Taurus 44 Revolver Grips (w/progress pics)

[tocws2002]

Had an order for some custom revolver grips for a Taurus M44 revolver, so I got out of my comfort zone and decided to give them a try. These are full wrap-around made to fit the specific frame. Due to the size and thickness of the grips I finally found, after much looking, a suitable piece of dyed and stabilized curly maple on eBay. Sent pics to the customer and he decided that was the piece he wanted the grips made out of, which was one of the more expensive pieces of wood (per bdft) that I've purchased. After a fair amount of time deliberating on my process, I decided to just jump in and get to work. I originally planned on doing a prototype out of less expensive wood, but eventually opted not to. Below are progress pics and the finished grips, which are a little thicker than the original, which is want the customer requested. All in all, they weren't too bad, just took a little planning, some templates, and lots of sanding and filing to get them to their finished state.

Wood Blank ~6" x 6" x 7/8"


Templates for routing and fitting to frame, shaping, and sanding


Inside Grip Routing Stepped Layers


Fitting to Frame




Cut to Rough Shape.







Shaping, filing, sanding, fitting, sanding, filing, shaping, fitting, filing, sanding, shaping, fitting.....




To be continued....

 

[daniscool]

Had an order for some custom revolver grips for a Taurus M44 revolver, so I got out of my comfort zone and decided to give them a try. These are full wrap-around made to fit the specific frame. Due to the size and thickness of the grips I finally found, after much looking, a suitable piece of dyed and stabilized curly maple on eBay. Sent pics to the customer and he decided that was the piece he wanted the grips made out of, which was one of the more expensive pieces of wood (per bdft) that I've purchased. After a fair amount of time deliberating on my process, I decided to just jump in and get to work. I originally planned on doing a prototype out of less expensive wood, but eventually opted not to. Below are progress pics and the finished grips, which are a little thicker than the original, which is want the customer requested. All in all, they weren't too bad, just took a little planning, some templates, and lots of sanding and filing to get them to their finished state.

Wood Blank ~6" x 6" x 7/8"
View attachment 288023

Templates for routing and fitting to frame, shaping, and sanding
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Inside Grip Routing Stepped Layers
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Fitting to Frame
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Cut to Rough Shape.
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Shaping, filing, sanding, fitting, sanding, filing, shaping, fitting, filing, sanding, shaping, fitting.....
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To be continued....

Making handles is so satisfying. I do most of my carving tools handles myself because it saves money, has a better result and is an amazing project to do.

 

[tocws2002]

Getting closer...






Comparison to the factory grip (new grip is a little thicker in the palm swell)





Finished Grips - Mulitple Coats of Tru-Oil

 

[daniscool]

Getting closer...
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Comparison to the factory grip (new grip is a little thicker in the palm swell)
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Finished Grips - Mulitple Coats of Tru-Oil


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Getting closer? Looks finished to me.

 

[tocws2002]

They are finished and have been delivered to the customer.

 

[Nature Man]

Getting closer...
View attachment 288086

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Comparison to the factory grip (new grip is a little thicker in the palm swell)
View attachment 288092




Finished Grips - Mulitple Coats of Tru-Oil
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Beautiful! Definitely worth it in the end!

 

[DLJeffs]

Wow, quite a bit of work goes into a set like that. Nicely done. Two questions:
(1) in the 4th photo, it shows a spring tensioned rod running down into the grips, I guess it's for the cocking hammer. But in the last few photos it appears there's a rivet or screw passing through the grip. Is that below that spring tensioned rod?
(2) do you glue these together or are they held in place by a close fit and that single rivet / screw? I'm assuming the latter so one can remove the grips to access that spring tensioned rod. Which means the fit has to be pretty precise or the grips will wiggle and loosen over time.

Very cool.

 

[tocws2002]

Wow, quite a bit of work goes into a set like that. Nicely done. Two questions:
(1) in the 4th photo, it shows a spring tensioned rod running down into the grips, I guess it's for the cocking hammer. But in the last few photos it appears there's a rivet or screw passing through the grip. Is that below that spring tensioned rod?
(2) do you glue these together or are they held in place by a close fit and that single rivet / screw? I'm assuming the latter so one can remove the grips to access that spring tensioned rod. Which means the fit has to be pretty precise or the grips will wiggle and loosen over time.

Very cool.

Thank you. It was a fair amount of work, but it was also the first time I tried this style of grip, so it took me longer than it would on another set.

To answer your questions:
1. The grip screw passes below the mainspring through the open circle/area of the frame.
2. The grips are not glued together. It's a pretty snug fit to the frame, but there is also a locating pin at the bottom front of the frame. The grips have a hole drilled in them that fit snugly over the locating pin. Brass escutcheons are installed in each grip (one is a through hole, the other is threaded) in which the screw goes through one grip, then the frame, and then gets screwed into the other grip.

Here's an example of a locating pin.




Here is a stock internet photo of the grip screws and escutcheons.

 

[DLJeffs]

Thanks for explaining how those attach. That "snug fit" makes your work even more impressive in order for the grips not to be loose.

 

[ripjack13]

Jason, those came out great! I'm loving the green and reds(?) in there. Very cool man....

 

[tocws2002]

Jason, those came out great! I'm loving the green and reds(?) in there. Very cool man....

The "reds" are actually some bark inclusions and natural coloring (more brown in person), but definitely add to the overall look. I was happy how they turned out and fit well in the hand.

-jason

 

[tocws2002]

Thanks for explaining how those attach. That "snug fit" makes your work even more impressive in order for the grips not to be loose.

The grips are also held in position by the "step" that's routed into the grip and fits into the cutout of the frame, as shown below. There were several things that had to fit correctly, which is why I made the templates.