Colt 1877 .41 'Thunderer' Grip Build and US Parts Ordering

[tony72cutlass's']

Hey Guys,

I thought i'd post a couple of pics and share some information for you folks on here. I'm working on an 1877 in .41 LC manufactured in 1881.

it seemed to be impossible to get parts in canada so i started contacting retailers in the states to see who would ship to Canada via USPS. I wasn't too crazy about the factory hard rubber grips so I ordered some blanks from dixiegunworks and they ship to Canada no problems! Along with the grips i also got a few spare parts.

https://www.dixiegunworks.com/

To polish the gun up i used FLITZ polish that i bought off amazon.ca

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0000AXNJS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here's a pic of how i received the revolver in the fall.



Here are some pics so far (I used my dremel with a sanding drum to make the edges look like the original grip, you can see the blanks lying on the table).



I really like boiled linseed oil stain, here's a shot after the first coat. I probably applied between 10-15 coats before being done (waiting a week between each coat).



Here's the final product, i'm not sure if i'm going to keep this revolver yet, but i really like it with the new grips. These antiques seem to be commanding quite a premium these days.

 

[tula]

Should have tapered that grip down to the frame, thicker at the bottom and thinner at the top. It’ll give it a much better finished appearance. Also I’d have drawn a line from the point of the end of the grip, to the inside corner where the grip panel seats against the frame, using the grip screw as your centre line and made a much gentler round down to the grip frame. Blending it in. I’m not saying you didn’t do ok. I just have been doing this for 20 some odd years and learned under an old professional smith. Don’t ever rush anything, you have all the time in the world. Look in detail front and rear at the fit of the old grips and you’ll see what I mean about fit and finish. Fit and finish make the firearm much more valuable.