Ugly Laminated Grips on Newer Rugers

those cheap-looking laminated wood grips remind me of low-budget pawnshop knives marked: "Pakistan".

Bill would NOT approve.

Somehow someone managed to convince gun owners that plywood stocks are a good thing.

The only viable reason for using plywood instead of real wood is wartime emergencies on military firearms.

Pistols have cheap grips and rifles have cheap plastic stocks for one reason......US, the consumer. For the most part we are cheap and want to pay as little as possible. Want a very nicely finished SA revolver, great quality, with some nice hand made grips? Freedom Arms and others are a phone call away. Want the same thing for $400........not going to happen. Ruger has simply followed the trend of the buyers

gtxmonte said:

Pistols have cheap grips and rifles have cheap plastic stocks for one reason......US, the consumer. For the most part we are cheap and want to pay as little as possible. Want a very nicely finished SA revolver, great quality, with some nice hand made grips? Freedom Arms and others are a phone call away. Want the same thing for $400........not going to happen. Ruger has simply followed the trend of the buyers

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Exactly, take that $500 new revolver and force customers to pay for custom grips.
The price becomes too high to compete.

I consider grips on a gun like wheels on a performance car. You know you will swap them out for something you like better! But I want the gun to first function and shoot correctly for my money spent.

Jeepnik said:

Somehow someone managed to convince gun owners that plywood stocks are a good thing.

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Well, laminated stocks are stable, weatherproof and don't swell or warp. That, and the atrociously high cost of even plain walnut might have something to do with it.

OTOH...Many of Rugers handguns of the past came with black plastic grips. And in the parts list of the owners manual, upgraded grips were available for extra cost. I'll speak for myself, but I bet I'm speaking for others. Give us the opportunity to spend a little more, and lose those awful plywood and/or rosewood grips.

WAYNO

I actually like the burgundy colored laminated grips, but the plain brown ones are fugly.

i only wish Ruger has a custo shop like some of the other companies. We could order a gun hoe we want, with options for sights and upgraded gtips or different finishes. Sure it would cost more but i bet many people wou!d do it. Especially if they get a better fit and finish on the gun itself.

on the other hand, i have a set of the black laminate grips on a blued single six and it looks pretty good.

Kevin said:

i only wish Ruger has a custo shop like some of the other companies. We could order a gun hoe we want, with options for sights and upgraded gtips or different finishes. Sure it would cost more but i bet many people wou!d do it. Especially if they get a better fit and finish on the gun itself.

on the other hand, i have a set of the black laminate grips on a blued single six and it looks pretty good.

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Everyone always refers to the "bean counters" so if that really was the reason behind everything as so many are quick to claim AND if such a custom shop really was a viable and worthwhile route, wouldn't why be doing it? . The GOOD gunsmiths are busy because there are some that will pay the $$$ for that even of work. Let those willing to do it, go that route - they'll get a (likely) better end result. If it's just to say "hey, I have a custom ____" it's being done for the wrong reasons.

As to the OP and the current grips... with Lett long gone there really isn't another operation with the capabilities to provide. Now if someone were to step up and start making those types of grips in mass quantities... Anyone volunteering?

22/45 Fan said:

Jeepnik said:

Somehow someone managed to convince gun owners that plywood stocks are a good thing.

Click to expand...

Well, laminated stocks are stable, weatherproof and don't swell or warp. That, and the atrociously high cost of even plain walnut might have something to do with it.

Click to expand...

You beat me to it, laminates are stable no doubt I still prefer solid ps

Some of 'em are pretty doggone ugly, I got a pair once that were flat, dull, pink. I buffed them & the color turned to the aforementioned burgundy & looked a lot better. But,they were an 1/8" shy of the grip frame though & wound up in a junk box anyway.
One vendor for laminates is Altimont, & they are capable of producing a very nice grip. But those don't seem to be the ones Ruger is ordering.

If they're ergonomically good, durable, and comfortable to shoot with, I don't care if they're made of dolphin/kitten/puppy skin. If they don't appeal to me visually, I'd just get aftermarket ones, like nice comfy Hogue grips.

I don't mind the laminated handgun grips but I can't stand Ruger's laminated rifle stocks. The ones with the orange & green colors.

I am in the camp of "don't care". The grips will come off anyway and a custom set will be acquired that 'fit' the grip frame properly.

Just a matter of taste, IMO. I rather like the black & silver laminated grips I put on my SBH:

The Hogue fancy hardwood grips which you can get in solid or laminated are good solid grips, and I personally like the laminated ones, they look and perform great, and by no means are they cheap, and will never warp or crack, plus with solid colors scratches can be buffed to be completely invisible. So what's the problem?

the problem is:

Ruger laminated grips look cheap because they are cheap. They use them to save money. Cheap.

And ugly, too.

We pay enough for the company's products to deserve better.

I kind of like the Laminate grips. I think they look very good on the pistols. That being said out of the six Ruger revolvers that I doo own, only two have the stock grips on them. I even took a old set of Ruger stock grips that came on a 1972 model Single Six and filed them a whole lot thinner to put on my New Single Six Hunter. I have smaller hands and like the lighter color wood and thinner grip.

My mistake, I thought this was about all laminated grips, I have no experience with the ruger laminated grips so I can't comment on those, but I would stand behind the Hogue's for sure . All the ruger revolvers I bought had the rubber grips, some are now Hogue laminates some are stock, but will probably have the Hogue laminates soon.