was perfect for the dark grips. While grips like this appear to have a smooth finish, there are actually pores in the finish—even small fissures—formed when the grips are molded.

Using a toothbrush with a stiff bristle, tap it across the shoe polish. Brown on brown is fine but using black to make for contrasting stripes against the grips also makes for a great looking finish. Move the brush’s bristles against the grips to give a dark, streaked appearance. The motion must be fairly hard as to work the polish into the pores and fissures. Use a motion similar to polishing a shoe to buff the finish with black polish. If desired, an overlay of brown can be added.

This results is an excellent finish with brown and black lines overlapping. Seal the grips. The wax used in leather work such as to seal holsters works well, however, I’ve found a good finish can be obtained by buffing with standard car wax. Grip Materials Some smooth grips are synthetic and made to look like ivory or bone. Ivory and bone are increasingly expensive and difficult to obtain so the common alternative is to use some type of synthetic. The difference is profound but it is

These turned out well. what it is. Natural materials such as bone have fine lines and even pits in the surface and this results in a developed, individual look over the years. It’s possible to approach this look with a standard synthetic grip by using a rough grade of sandpaper to rough up the surface. Run the sandpaper in the direction of the grain you wish to simu- Stag could possibly be waxed with shoe polish and removed if desired. late.

I am lucky to have on hand bone and ivory grips to work with as they make for a good comparison to composite grips. The fissures or grooves created by hand will result in a place for polishing material to lay trapped and this will make for contrast in the finish. As long as the grooves are not too deep, sand the grip smooth if you do not like it. 80 to 100 grit will get a well-worn look. The correct look is for a naturally-appearing surface grain while the wrong look appears as a scratched grip.

Be certain to apply the finish in only one direction. When you apply the finish to a smooth grip it doesn’t adhere very well and you may have a finish that is easily brushed away with normal use. The lines you have scratched and rubbed into the grip provide a nice mortise for the finish to lay in and harden. An aged treatment may be obtained by carefully sanding or roughening the edges of the grip and applying dark polish. Just be certain to not alter the final fit of the grip to the grip frame by doing this.

Tombstone Grips and other, similar types can be readily made into a custom fit and polished appearance. These aren’t difficult to work with and can result in a very pleasing result. AG