Who makes real mother of pearl grips?

[IMtheNRA]

I've seen plenty of the plastic mother of pearl grips, but I'd like to order the real thing. Does anyone make these to order and what do you think the going rate is for a pair of grips for an auto like a Hi-Power?

 

[crawfish]

Eagle Grips makes MoP grips for many makes of guns. Here is their URL
http://www.eaglegrips.com/ MoP grips are the only grips that they don't print a price for on their website. That should give you an idea of how expensive they are and they have a recommendation not to shoot with MoP grips installed they are just for dress up.

 

[mbs357]

Usually if the price isn't listed, you don't want to know what it is.
By the way. Are Mother of Pearl grips actually pearls? As in, from oysters/clams? I've always wondered how this worked...do they crush them into the shape they need? Or is there some other material named pearl...
Ah, says on the site that they are harvested from oysters...but still doesn't really explain how they're made.

 

[mrtgbnkr]

This type of MoP is harvested from the inside of very large oyster shells...it's the shell lining IIRC. In some cases they grind up the MoP and make a composite that is then used. The easy way to tell whether they are composite or natural is price....and if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it. (I know I can't!)

 

[IMtheNRA]

Well, I just asked how much they cost... I'll let you guys know as soon as Eagle replies to my email.

Brace for sticker shock!

 

[Greybeard]

Not sure if what ya looking for, but I bought a widget for Glock last week in Dallas. Receptionist said they manufactured grips in the same building. www.ajaxgrips.com

 

[IMtheNRA]

Holy cow.

Well, I got a reply back from Eagle Grips to my inquiry about some MoP grips for a Hi-Power.

You sitting down?

Hello,
We may in the future be able to do this for you.Mother of Pearl of the type
needed for this work is very hard to come by.
If we had the material these grips would cost $450.00.
Thank you,
xxxxxx,
customer service

 

[mbs357]

I speaketh the truth!

 

[Navy joe]

If you ever get these please give us your street address so we can all come by and pimp slap you. MOP on a BHP? Sinner! Just kidding, the whole world can't carry nickeled Taurus and gold Deagles.

 

[Standing Wolf]

If we had the material these grips would cost $450.00.

Two more possibilities in roughly the same price range: elephant ivory and woolly mammoth ivory.

Elephant ivory is light in color, often striated, and needs a fair amount of attention, since it can dry out, and tends to be brittle. Woolly mammoth ivory is usually much darker, more visibly grained, and needs about the same kind and degree of attention.

Both are extremely beautiful. I doubt I'd actually put either material on a carry gun, but have some other guns I'd be glad to stock that way if I could afford it.

 

[RON in PA]

It's Federal law that MOP grips can only be sold to registered pimps. Do you qualify?

 

[IMtheNRA]

Fellas! Take it easy on me - the grips are for my Centennial Hi-Power, it's my ONLY pretty gun. I just want a little more pimp for it, that's all.

 

[GaryP]

General George S. Patton:

"Only a pimp in a New Orleans whorehouse or a tin-horn gambler would carry a pearl-handled pistol."

 

[motoman]

woolly mammoth ivory

I had no idea there was a supply of woolly mammoth ivory available. It does sound like an interesting grip material though.

 

[Standing Wolf]

I had no idea there was a supply of woolly mammoth ivory available.

The critters were alive as recently as 10,000 years ago in both Alaska and Siberia. They're not fossils: just frozen carcases. The outer layers of the ivory tend to be oxidized, which is to say: darkened from exposure to air. The outer layers, known as "bark ivory," are used for everything from expensive knives to expensive jewelry to expensive hand gun stocks.

http://www.7cs.com/fossils/woolly.htm