SR1911 grip wood
- Thread starter onfinal
- Start date
GunnyGene
Hawkeye
onfinal said:
Just judging from the pics on the Ruger site, I'd say american walnut. However, the spec sheet says "hardwood", which covers a whole range of woods which can be dyed or stained to mimic walnut color (but not the grain). I doubt that Ruger themselves even know, and probably don't care, since they don't make the grip panels. They buy them from suppliers, and I'd bet my last dime the contract says "hardwood" without specifying species. Which means the supplier sells Ruger whatever he's got that will make him a profit.
One of the "woods" used that you'll see on the Shopruger.com site is "Dymondwood". There is no such thing as a "Dymondwood" tree. It's a composite of many thin veneers (basically a plywood), most often Birch, and stained in various colors. It's actually a pretty stable material for grips, but you can't do any carving or personalize it, like you can with solid wood. It does qualify as a "hardwood" in a sense although to a woodworker like me it's simply cheating.
Same thing with any grip that is labeled "Super" walnut, rosewood, etc. It's actually Dymondwood with a different marketing name.
GunnyGene
Hawkeye
onfinal said:
You're welcom. You could query Altamont. That's who they buy their grips from. Altamont does make a few very nice grips out of a variety of exotic hardwoods in addition to the Dymondwood stuff for factory stock guns. They also sell to a dozen or so other manufacturers. https://www.altamontco.com/
For a look at some really fancy black walnut (as opposed to "Super" walnut) see my post about "Nice Feather" in the Lounge. :wink:
mohavesam
Hawkeye
Dymondwood was a trademark of, I believe, Rutland laminates. ?? Others may know more.
