Old Colt - Can't Get the Grips Off

[Shrevy]

A co-worker gave me his Colt Police Positive to clean. The gun was his grandfathers and was made in 1923. It has the hard rubber grips. I doubt the gun has been fired very much. There is almost turn ring on the cylinder and the blue looks like it is brand new. It is caked with grease though. The cylinder doesn't spin easily and the hammer feels as if it is being cocked by pulling it through thick gel. I tried to remove the grips to spray some break free through the action. The grip screw came out easily, but the grips did not budge. I've never handled a Colt with rubber grips. Should they just come off when the screw is removed? Am I missing something? Are the grips just fused to the frame after all this time? Will break free damage the grips? I'm thinking of just spraying break free down the hammer to see if it will loosen the grips. I don't want to harm the gun/grips in any way.

 

[burrhead]

Those grips get brittle with age so do this carefully. Unscrew the grip screw a couple of turns and then push on it. Gently. That should pop off the off side grip. Then remove the screw and ease off the grip the rest of the way. Then you can reach through the grip frame and push off the other side. Go slow, those grips are delicate and expensive to replace.

 

[Shrevy]

Thank you. That worked. I didn't realize the grips could get brittle, but I was afraid to push too hard as it was. The first side popped off easily with the screw while the second side needed a little more work.

 

[burrhead]

Glad that worked. I once knocked an old Colt gutta percha grip off a table onto a tile floor and it broke like a piece of pottery. You live and learn then you die and forget it all.

 

[doc540]

Get'er cleaned up and post some pics!