How does one fit a grip frame?
- Thread starter P89DC
- Start date
DeletedMember275
Hunter
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2002
- Messages
- 2,759
I bolt it up to the cylinder frame, and scribe a line where the grip frame meets the cylinder frame on both sides. Remove the grip frame and secure it in the vise. File the excess metal off until I'm very close to the lines, then remount the grip frame and check the fit. It gets rather tedious from there on. Dismount, file a little, remount and check. Repeat as needed. When I get right down to where the two align properly, I dismount the grip frame and polish the edges with progressively finer sandpaper on a sanding block. Go slow, and keep the edges square. Remember that you can always take more metal off, but it's real hard to put it back on!
Rainy Day Shooter
Single-Sixer
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2014
- Messages
- 106
I just fit a birdshead to my SBH. It took way longer than expected.
Time and patience is the key. Do NOT be in a hurry. I fit a birdshead to my Single Six and it took many hours of filing and fitting.
Jimbo357mag
Hawkeye
I always think of this thread when the topic of fitting a gripframe comes up.
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=163365&p=1641089&hilit=fitting#p1641089
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=163365&p=1641089&hilit=fitting#p1641089
Hondo44
Hawkeye
MATCH FITTING GRIP FRAMES:
New grip frames just come rough ground finished and some surfaces are right out of the mold, like the backstrap and sides.
It's not hard; with hand tools it will take you some time though. You'll also have to finish and polish the entire surface.
The blue will match the best if your final finish is the same grit as the gun. If you put a high polish on the grip frame, it will be too glossy and not match at all. The Ruger has a satin-like finish. Cold bluing won't last long on a grip frame. Brownells has some hot bluing kits, but lots'a work and additional cost. Gunsmiths usually have a minimum charge like $50 to $100 bucks for one part.
You might want to consider a stainless grip frame either new or used. In either case you can do the fitting and not have the added expense of bluing. Or just leave a steel frame "in the white", same look as stainless. A polished surface resists rusting with normal care and wipedown with oily rag after use like a blued surface.
Suggestion: you'll save a lot of work by shopping for a "take off" grip frame in forum 'classifieds' and on-line auctions. The fit will be close. The 'ears' fit depends on the vintage of your gun and that of the grip frame you find. Most will need fitting if you like the hammer base flush with the ears.
Fitting and finishing a new grip frame:
Forget about the Dremel tool for most of the work except perhaps the 'ears' around the hammer. It's the easiest way to get into trouble with gouges and uneven surfaces. You don't need a grinder or power buffer.
The best way to 'hog' off the majority of the excess metal is a belt sander, if you're confident in your ability to maintain flat surfaces. Or start with a mill file. Leave enough extra material after the coarse filing to be able to fine file and sand all the file marks out without making it below the level of the main frame.
Then draw file with a relatively fine flat file using chalk in the teeth to prevent galling (gouging) works best especially on SS since it’s a lot like filing aluminum alloy.
Then flat sand with a true flat surface small metal sanding block starting with 400, then 600, then 800. If you use 1200 then 2000 grit, the finer the grit you end up with, you can just polish to a shine and no buffing needed And therefore no risk of rounding the edges. Go slow and check fit to main frame often! And also to your grips for a perfect fit. If you’re going to blue the GF, stop sanding after using the 600 or 800 grit paper to match the finish on the gun.
You won’t need to do the entire surface of the grip frame with the same grit progression since the grip frame as it comes from Ruger is fairly finished already with only the top/backstrap and the small surface area of the sides as it came from the casting mold. For curved surfaces like the backstrap, trigger guard etc.; use crocus cloth like a shoe shine rag and a 1” x ¼” x 2” eraser for your sanding block to avoid leaving flattened areas. It will conform to the curved surfaces.
You may decide to stop with the grit that most closely matches your gun's satin finish. If you decide on a high gloss finish you'll need to buff slightly after the 2000 grit.
Use a power buffer with white stainless steel buffing compound but don't use the buffer on the side surfaces that you fitted to your frame. The buffing wheel is too large for your work surfaces and your nice sharp edges mating to the frame can get rounded! Use a 1" felt buffing bit in a Dremel tool with the white rouge if you don't have a buffer, but especially on the skinny side areas and stay away from the sharp edges. Buff parallel to the edges.
Don’t forget to finish the grip frame ears nice and flush to the hammer base.
New grip frames just come rough ground finished and some surfaces are right out of the mold, like the backstrap and sides.
It's not hard; with hand tools it will take you some time though. You'll also have to finish and polish the entire surface.
The blue will match the best if your final finish is the same grit as the gun. If you put a high polish on the grip frame, it will be too glossy and not match at all. The Ruger has a satin-like finish. Cold bluing won't last long on a grip frame. Brownells has some hot bluing kits, but lots'a work and additional cost. Gunsmiths usually have a minimum charge like $50 to $100 bucks for one part.
You might want to consider a stainless grip frame either new or used. In either case you can do the fitting and not have the added expense of bluing. Or just leave a steel frame "in the white", same look as stainless. A polished surface resists rusting with normal care and wipedown with oily rag after use like a blued surface.
Suggestion: you'll save a lot of work by shopping for a "take off" grip frame in forum 'classifieds' and on-line auctions. The fit will be close. The 'ears' fit depends on the vintage of your gun and that of the grip frame you find. Most will need fitting if you like the hammer base flush with the ears.
Fitting and finishing a new grip frame:
Forget about the Dremel tool for most of the work except perhaps the 'ears' around the hammer. It's the easiest way to get into trouble with gouges and uneven surfaces. You don't need a grinder or power buffer.
The best way to 'hog' off the majority of the excess metal is a belt sander, if you're confident in your ability to maintain flat surfaces. Or start with a mill file. Leave enough extra material after the coarse filing to be able to fine file and sand all the file marks out without making it below the level of the main frame.
Then draw file with a relatively fine flat file using chalk in the teeth to prevent galling (gouging) works best especially on SS since it’s a lot like filing aluminum alloy.
Then flat sand with a true flat surface small metal sanding block starting with 400, then 600, then 800. If you use 1200 then 2000 grit, the finer the grit you end up with, you can just polish to a shine and no buffing needed And therefore no risk of rounding the edges. Go slow and check fit to main frame often! And also to your grips for a perfect fit. If you’re going to blue the GF, stop sanding after using the 600 or 800 grit paper to match the finish on the gun.
You won’t need to do the entire surface of the grip frame with the same grit progression since the grip frame as it comes from Ruger is fairly finished already with only the top/backstrap and the small surface area of the sides as it came from the casting mold. For curved surfaces like the backstrap, trigger guard etc.; use crocus cloth like a shoe shine rag and a 1” x ¼” x 2” eraser for your sanding block to avoid leaving flattened areas. It will conform to the curved surfaces.
You may decide to stop with the grit that most closely matches your gun's satin finish. If you decide on a high gloss finish you'll need to buff slightly after the 2000 grit.
Use a power buffer with white stainless steel buffing compound but don't use the buffer on the side surfaces that you fitted to your frame. The buffing wheel is too large for your work surfaces and your nice sharp edges mating to the frame can get rounded! Use a 1" felt buffing bit in a Dremel tool with the white rouge if you don't have a buffer, but especially on the skinny side areas and stay away from the sharp edges. Buff parallel to the edges.
Don’t forget to finish the grip frame ears nice and flush to the hammer base.
Hondo44
Hawkeye
BlkHawk73 said:I thin k it's easy. i package it up and send it out.Gallagher has done a few for me, Clements one or two.
That's always an option for some. What do they charge for this?
