Birdshead Grip Comment and Question...

I have acquired a Birdshead New Vaquero. I do like the shape of Birdshead grips, but I don't necessarily like the extra width of the grip. I hope you can see in the photo, the grip panels on the Birdshead are somewhat thicker than standard grips.





Now the question. Birdshead grips are easily found after market, and I'd be willing to try them in hopes the panels would be less thick. But, with all the differences in gripframe sizes, I cannot find anywhere where it says if Birdshead grips on the Vaquero and New Vaquero are the same size, and the after market grip makers do not list a choice between the two. Anybody know?

WAYNO.

I believe they are the same. And my Eagle grip panels are almost identical in thickness to my factory Ruger panels.

The wood grips might feel thicker in your hand due to not much of a radius, they look more like a block of wood with not much curve to them compared to the white grips if you can see what I'm saying, they don't look like they were shaped very well and have way to much material on them around the edge.

The radius on the white grip ends at the back strap, the radius on the wood ends about 3/16th proud from the back strap them drops down straight, giving you a big bulky feel in your hand.

Joe S. said:

I believe they are the same. And my Eagle grip panels are almost identical in thickness to my factory Ruger panels.

Click to expand...

And this is the stuff I need to hear. Looking at their plastic panels, I just assumed they'd be thinner. Thanks.

6gun said:

The wood grips might feel thicker in your hand due to not much of a radius, they look more like a block of wood with not much curve to them compared to the white grips if you can see what I'm saying, they don't look like they were shaped very well and have way to much material on them around the edge.

The radius on the white grip ends at the back strap, the radius on the wood ends about 3/16th proud from the back strap them drops down straight, giving you a big bulky feel in your hand.

Click to expand...

I do see what you're saying. I'm just hoping that somebody would make these grips with far less than the square radius that are on the factory panels. I could even work the radius down myself if they were solid wood grips. But if I did it to these plywood grips, I don't know how well they'd survive.

WAYNO.

WAYNO said:

Joe S. said:

I believe they are the same. And my Eagle grip panels are almost identical in thickness to my factory Ruger panels.

Click to expand...

And this is the stuff I need to hear. Looking at their plastic panels, I just assumed they'd be thinner. Thanks.

6gun said:

The wood grips might feel thicker in your hand due to not much of a radius, they look more like a block of wood with not much curve to them compared to the white grips if you can see what I'm saying, they don't look like they were shaped very well and have way to much material on them around the edge.

The radius on the white grip ends at the back strap, the radius on the wood ends about 3/16th proud from the back strap them drops down straight, giving you a big bulky feel in your hand.

Click to expand...

I do see what you're saying. I'm just hoping that somebody would make these grips with far less than the square radius that are on the factory panels. I could even work the radius down myself if they were solid wood grips. But if I did it to these plywood grips, I don't know how well they'd survive.

WAYNO.

Click to expand...

Not going to say I'm 100% sure but I don't think the grips are plywood, with the grain on each layer going in a different direction, I believe they are laminated solid wood with the grain all going the same way and don't think there would be any problem working then to a better radius.

Wayno, I have an identical gun to yours and I have felt the same...thinner grip would be nice...I think...and I have found nothing to let me know if there is a difference in the thickness of factory and aftermarket grips.

6gun said:

WAYNO said:

Joe S. said:

I believe they are the same. And my Eagle grip panels are almost identical in thickness to my factory Ruger panels.

Click to expand...

And this is the stuff I need to hear. Looking at their plastic panels, I just assumed they'd be thinner. Thanks.

6gun said:

The wood grips might feel thicker in your hand due to not much of a radius, they look more like a block of wood with not much curve to them compared to the white grips if you can see what I'm saying, they don't look like they were shaped very well and have way to much material on them around the edge.

The radius on the white grip ends at the back strap, the radius on the wood ends about 3/16th proud from the back strap them drops down straight, giving you a big bulky feel in your hand.

Click to expand...

I do see what you're saying. I'm just hoping that somebody would make these grips with far less than the square radius that are on the factory panels. I could even work the radius down myself if they were solid wood grips. But if I did it to these plywood grips, I don't know how well they'd survive.

WAYNO.

Click to expand...

Not going to say I'm 100% sure but I don't think the grips are plywood, with the grain on each layer going in a different direction, I believe they are laminated solid wood with the grain all going the same way and don't think there would be any problem working then to a better radius.

Click to expand...

In my own sarcastic way, that's just how I refer to these laminated grip panels. Makes me worry that if I scraped the radius down to something that would please me better, I might not be able to refinish them as nice as they were to start with. But yep, I was also worried that making a longer radius would create a feathered edge that might not remain intact.

WAYNO.

Jim Luke said:

Wayno, I have an identical gun to yours and I have felt the same...thinner grip would be nice...I think...and I have found nothing to let me know if there is a difference in the thickness of factory and aftermarket grips.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

Ya know, it's probably not as big an issue as I'm making these grips to be.

