Eagle Grips

posted on July 18, 2012
201271874235-eaglegrips_f.jpg

7/18/2012

Today’s ongoing proliferation of molded, rubberized, and otherwise mass-produced stocks for handguns has resulted in many shooters doing an about-face and returning to natural materials and traditional designs. Whether a yearning for the past or a quest for individuality, distinctive aftermarket stocks are one of the quickest, easiest, and most dramatic ways to give your handguns instant personality in a world where sameness seems to dominate. That is precisely what led me to discover the uniqueness of Eagle Grips 30 years ago.

It was during the 1982 Las Vegas Antique Arms Show, as the proud owner of a Smith & Wesson Model 29 purchased a few years earlier, that I was looking for a set of stocks that would make me even prouder. Not that there was anything wrong with the checkered Goncalo Alves target stocks that came with my Model 29, but they made it look like every other Model 29. As a young gunwriter, I felt I should have something different and befitting an 83⁄8-inch-barreled .44 Mag.—not showy, but elegant and subtle. And I found it on a table laden with pearl, ivory, stag and rosewood stocks, behind which sat a medium-built man in coat and tie, wearing a turban, and with a beard as dark as the ebony grips he was displaying. I soon learned this affable naturalized American citizen from India was Harbans Singh, president of Eagle Grips, a company that, while little known at the time, took great pride in its perfect-fitting handmade grips.

Commenting on the smooth rosewood target stocks I had picked up, Singh explained that the wood had been aged for a minimum of four months and the two halves of the stock were cut from the same block, so that the grain book-matched perfectly on both sides. After carving and finishing to a glass-smooth surface, each stock was meticulously hand rubbed with natural oils from the rosewood to create a deep, lustrous patina, without using any stains or varnish.

Needless to say, I bought the stocks, which cozied up to the N-frame of my Model 29 as if they had always been there. Moreover, they gave my Model 29 that businesslike sense of style and flair I had been looking for. Suitably impressed, I wanted to share my discovery of Eagle Grips’ artistry with others. Consequently, my article appeared in American Rifleman (January 1983, p. 33), and the rest, as they say, is history.

Eagle Grips today is one of the leading creators and suppliers of stocks for practically every handgun made and also produces stocks for companies such as Colt, Smith & Wesson, and Cimarron Fire Arms, to name but a few. Harbans Singh recently retired from the company he created, but his son, Raj, is now president of Eagle Grips. An NRA Life member and an avid, lifelong shooter, he continues the Eagle Grips tradition started by his father while bringing new innovations to the company.

In 1999, for competitive single-action shooters, Raj Singh created the Gunfighter Grip, consisting of a beveled, thinner body that aides instinctive point shooting, hand-checkered side panels for more secure grasp, and an ambidextrous thumb swell that anchors the gun for fast repeat shots without having to shift your grip each time the hammer is cocked.

Then there is the Secret Service Grip, developed with Paul Huebl, a former law enforcement officer. With non-snag smoothness and gun-anchoring finger grooves, it has become the ultimate “carry grip” for J-frame revolvers. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Eagle Grips has brought back the retro-look of the 1950s with its rosewood Heritage series, which features oversize target stocks with hand-cut checkering for revolvers such as the Colt Python and S&W K, L and N frames.

All Eagle Grips products are made one at a time, by skilled craftsmen either in India or in its Carol Stream, Ill., factory. Moreover, in his company’s U.S. operations Singh has purchased CNC machinery to produce some of the closest tolerances in the industry for ivory and other materials, thus ensuring a perfect fit for guns such as M1911s and various Ruger models. Not surprisingly, Eagle Grips maintains a vast inventory of frames for all major, and many minor, handguns, in order to substantiate its motto, “For The Perfect Mating of Iron to Hand.” The only stocks that routinely require handfitting are those for the Colt Single Action Army and the Italian clones. I can state from personal experience that Ruger Vaquero stockshave a precise “drop in” fit.

A recent innovation is Kirinite stocks from the Art Jewel Collection. Hand cut and polished from costly resin, the marbleized stocks are available in green, blue, yellow and red and are individually cut, shaped, and polished. In addition to the extremes of rosewood and Kirinite, and depending upon make and model of handgun, Eagle Grips are currently available in elk horn, elephant ivory, Ultra-Ivory (a synthetic featuring an ivory-like grain), Ultra Pearl and Ultra Pearl Black (using a proprietary acrylic that does away with the perplexing real pearl problem of chipping), Indian Ebony, and America’s last remaining supply of genuine Sambar stag. All checkering is hand-cut, and smooth finishes are meticulously hand-polished with wet sandpaper finishing up to 1,200 grit, which results in a remarkably smooth surface. Needless to say, hand-making each stock is a labor-intensive process, and it usually takes up to three to six weeks for delivery, although some basic styles—such as for Rugers and certain M1911 platforms—are often kept in stock. Depending on material and style, Eagle Grip prices range from $50 for a standard rosewood two-panel Hi-Power stock set to $650 for single-action genuine ivories.

“We’re a small company,” said Raj. “We have only 12 people working for us. So I try to personally inspect every grip. I won’t sell any grip without first trying it on a gun myself. That way, I know it is going to fit a customer’s gun and it’s going to look good.”

As testament to this statement, today most of my “working” guns are stocked with Eagle Grips Ultra-Ivory, elk horn, stag or rosewood. And they all fit, and look good. Which brings to mind my original 1983 American Rifleman article, where I recounted the true story of a customer who was upset with Eagle Grips because they didn’t make any “natural” plastic grips. Today I suspect that same individual would be equally irate at Eagle Grip’s lack of injection-molded rubber grips. And just like his father, that is exactly the way Raj Singh wants it.

Latest

MR73 01 Knupp
MR73 01 Knupp

Review: Beretta Manurhin MR73 50th Anniversary Edition Revolver

Why is one of the most legendary handguns of the 1970s a revolver that was built specifically for one of the most elite police forces? The answer lies within the unique story of the Manurhin MR73.

Gunsite Celebrating NRA’s 153rd Birthday On The Air

The Yavapai Amateur Radio Club (YARC) of Prescott, Ariz., will be operating a special event station on Nov. 17, 2024, in celebration of the NRA’s 153rd birthday.

I Have This Old Gun: British Pattern 1801 Sea Service Pistol

One of the mainstays in the British Royal Naval arsenal of small arms was the Pattern 1801 Sea Service Pistol, a design that equipped sailors for ship-to-ship fighting.

New For 2025: Hi-Point Large Format Pistols

Hi-Point Firearms expanded its handgun lineup with large-format pistol variants of its popular pistol-caliber carbines.

SAAMI Conference Reflects Growing Industry Dedication To Innovation

“This year’s record attendance is a clear indication of the importance of this event to the ammunition and firearm development and testing community, as well as government and law enforcement test labs and procurement activities,” said Joe Bartozzi, SAAMI president and CEO.

Favorite Firearms: Outstanding Customer Service!

I purchased my first pistol, a .32-cal. Walther PPK in 1969. Why choose a .32 ACP and not a more powerful .380 ACP? Because .32 was the chambering that Ian Fleming’s fictional character James Bond switched to when Q forced him to give up his beloved .25-cal. Beretta.

 

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.