ltwguns.com

Gents,

I know it has been discussed here before, but I am not having any luck finding it. What is the best method for mounting ivory grips on a 1911? I seem to recall discussion involving rubber o-rings for cushioning. Does anyone have details, or, better yet, pictures? Thanks!

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Wayne Miller

O-rings are fine, but not very durable. I use aquarium tubing, sliced thin with a razor blade. Make sure you have room in the counterbore for the material to expand a bit, or it will expand outward when the screws are tightened. It can cause enough stress to crack panels over time.

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Heirloom Precision, LLC.
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Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.

TR

Thanks Ted. The tubing goes between the screw head and the grip panel, right?

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Wayne Miller

Is this necsessary? I've been shooting my 10mm with ivories for a long time now....

One of my ivory panels went Tango Uniform within 100 rounds.

One very important thing to remember with Ivory stocks is that they are basically decaying teeth. Everybody knows what happens to teeth when they begin to decay... Ivory stocks are no different.

I have Ivory stocks that have lasted over 10,000 rounds of 230gr FMJ and others that have lasted just a bit less. Placing a rubber spacer/bushing of some sort between the stock screw head and the stock panel will help as will not letting the stocks dry out and lastly maintaining the correct amount of tension on the stock from the stock screw (read not letting the stocks shift on the bushings). But on a 1911 if you want them to last forever the only way is not to shoot with them on the gun... and then you never know they still may break.

All that said on a polished blued gun I like Ivory and I have always thought that if I get "X" many rounds out of them or they last "X" many years of carry then they break well I probably got my moneys worth.

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Heirloom Precision
http://www.heirloomprecision.com

For what its worth when I bought a set from Nutmeg they suggested rubbing them with gun oil monthly to reduce shrinkage which could contribute to cracking.

Mine tend to be placed on guns that look pretty and dont get shot much. Nothing prettier than polish blue with ivory.

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Gary Eastridge
http://www.randgfirearms.com

I do use mineral oil every 2 weeks.....

I had read somewhere a recommendation to rub baby oil on ivory to prevent them from drying and cracking.

Many years ago, I recall reading an article in Guns Magazine about an engraved Winchester lever action with ivory forearm and buttstock. I believe the builder of the gun had to go through several steps and many months of shaping, allowing for shrinkage, shaping some more, etc. You would probably be hard-pressed to find big enough pieces of ivory now to make a buttstock and forearm.

Damn...I thought I was the only one who remembered that rifle. I have been looking for a picture of it for YEARS. IIRC, wasn't it built for the President of Mexico or something?

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Wayne Miller

Is bark-ivory more fragile or less durable than non-bark-ivory?

I like the look of it very much but was wondering if its going to need more TLC or less rounds fired with it.

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God Bless
45Fundi

Mossyrock:

I was talking with Lou Alessi and told him of your comments regarding that old article. He thinks he still has it somewhere !

Lou also believes the gun was engraved by Lyton McKensey (sp. ?) and built for someone inthe Middle East. It was based on a Winchester 71.

Page 28 of R.L. Wilson’s "Winchester An American Legend"
"From the private arms collection of Mexican President Porfirio Diaz. Model 1866 number 21921 boasts a Mexican eagle carved in relief on the ivory stock. Ivory stoked longarms rank high in American firearms rarities. So rare is the Diaz carbine that it is known to collectors as the ivory stocked Winchester."

Here is a link to another http://www.rooseveltroom.com/Win81635.htm

ML

How about stabalizing ivory with a pressure injected, clear epoxy matrix?


I assume this would immediately DEvalue the ivory.

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I wanted to breathe smoke.....

I have been using ivory stocks on two carry 1911s for two years or so and on a range-only gun for the last six months. To keep the old elephant teeth from drying and cracking, I take the stocks off of one pistol about once a month, place them in an old Tupperware container, cover them with mineral oil, place the cover on the Tupperware, and let them soak for at least a week. This way the oil penetrates into the ivory as opposed to just sitting on the surface.

After the week is up, I remove them from the container, wipe them down to remove the excess oil on the surface with a few paper towels, and reinstall them on the gun with O-ring washers between the stock and screw head.
I like this idea and am considering getting a pair of stabilized mammoth ivory stocks to give this a try.

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Scott

You really cannot stabilize ivory in the traditional sense where superglue is seeped into the substrate material under pressure in a vacuum. The material is just not porous enough.

Mammoth Ivory is more stable, as it has been sitting in the ground for thousands of years and responding to changes in temperature.

Elephant Ivory in this country is generally less than 100 years old and most of it less than 50 years old.

I have a lot of experience dealing with ivory on custom knives. Knifemakers refuse to guarantee or warrant ivory because of all its quirks.

I actually had a knife come overnight FedEx from a purveyor. It had a perfect elephant ivory handle. It was shipped from CT to SC. I opened the box, handled the knife, cleaned it and put it away. 2 hours later there was an inch long crack in the material. When I removed the knife from the FedEx box, I unwittingly removed it from a cool atmosphere (after lying in a planes belly) and started handling it and created a warmer atmosphere, the resulting extremes caused the material to stress and crack.

Grips are a bit less susceptible to cracks as they arent really being stressed as much as a handle on a knife. O rings and mineral oil are a good start. An overly dry atmosphere is not the best place to store ivory.

Ivory grips are beautiful, but after dealing with the ups and downs of the material over the years I would hesitate in equipping my carry gun with them.

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I am just an uninformed shooter with a full-sized blue 1911 and ivory grips. I shoot mine often and carry everyday. Have been doing this regularly for just over 2 years.

I also have used them for a total of 4 days of gun school at TDI. No problems yet. Even after I dropped the 1911 a few weeks back -- don't ask.

Now my stocks were basically in "new" condition when I received them. That may contribute to my success so far. But to be honest, I expect them to crack eventually. I just will break out the super-glue and proceed as before. I am of the opinion that those future cracks will add character.

Regards,
Greyson