contender
Ruger Guru
Quite often,, many casual gun buyers or owners do not care about the looks of a gun, or how a set of grips fit or whatever. I see it all the time.
But for those of us who appreciate the art of a well built machine like a Ruger SA handgun,, and want them to be properly fitted with a set of grips that compliments the machine,, it can be quite frustrating or downright infuriating. When Ruger had the company "Lett" making the grips,, they mostly fit very well. Once Lett stopped making grips & closed up shop,, Ruger was left scrambling to find a replacement grip maker. So far,, thanks to contracts, not as precise grip frame measurements, and the fact that very few companies can mass produce the quantities necessary for Ruger,, we are left with grips that just don't fit as well. Add in the fact that Ruger has gotten better at making the frames to where they don't require as much polishing that reduced the measurements, and the grip makers using measurements from well polished (older) grip frames,, we have the current issues with cosmetic anomalies.
Now add in the fact that people's hands are all different sizes, a need for custom grips pops up.
Many people think grip making is hard or have some fear of trying to make them. I know I used to feel that long ago. Well, I decided one day,, knowing I can make all kinds of stuff, figured "Why not try making some grips?"
I selected (2) types of wood to work with. Some cedar & some plain walnut. Knowing the cedar is soft, and the walnut harder,, I'd get a feel for how to work the wood.
My first few sets,, not something I'd prefer to show,, yet, I've kept them, and have shown my mistakes. But one thing was glaringly simple. I was wrong to feel scared or thinking it would be too hard. I taught myself to make grips. I did get some excellent coaching from caryc to assist me in my projects. (If you find a set of Cary's grips,, they are stunning & some of the best I've ever seen.)
Basically, you learn what to do in what order, and you can surprise yourself. My first set,, out of cedar,, do not fit like I'd hoped. yet, Miss Penny thinks they are very pretty. Cedar is pretty,, but too soft for real field use. My plain walnut set came out better, but still have flaws in the fit flowing into the frame. And my drilling of the screw & ferrule holes needed to be done differently.
But by the 3rd & 4th set,, I was surprising myself.
Long ago,, well before the stupid stuff about real ivory,, I managed to get a set of blanks for grips,, and a slice of a tusk that will make a set. I only make grips occasionally, and before I delve into those,, I plan on making some grips to get back into the groove of doing it right before I tackle them. And I also have some Dall Sheep, and Bighorn sheep blanks. Those will also await the time when my mind & skills are honed a bit better. But they are coming.
My point to this is simple. If you have moderate skills with your hands, and access to a few tools, you can make your own grips to fit your hands. I started with a small dual purpose sander,, that has a 1" belt, and a 5" disc. I bought that tool long ago at a flea market,, for $25. I bought the grip ferrule drill & countersink tool set from Brownells, and a bunch of screws & ferrules from Ruger. I use a jig saw to rough cut the blanks, (oversized) to shape. I also have a drill press that I use to make sure my screw holes & my locator pin holes are straight. With just those tools you can fashion grips if you take your time, and go slow. I'd often just work on part of something & stop. Just to allow myself relaxation and lose any frustrations I may have felt.
You just have to TAKE YOUR TIME and make sure things fit as you desire. And start with cheap wood, to learn what to do & what not to do.
But for those of us who appreciate the art of a well built machine like a Ruger SA handgun,, and want them to be properly fitted with a set of grips that compliments the machine,, it can be quite frustrating or downright infuriating. When Ruger had the company "Lett" making the grips,, they mostly fit very well. Once Lett stopped making grips & closed up shop,, Ruger was left scrambling to find a replacement grip maker. So far,, thanks to contracts, not as precise grip frame measurements, and the fact that very few companies can mass produce the quantities necessary for Ruger,, we are left with grips that just don't fit as well. Add in the fact that Ruger has gotten better at making the frames to where they don't require as much polishing that reduced the measurements, and the grip makers using measurements from well polished (older) grip frames,, we have the current issues with cosmetic anomalies.
Now add in the fact that people's hands are all different sizes, a need for custom grips pops up.
Many people think grip making is hard or have some fear of trying to make them. I know I used to feel that long ago. Well, I decided one day,, knowing I can make all kinds of stuff, figured "Why not try making some grips?"
I selected (2) types of wood to work with. Some cedar & some plain walnut. Knowing the cedar is soft, and the walnut harder,, I'd get a feel for how to work the wood.
My first few sets,, not something I'd prefer to show,, yet, I've kept them, and have shown my mistakes. But one thing was glaringly simple. I was wrong to feel scared or thinking it would be too hard. I taught myself to make grips. I did get some excellent coaching from caryc to assist me in my projects. (If you find a set of Cary's grips,, they are stunning & some of the best I've ever seen.)
Basically, you learn what to do in what order, and you can surprise yourself. My first set,, out of cedar,, do not fit like I'd hoped. yet, Miss Penny thinks they are very pretty. Cedar is pretty,, but too soft for real field use. My plain walnut set came out better, but still have flaws in the fit flowing into the frame. And my drilling of the screw & ferrule holes needed to be done differently.
But by the 3rd & 4th set,, I was surprising myself.
Long ago,, well before the stupid stuff about real ivory,, I managed to get a set of blanks for grips,, and a slice of a tusk that will make a set. I only make grips occasionally, and before I delve into those,, I plan on making some grips to get back into the groove of doing it right before I tackle them. And I also have some Dall Sheep, and Bighorn sheep blanks. Those will also await the time when my mind & skills are honed a bit better. But they are coming.
My point to this is simple. If you have moderate skills with your hands, and access to a few tools, you can make your own grips to fit your hands. I started with a small dual purpose sander,, that has a 1" belt, and a 5" disc. I bought that tool long ago at a flea market,, for $25. I bought the grip ferrule drill & countersink tool set from Brownells, and a bunch of screws & ferrules from Ruger. I use a jig saw to rough cut the blanks, (oversized) to shape. I also have a drill press that I use to make sure my screw holes & my locator pin holes are straight. With just those tools you can fashion grips if you take your time, and go slow. I'd often just work on part of something & stop. Just to allow myself relaxation and lose any frustrations I may have felt.
You just have to TAKE YOUR TIME and make sure things fit as you desire. And start with cheap wood, to learn what to do & what not to do.
grip. Let's face it. The grips get slightly loose when shooting and I Hate loose grips. So I just have to be more careful, speaking for myself. But yeah, I hear ya. I tried ordering twice from Ruger and they looked just like yours. I put them on. Tried playing with them to see if they could look better and at the end of the day, they looked just like your picture. I took them off
