A54 Frame Low Medallion Walnut Grip Panels

[NH Rugerman]

How unique/rare are the Walnut Low Medallion Grip Panels for the A54 framed Ruger Pistols?

I just purchased a set because I had never seen a set in person, only in Chad’s great “Encyclopedia of Ruger” book.

Thanks for any insight you may have on regarding these grip panels.

 

[contender]

Not as common as the higher medallion ones. Good snag there.

 

[Dan in MI]

That raises two questions for me.
Is the low medallion early or later production? Similarly are red eagles high or low? (Or both)

 

[NH Rugerman]

That raises two questions for me.
Is the low medallion early or later production? Similarly are red eagles high or low? (Or both)

Dan
I believe they are early production, but I am not 100% sure of that.

The Red Eagles are all high to my knowledge.

 

[rugerguy]

that is really neat, I always wondered of it was a "Friday" build, in a hurry and put the grip panel in the jig fixture upside down or backwards, then "corrected" the medallion ';orientation"...........

was 'Sile' the vendor for these back then????

 

[NH Rugerman]

that is really neat, I always wondered of it was a "Friday" build, in a hurry and put the grip panel in the jig fixture upside down or backwards, then "corrected" the medallion ';orientation"...........

was 'Sile' the vendor for these back then????

I believe it may have been but I have not been able to confirm that….or who the supplier was to Ruger at the time.

 

[chet15]

We believe the grip panels started out as walnut thumbrest. While manufacturing (the grip maker SILE?), something happened to the thumbrest, chipping or whatever, then the thumbrest was just taken off the side and the checkering completed over the whole panel.
I suppose it depends on when the maker drilled the medallion hole. One would think the medallion hole would be drilled after the grip (thumbrest) was formed. So perhaps these didn't start out as walnut thumbrest at all?
I don't believe I've ever seen a set of low medallion panels on a gun, they all seem to have been offered in the 1980's as checkered flatpanels, not on the gun. Perhaps they were considered "seconds" so were sold that way as well. But they weren't early at all! All have post 1966 medallions.
Chet15

 

[NH Rugerman]

Thanks, Chet…now I need to ask what is the difference between the early medallions and the post 1966 medallions?

 

[rugerguy]

I believe its the width ( thickness? ) of the birds neck...and I recall when Sile was closing these walnut panels out some years ago, they sold for like $6 a pair and we bought quite a few of them just to get the black eagle medallions for other grip panels,,,had to buy two pairs ( set) just to get ONE pair of medallions..........wish we had bought MORE !!!

and my wife says NO < she has NEVER seen these "new" on any guns she ever looked at or bought or collected.......

 

[chet15]

Thanks, Chet…now I need to ask what is the difference between the early medallions and the post 1966 medallions?

yes, the post '66 has a fat neck, but easier to tell for me is to look at the comb of the bird right above his eye. Pre'66 medallions have the comb that comes down then inward above the eye. On the Post '66 the comb is half moon in shape.
Chet15

 

[NH Rugerman]

Boy, i need someone to point the differences between the pre and post 66 medallions!!

 

[chet15]

Boy, i need someone to point the differences between the pre and post 66 medallions!!

As mentioned above.... Just look at the top of the head. Pre-66 style bird has the forehead of the eagle sloping down and inward in front of the eye, whereas the forehead of the post '66 medallion is sloped over, in half-moon shape.
Chet15