Bawanna's Beautiful Brilliance

Shavru

Shavru

Joined
Feb 20, 2014
Messages
2,045
A while back before I went "missing" for a bit. Bawanna sent me a gorgeous example of some of his skill.

I received them when I got back out of the hospital but didn't really have enough energy to do more than just hold them and appreciate their beauty. But I finally felt up to mounting them as originally intended on my SR1911 Commander. Aside from being so thankful for the beautiful gift and wanting to make sure Bawanna understood how much I appreciated them, I wanted to share pictures with all my forum friends. So without additional delay.... Aren't they incredible? Thank you Bawanna. Once able again, I expect to carry them every day.

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JEZZZZZ...US! That is gorgeous! Now thats a perfect pair of grips there! OK no more Glocks. Im getting me a 1911 Period! Worth the wait aint it shavru? They look pretty thin. Did you have to change to the slim bushings? Well done Mr.B! Is that redwood burl?
 
Outstanding craftsmanship and such a super gift. Now all you need are a few Charlie Romeo Bravos for targets to insure the grips fit your hand properly, Shav. (Cain't ever be too careful, you know.) Lucky lady!
 
Wow, that wood has depth and flow (like a trout stream)!
Great work, Mr. B.
Thanks for posting, Ms. S.
 
So shiny and smooooooth. Looks like bird's eye maple maybe? Very nicely done.

Good people involved in this build.
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Great gift and pix, thank you for sharing
 
Yup stabilized Birdseye Maple. I actually checkered a little piece that was left over and left another piece smooth to show how it looks, meant to post a picture but didn't do it yet.

Some wood you kind of lose the look by checkering, other you really can't tell if it's checkered or not.

We stayed with standard bushings mostly because the Ruger bushings are really in there and tough to get out. I buggered up two of mine but finally got them out and replaced.

Shav, if those do feel thick at all we can do the thin bushing thing, it ain't easy but if it was easy everyone would want to do it ya know. I want them to fit your hands perfect and nothing but happy thoughts of me when ever you pick it up.

I've been thinking about a second cyber bride proposal so I'm trying to stay on your good side ya know? I'm kind of afraid to ask again though, you were my first rejection and frankly it was quite painful. Not sure I could go through that again.
 
Not a chance I am giving these up for another set! I love these!

Though it is funny 2 of the bushing unscrewed while I was removing the grip screws so I am guessing changing out all of them wouldn't be that tough, LOL. every Ruger is a unique beast I understand.

I haven't been to a range since I got them, but they feel like they fit perfectly. After all, they are the same thickness as the ones that were on it and it has been my CC for years now. So I am guessing that when I get a chance to get back to the range it will fit my hand just like my old friend always has. I promise I won't be blaming your gorgeous work for any rust that may have settled on my skills over the last month+ since I have been to the range. I didn't realize how long it has been. No wonder I am feeling withdrawls, No GSR being absorbed into my hands from hundreds of rounds a week. Dang!
 
Those are really beautiful.
I have a set of ultrathin aluminums I made on an RIA officers acp and they're veeery flat, an easy to hide but they border on being unpleasant to shoot. To me the really thin ones are for the little guns that get carried a lot and shot less...really nice work Joe.
 
I agree Jim, my hands would be really small for a guy but they are a bit large for a woman my size, I think flatter would probably be ok, but wouldn't be what I am used to and might take me longer to get comfortable with and I think leaves the thumb at a weaker position. Maybe I am just used to katana and gun grips that are technically too large for me but that is what I am used to so it feels "right"

Bookie said:
Now all you need are a few Charlie Romeo Bravos for targets to insure the grips fit your hand properly, Shav. (Cain't ever be too careful, you know.) Lucky lady!
Click to expand...

