Pau Ferro Grips

[Kentucky Rifle]

Man, you KNOW you like a revolver when you start to buy it little gifts. Tomorrow, I'm going to order a set of Hogue, Pau Ferro wood grips for my S&W model 638. (Bantam style) I've got set on my NAA Guardian and Pau Ferro wood holds up well. No scratches at all in over two years of carry. I think that's pretty good. Plus, to my eyes, Pau Ferro is the best looking wood to make grips out of. I like the "smooth". I was kinda shocked to see that the "checkered" grips were 20 bucks more! (Usually, whatever I like turns out to be the "most" expensive. I lucked out on this one though. Smooth grips are the best looking and...the best for fondling.

KR

 

[Shane]

I agree on the checkering. It looks ugly, IMO and feels like sandpaper. All my wood grips are smooth. My favorite wood so far is Cocobolo.

 

[xring]

I am ordering the Pau Ferro Hogue grips for my P245 on Monday also. They will be smooth too. I really don't think the checkered look bad at all though. r

 

[Poohgyrr]

I had Hogue smooth Pau Ferro's on a 4" Security Six and 4" 686. Those grips were about perfect for my hands.

 

[Gary A]

Although not a revolver, I just put a pair of Hogue Pau Ferro smooth grips on my Hi-Power. All I could do was let out a sigh when I picked it up.

 

[Prodigalshooter]

I agree with you re: smooth vs checkered. Smooth wins for me every time. I find the checkering bothers me after three cylinders of firing or so. That includes the rubber/synthetic grips too.

 

[mikey357]

...I'v got an OLD set of FUZZY FARRANT "Pau Ferro" grips for the K-frame...haven't put 'em on anything yet...only problem is, the lower front corner of the gripframe needs to be relieved for the grips to fit!!! Yeah, Fuzzy built 'em like that ON PURPOSE...gave you more-compact grips, AND fit your hand better, too!!!...it IS nice wood....mikey357

 

[Kahr carrier]

Hogue Pau Ferro grips,Nice .

 

[firestar]

I've got some Houge Pau Ferro smooth grips on my Ruger Speed Six. They are nice and they fit the hand SOOO well.

 

[rock jock]

KR,

Please post pics when you put them on. I have been contemplating the same thing for my own 638.

 

[9mmepiphany]

mikey357 - talk about a blast from the past, "fuzzy farrant" were at one time the be all and end all of combat grips. an it did take a dedicated combat gunner to use them. i was introduced to them by a guy who had ground off the front toe of his python frame.

does anyone know if there is still a source for these grips or if anyone currently makes similar grips

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

FOOEY....

The grips are on back-order for three weeks. "OH, the humanity"!

KR

 

[Walosi]

The single most beautiful piece of wood I have ever seen was a Hogue gip for an old M24 I had a few years ago. I can't help myself, I refinish every pair of grips I buy. These were very non-typical. They must have come from somewhere down near the root system, as the background was darker than the normal Pao Ferro, with a black stripe, some gold highlights, and after about 6-8 coats of oil, a black "spider web" grain appeared through lighter tones. After another 6-8 coats, there was enough penetration into the grain to show what appeared to be mineral deposits, very tiny, along the vein system. This is why I assumed the wood came from far down in the stump.

 

[firestar]

Should I refinish my Pau Ferro Houge grips? They are a little bit dull and I enjoy doing it.

What type of oil is best?

 

[Walosi]

I've used Birchwood Casey Tru Oil for several years now. It is available at Wal Mart, etc., etc. and has proven to be a durable finish. If the surface is good, I just take the old finish off with 0000 steel wool, and apply very thin coats (using steel wool between coats) until I like the result. Lately, I've "spit shined" the last coat on, while it is still tacky, with Ballistol. The number of coats depends on your patience - in damp weather it may take two days for a coat to dry. On some woods, each coat seems to bring out something new, or light them up a bit more. Can be very addictive

 

[Prodigalshooter]

I also end up re-doing most of my wood grips, when I'm done I use tung oil. It's a bit expensive, but I like it better than polyurethane & similar products.

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

Walosi...

Well, THAT post has left me breathing hard. I'm kinda color blind. However, Pau Ferro wood has always looked the best to me...but your description of the "root system Pau Ferro wood" was truly a great thing to read. You kept those grips, didn't you? (I might have framed them!)

KR

 

[Walosi]

KR -
Sadly, they stayed on the M24 when I traded it. Guy I dealt with wanted them bacly enough to give me a good trade on my 625 MG

Woods that come from the crotch and root areas of old trees have some stressed grains. I've seen walnut, from a stump about 4' in diameter grown on a ditch bank, that rivals any Circassian ever cut. This was here in Logan County, not across the pond. Some, but not all, of these stressed grains will show "movement" after a good multi-layered oil finish. Gilmer Wood Products, in their glossary, calls it "chatoyance". I'd seen it for years but never knew there was a term for it. Some woods will go to extremes. I have a knife handle of Nepali Saatisal wood, a hill oak, with a light oak base color and dark stripes. When finished, the stripes will vanish as the wood is turned, and when turned farther, reappear as a line of gold flakes. It can be mind-altering, habit forming, and is cheaper than booze