I've always thought the birdshead grips and gripframe of the past was a bit blocky and clunky for what was otherwise a very suave handgun. Then Ruger turned the birdsheads out in the New Vaquero frame size and I figured they'd be the cats meow. I still think they are, other than that blocky set of grips.

I ain't done thinking about this, yet. :mrgreen:

WAYNO.

Funny, I actually felt the "plywood" grips were too thin!
I found some of the 'original' Vaquero Bird's Head black grips and put them on - feels better to me.
I have seen different Bird's head grips for sale on E-bay - including some of the original 'plywood' grips. You could find a second pair and play with them and keep your original pair for the 'collector value'.
I actually found a pair of the 'Last Cowboy" birds head grip panels and found them to be thinner.
You might start with a pair of square butt walnut grips and work them to your satisfaction.
Just musin'
Terry T

I like the broom handle or knob feel of the Uberti birds heads better, but whatever - Rugers are easily worked on and are widely available. If you file and sand yours a bit, just hit them with Tru-Oil and they'll look just like new. I have and the recontour helped quite a lot. Or get an aftermarket set.



Oly

First, thanks for all the tips.

Had to start somewhere, so I bought a set of virgin polymer ivory grips from Eagle. They don't differ much in thickness, as you fellers said they wouldn't, but the edge radius is slightly more contoured, giving the felt impression that the grips are thinner. You guys suggested that'd be the case too.

Photographing this gripframe with the Eagle grips is difficult, but I'm hoping you can see the difference in contour between these new grips, and the original grips shown at the top of this thread.








WAYNO.

The "Gunfighter" grips from Eagle are what I use on Ruger single action revolvers, and they have a much thinner profile than factory.

Your Eagle grips seem "regular" thickness, so if you still aren't satisfied, you could order up some "gunfighter" grips, and experience some much thinner grips.

If they're like the new reddish grips on Rugers now, they are stabilized. Don't worry about the edge. Go ahead and slim them down. If they are stabilized you could just polish them on a bench buffer.

It may be power of suggestion fantasy, but I thought I read in Ruger's specs on one of the more recent special run Birdsheads (.45 ACP maybe? -- unless that's what this gun is, maybe the TALO John Wayne .32?...other?) "gunfighter profile" or some such. It did have some checkering not dissimilar to the Eagle Gunfighters above, but not identical, and black micarta IIRC. When whatever that gun was came out, I was going to inquire with Ruger about a set as my observation (with my .32s) has been the same as the OP's and some others here, but never did. May be time to kick that rock over again.

EDIT: I'm having a hard time copying out if my photo server...if someone else can post a pic -- but it IS the John Wayne TALO .32 I was thinking of. they look either "hard rubber" or micarta, with a centered "JW."
Until someone can post, here it is, described as partially checkered ebony, no maker mentiined, but I believe I read elsewhere "gunfighter profile."
http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger-JWSS.htm

gak said:

May be power of suggestion fantasy, but I thought I read in Ruger's specs on one of the more recent special run Birdsheads (.45 ACP maybe? -- unless that's what this gun is, maybe the TALO John Wayne .32?...other?) "gunfighter profile" or some such. It did have some checkering not dissimilar to the Eagle Gunfighters above, but not identical, and black micarta IIRC. When whatever that gun was came out, I was going to inquire with Ruger about a set as my observation (with my .32s) has been the same as the OP's and some others here, but never did. May be time to kick that rock over again.

EDIT: I'm having a hard time copying out if my photo server...if someone else can post a pic -- but it IS the John Wayne TALO .32 I was thinking of. they look either "hard rubber" or micarta, with a centered "JW."

Click to expand...

Just set your browser to search on images "Ruger John Wayne Talo". You'll see lots of pics originally posted on Gunblast. They were ebony wood grips. Of course there's no telling if they were true ebony or just some wood dyed black.

Cary, you read my mind just as I posted the Gunblast page address above. Just couldn't copy a pic URL directly out of my photo server I wanted to.

olyinaz said:

I like the broom handle or knob feel of the Uberti birds heads better, but whatever - Rugers are easily worked on and are widely available. If you file and sand yours a bit, just hit them with Tru-Oil and they'll look just like new. I have and the recontour helped quite a lot. Or get an aftermarket set.

Oly

Click to expand...

Are those reworked Ruger grip panels? They look great!

If they are, how did you get that deep red color? My grips are stained black - did you remove enough material to be able to restain them?

I built this gun and like both grips

HeavyDuty,

Those laminated wood grips are made from layers of dyed wood. You will never get that color out of them no matter how much you sand them.

This is a comparison between grip panels for the Birdshead grip frame that I own: Talo Black Laminate, Prestige Carbon Fiber, and Ruger Factory Black Micarta Grip Panels.

They are all roughly the same thickness at the top, but the heels are very different. The Black Micarta Factory Panels are far and away the thickest, with the Prestige Carbon Fiber Panels coming in as thinnest. It's hard to tell in the pic, but the Carbons are notably thinner in hand than the Talo Black Laminate Panels.