Grip mounting

[Cremony]

How do they mount one piece grips (no screw) on Colt single action army?

[Major 2]

Today most use a spacer .... grips are pinched within the frame....

Uberti CNC's their 1 piece Grip same out come

[Abilene]

To expand upon Major 2's post, that spacer is glued between the two grip panels (or as he said, some wood 1-piece have both panels and the spacer made from one piece of wood with no separation).  That spacer presses up against the backstrap which holds the assembly firm against the gun frame.  To remove the grip, you remove the backstrap and the grip comes off with it.

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[St. George]

With the grips as shown - there should be a short pin installed at the bottom of the grip strap.

That'll ensure that the grips are aligned, while the grip screw ensures that they're held tightly.

The grips shown are not one-piece grips.

True one-piece grips would be smooth on both sides, and are fitted by using a glued-in spacer of the same material (or wood) that's been exactly cut and sanded to fit the inside rear of the backstrap, before being epoxied to both sides.

Fitting grips properly can take some time - and if done right, there's no space between the frame/backstrap, and the frame and grip flow together.

Colt fitted them by sanding them to the straps before final finishing, but since most grips today are aftermarket - extra care needs to be taken to avoid scratching the finished metal surfaces.

Good Luck!

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Fox Creek Kid]

The original SAA one piece grips were actually one solid piece of wood meticulously fitted in the 1870's. I have a blank somewhere. Colt later went to the aforementioned spacer method which is more practical. The two piece grips that come from the factory today started in the 1880's with the Gutta Percha & Bakelite type grips.