FALL 2019
work with hand
tools than the
last set of highly
figured walnut
grips that I made.
While they appear
to be of one-piece
construction,
they are actually
two separate grip
panels that attach
to the grip frame
with Barge leather
cement. This
method is secure,
yet the panels may
be carefully cut
free with a sharp knife.
All in all, the blued
finish is well done, and
the casehardening on
the frame is exceptional.
Now this Signature
Series Colt 1860 Army is
the perfect belly gun to
add to my collection.
Altamont Grips
Altamont has been pro-
ducing handgun grips for
many years. Some of its
customers include Beretta,
Browning, Colt, Kimber,
Ruger, Sig Sauer, Smith
& Wesson, Springfield,
Taurus and Walther.
Recently, the company
began offering grips direct-
ly to consumers.
In the 1980s, Altamont
branched out from jewelry
production to produce
genuine elephant ivory
grips for Colt for John
Wayne commemorative
Single Action Army revolv-
ers and Smith & Wesson
for Elmer Keith com-
memorative .44 Magnum
revolvers. The company’s
synthetic ivory grips are
currently available with
many different scrim-
shaw patterns. In 1994,
Altamont developed a
stabilized material look-
ing like ebony to replace
the crack-prone natural-
material handle scales on
the popular classic Buck
110 folding knife. In 2003,
the company produced thefirst G10 grips for Kimber
1911s. G10 is a nearly
indestructible synthetic
material that is considered
state of the art for hard-
use applications.
Altamont then experi-
mented with wood lami-
nate materials and settled
on a birch laminate that is
dyed to produce the com-
pany’s Super Rosewood
and Super Walnut grips. In2014,thecompa-
ny started produc-
ing its own wood
laminate material
in-house.
Looking to
spruce up a Ruger
Vaquero that I use
for Cowboy Fast
Draw matches, I obtained
a set of Altamont’s Slim
Panel Super Rosewood
Fleur-de-Lis grips. These
are very attractive grips that
will dress up any SAA-style
sixgun. The screw holes are
surrounded by large, un-
checkered diamonds, and
the Fleur-de-Lis pattern
surrounds the checkering.
They also aren’t as thick
and bulky as current-
production SAA grips.
Similar to the
“Gunfighter” grips offered
by some makers, these grips
flare out a bit at the top.
This shape helps prevent
the grip from rotating in
your hand from recoil,
improving your follow-up
speed. And Altamont’s SAA
revolver grips come with
multiple grip screws of dif-
fering lengths. This is a nice
feature, as nothing is more
frustrating than trying to
install a new set of grips
only to find the screw is too
short, or so long that it pro-
trudes and is uncomfort-
able. So if you’re looking to
dress up your favorite hand-
gun, check out Altamont. ✪These are very
attractive grips
that will dress
up any SAA-
style sixgun.The author
dressed up his
Ruger Vaquero
with Altamont’s
Slim Panel Super
Rosewood Fleur-
de-Lis grips.