Yes sir, VERY lucky. Umm, Have to admit, I don't know what a Charlie Romeo Bravo is :) I do know Charlie Bravo Romeo (Chair-borne Ranger) is :D I WAS one!!! but this doesn't seem to fit the situation LOL. Actually, I have been loading up magazines. When I get to a range, I intend to blow through them in a mad minute before I settle down to trying to actually see how the new grips feel during aimed shots. But they do feel pretty perfect in the hand right now and no slippage at all getting it free from the leather.
 
I've actually noticed I shot better after very long dry spells from the range. Maybe I forgot some of my bad habits.

Most folks and I've made a few 1911 grips even with large hands prefer the thin, actually quite the rage now with the tactical high speed, low drag guys now days. I've never went for a true flat, still have a little radius to them.

Interesting that a couple of our bushings just backed out. Must be a case by case basis. I didn't try the second side on mine to see if they would come out or not. Some of the old Colts, I do love me an old Colt are staked in really hard.

I've found with smooth grips a little front strap checker or that rubbery skate board tape on the front strap really helps.
Wilson has those really thin checker strips that go under your grips and they work really good. They do sometimes tend to move around though but like 10 bucks compared to a front strap checker job.

I might just whittle out another thin set when I find some appropriate wood and checker em.

A little variety never hurt nobody ya know?
 
I will have to check into the tape. I usually don't have too much trouble with slip. And from the few dozen practice draws I dont notice any feeling like it might be more prevelant now with these grips. That SR has been my EDC for over 5 years sharing duty with a Walther PPK that I have carried about 30% of the time since I got married 27 years ago and "acquired" it. Prior to that my EDCs have been everything from Colt 1911's, CZ-75s, S&W686NoDash, Colt Python, I don't seem to do petite on my standard EDC, I start choosing based on what I shoot best and have the most confidence in that is in the safe. Then I figure out how to carry that LOL.

hehe, another set might make me decide to dual carry. I would clank as I walked. But I can just see it now.

Officer: "Ma'am, not that we aren't grateful you shot so many of the holdup men, but exactly how did you happen to be carrying 2 concealed 1911s?"

Me: "Why dual shoulder holsters of course, and I am sorry I left that last one for you guys, it was my weak hand you know. Need to get to the range and practice more weak-handed"

Officer: "But..."

Me: "OH! Sorry sonny, you meant WHY was I carrying 2 1911's instead of just reload magazines? Look at these gorgeous grips... could you have picked just one pair to carry? I couldn't either and had to go out and buy another SR1911"
:cool:
 
Nice pics Shav... Love the 1911 and its grips. I like your style too, I was contemplating making a dual 1911 Commander rig for the small of my back. Kind of like Nick Cage's holster in the movie Face Off. My pants might fall down all day but I think it would be a cool little rig. Maybe not the most practical rigs but def 10 on the coolness meter.

Actually now that I am thinking about it a dual PPK rig might be the ticket. I don't have dual PPK's yet only one. Maybe if I have a dual holster made for it I can justify buying a second PPK to fill the holster rig. I know my logic is kinda flawed but sometimes you need to be creative to get new toys past the wifey hahahah. To bad my wifey wasn't into the same stuff as you Shavru. I have taken her shooting many times but I get the feeling she only goes to spend time with me. I don't think she has a true passion for the shooting sports which is ok by me. I kind of overwhelmed her at first with my arsenal. I remember when she first saw the extent of my toy collection. She was like "are those all real... are those all real guns". I had to laugh out loud. I grew up in a family where guns were fixtures like furniture.

There were guns on racks, on the wall, guns inside of display cases, guns on the coffee table, guns on the kitchen table... Heck there were guns under everybody's beds in my home growing up. Its crazy to think how weird that is now. I remember being 12 or 13 and having an Ruger Mini 14 sitting in the corner of my bedroom. I got it for a Christmas present from my grandmother that year. It never seemed strange to me or even odd to have guns around the house. People would have a fit these days seeing a 13 year old with one of those dreaded "assault rifles". Guns are demonized so much these days in the media even though they are inanimate objects. More people are killed my baseball bats than by assault rifles in this country.

