By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Some narrow-minded people may not like them, but among many discerning handgunners, a set of stag or elk antler grips on a sidearm are pure eye candy, and more importantly, the uneven and sometimes slightly rough natural surface improve the grip and reduce the chances of slipping.
I suppose my affinity for such grips goes back to the days of watching “Gunsmoke’s” Marshal Matt Dillon strutting around Dodge City with that Colt Single Action wearing what were probably fake stag panels, but they still looked good! Likewise, “Cimarron Strip’s” Marshal Jim Crown packed a nickel-plated hogleg, again with stag-style grips. Hey, don’t Old West TV lawmen know their stuff?
My experience with stag-style grips began many decades ago, when it suddenly became obvious one afternoon on a raccoon hunt that even in damp conditions, such grips provide a very good hold on a recoiling handgun.
Offset against a deep blue finish, stag grips are just plain handsome. You don’t get that kind of personalized option with a striker-fired handgun built on a polymer frame, and let’s face it, people who slap replacement grips on their handguns do it for two reasons: looks and utility/fit.
For what it’s worth, factory grips may be handsome, ,but they do not always fit every hand. Of course, replacement panels sometimes present the same problem, but one of the reasons I have switched from factory to replacement stocks—as they have been called for years by the folks at Herrett’s—is that the aftermarket products have fit my hand. I’ve got Herrett hardwood grips on at least three revolvers and a Model 1911 pistol, and Eagle Grips on a few more sixguns, either in elk antler or Kirinite, a really tough material.
And, I’ve got sets of “Magna Tusk” grips from Arizona Custom on a couple of Ruger single-actions.
But, all of that said, when it comes to showing off at a barbecue or looking snazzy, I think nothing beats stag or elk antler except for genuine ivory, and good luck finding ivory. One might consider giraffe bone, but that natural material is not used to produce all sizes and/or styles of replacement grips. MD Grips is one outfit which offers some giraffe bone grips.
Practicality
Okay, we’ve established that stag and elk antler look good, but what about being practical?
Living in the Northwest, where it rains most of the year and the rest of the time it’s getting ready to rain, one must consider whether a grip is going to hold up to the environmental conditions. I know from experience that genuine Sambar stag and elk antler meet the requirements.
Years ago, this was explained by Raj Singh, proprietor at Eagle Grips. At the time, he noted that antler is essentially bone, and it can be carved and polished, and has a remarkably hard exterior surface. After all, antler is used by bull elk in battle during the rut, so it has to be hard and durable. A few years ago, I crafted a set of elk antler grips using material from a full set of shed antlers I stumbled upon on a ridgetop. Both antlers were wrapped in wire, suggesting the previous owner had tangled with someone’s fence at a lower elevation and the rack had finally separated as the bull made his way to summer feeding grounds. I’ve still got most of both antlers.
The project took quite a while and for what it’s worth, antler really stinks when you cut it, so do it in a well-ventilated area or outside.
Stag and antler polish up rather nicely. About ten or a dozen years ago, maybe longer, I put genuine stag grip panels on my Colt Commander, which is a no-nonsense pistol with a noticeable recoil. In all the shooting I’ve done with that handgun over the years, whether with standard 230-grain FMJ or much zippier 200- or 185-grain JHP ammunition, I’ve never felt the pistol squirm or slide in my palm, and I’ve definitely never dropped it. The natural rough surface allows the gun to stay put, whether I’m shooting bare handed or with gloves.
No two sets of stag or elk antler grips are alike. Each is literally unique, which also enhances the individuality aspect of having a sidearm so adorned. Once you go with this natural material, there will be no turning back!
