[mark yundt]

Hi again, here I utilized some carving in another area of my life. I didn't like the grips that came with my match pistol so I made some out of cherry that fit my hand like a glove.For those of you not into target shooting the "beaver tail" balances the weight of the gun against your wrist so you don't have to really grip the gun, just let it extend out of your arm. Some time I'll have to show you the shooting box I made out of mahogany and birch with a handle almost like this grip.

[squbrigg]

Nice looking grips. Look very comfortable. Well done.

Bob

[AlArchie]

That sure is a "purdy" set of grips, Mark! All X's!

Al

[wade clark]

Mark,
Wow! Very nice! Did you have a basic pattern to work with? Did you do a model in clay? Tell us more!
Is that a Ruger Huntsman II? It looks like one I have, great target/rabbit/plinking gun!
I've thought about carving custom grips for it. My wife and I have North American Arms 5-shot .22 mag. derringers that I want to carve grips for.
Did you carve the side that attaches to the gun first, then just keep remoring til it felt right? Tell us more about the process, please!
Wade

[Kenny_S]

Yep, That is what got me interested in wood carving was making grips for several pistols I own and a couple of stocks for my hunting rifles. Several people thought I was nuts using triple A grade walnut for a hunting rifle. But,,,,
Those are some nice grips Mark. Like the finger rest.

[mark yundt]

This was a tough gun to make grips for, it's a Ruger 22 Match that I've since added a red dot scope to.The challenge ,as opposed to the S&W 41 match is where the slide and mag releases are, and how it has to break apart to still clean the gun.But the basic process (abbreviated) is to take 2 slabs of wood and recess them into the left and right sides of the frame, it's shallow, so they don't drag on the inserted mag, and this indexes the grips. Use the orig. grips to find where the notches are for the slide releases and also where the holes should be for the screws.you can use the orig. screws in countersunk holes but I went to a hobby store and bought several lengths to give me some flexability and have a bit more strength by keeping the wood a bit thicker under the screw head.Now you can mount the fat blocks on to the gun ,determine the distance between them (the actual thickness of the grips frame) and make 2 fillerpieces to go front and back.I glued one filler to the left and one to the right . Now the fun begins taking this big block of wood now hanging off the back of your gun and start carving/grinding to get it to fit your hand..Be careful, 'cause if that Kutzall get's away from you it'll make a mess out of the finish on your gun real quick!As a precaution I covered it with several layers of duct tape , man is that stuff handy or what? Ultimately I wanted the gun grip to feel as though I grabbed a block of clay and squeezed it till it fit my hand. I did use this as a way to see the basic shape of where to start but kept sculpting /testing, till it felt just right.Then just final sand and finish. I used poly 'cause its such a hard finish and thought it would hold up to the oils and occasional solvent.

[Bartster]

mark,

great looking set of grips,

bart

[Mitchell]

One of the first commission carving(s) that I did was to make a set of grips.....nothing as "fancy" as what you have there. Very nice. If I remember correctly, I made mine out of Holly - looked almost like Ivory.

[wade clark]

Mark,
Thanks! I'm looking forward to trying it!
Is the Ruger Target hard to break down? I had a .22-45 that was very difficult. Haven't tried to dis-assemble my Huntsman yet. My Ruger .45 is a breeze, I can break it down and re-assemble it in 50 seconds--it was so easy I had to time myself!

[mark yundt]

Yes, this one is a bit awkward. My favorite is a 1911... one of my all time favorite pistols, but nothing is easier than the model 41 S&W, just hinge out the triggerguard and the gun is apart.