I am glad there are still people in this country that own guns and aren't afraid to show them off. Love that Ruger 1911 Shav... I might need to get one for myself. Do you like it? How does it shoot? Trigger pull good and crisp? Please let me know cause I have the hankering for a new 1911
 
LoL, doesn't sound anything like my home growing up GB. no guns out and only 3 in the house at all. My Dad had a M1903 and a .455 Webley Service Revolver. My Mom had a S&W Model 36 in .38 special. Beautiful little snubby I wish she had kept it for me. Heck I wanted Dad's pair too :( Brother got both of those and I never saw them since. My guess is he pawned em but I could never find out where so they are gone.

I love my SR1911. For the price it is THE best 1911 on the market. It is not the cheapest but a very good modestly priced 1911. You know how service 1911's are pretty loose? And the expensive "tuned" 1911s are really tight fitted? each causes problems in some ways to the 1911 design. I feel that Ruger has gotten the balance really right on the SR. mine is a Commander, Bawanna owns a GI length so he can pitch in his 3 cents too ;) But in my book the SR is way underpriced for what it is in comparison to much of the market. The trigger, well, I have done a minor amount of work BUT it came pretty good from the box. The Pre-travel was pretty short and the weight was decent. The sear movement was already perfectly fine. I didn't need to do anything to the breakaway cut, or the height of the hammer hooks. Obviously since I did nothing significant to the sear (but a bit of polishing) I didn't need to change the overtravel as it was already optimized to that setup. I did change out the sear spring to get the pull weight exactly what I prefer, 5lbs and tuned the return weight to 1.5lbs also my preference. Now it is smooth and crisp as can be. Accurate as a good 1911 should be. Not as accurate as those really tight fitted ones. But reliable with any ammo I have tried as one of the old sloppy ones but without the accuracy problems they have. Like I said I think they balanced it right on. I think you can spend a lot more money and not get a better gun until you hit the custom hand made price points. Oh, I am DANGED picky about the reliability of my EDCs if it doesn't go bang every time it had better be a dud round or I won't be carrying that gun anymore. I put about 300 rounds a week downrange usually. And this has been my EDC for a bit over 5 years now so it gets many of those rounds. Yeah, I love my SR.
 
The man is as good of an artist as he is a friend:)

I have a set by him, and they are stunning.

My dang elbow being jacked up has caused me to hang up full size 40 Oz 1911s:(
I'm doing mental gymnastics on figuring out how I can fund one of those light Ruger alloy framed commander length guns they have out these days.

It will be getting my gorgeous grips screwed to the frame before the first round leaves the barrel;)
 
I held one of those at our local gunshow last weekend. It's amazing. Darn nice gun, I wanted it bad.

My son was torn between it and an alloy framed Smith E series 1911. He chose the Smith cause it had everything he wanted already and was bobtailed. He almost got both, I need to start charging that boy rent.

When I get one and I probably will I'll bobtail it and that's about all. Amazing how light it was.
 
I put on my big boy pants last night, broke out me trusty hack saw and sawed a corner off my Remington 1911. I like a bobtail, just feels good to me. A wide spur hammer, stag and a bobtail and I'm yours for the night. Happy.

I sweated profusely on this one, second one I've done. Getting the new mounting hole in the right spot is the critical move.

Home free after you get that. Kind of in line with the hand tools, power tools, I stick with hand tools, cept for the drill. I drilled the smallest hole I could to make sure I was in the right spot, then opened it up to proper size with a round file.

Still a little fine tuning to do for feel and cosmetics but the worry part is done.

 
Gorgeous Bawanna buddy! I need a set of grips made by you real bad now! I would like a set with sap wood and regular wood. I am looking for dramatic contrast in colors. I love Honduras rosewood or anything with dramatic color changing. Let me know about a price... go easy on me ;)
 
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