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Genuine Sambar Stag has been used for many years
as a rugged, durable, and beautiful way to adorn a handgun or
knife. Sambar antler is very dense, and I believe that God put
these animals on Earth for the purpose of providing the ideal
grip material for our fine sixguns. In His infinite wisdom, He
knew that most sixguns would leave the factory with rather plain
wood or plastic grips, and that we would need something better,
so He created the Sambar Stag. Why he put the largest of the
Sambar in India and Sam Colt and the Wesson brothers
in America, I do not know, but Sambar Stag antler has been
imported into the United States for many years for the purpose
of making knife and gun handles. However, a little over
ten years ago, the Indian government banned the export of Sambar
antler, and it has become much more expensive and hard to find
in this country. We have seen good stag grips command prices
approaching that of quality elephant ivory, and the prices of
both keep climbing. Still, to me, there is nothing as beautiful
on a good single action sixgun as a good set of stags.
American Elk
antler is another good grip material, and I like it very much,
but it is not as dense nor as colorful as Sambar. I have a
couple of sets of good elk grips that were made by Eagle
Grips, and they have proven to be both beautiful and
durable. Some elk antler grips on the market are not of very
high quality, being somewhat porous or pithy, but good quality
elk antler, properly sawn and shaped, is an excellent grip
material. However, it is not as dense as true Sambar Stag. If
real stag is what you want, there is no good substitute.
The good news is that the Indian government
recently released for export a limited supply of genuine Sambar
Stag, and it is available from Eagle Grips in Carol Stream,
Illinois. Recently speaking with Raj Singh, the owner of
Eagle Grips, I learned that he had this limited supply of
Sambar available. I had a new Colt Single Action Army
revolver on the way, so as soon as it arrived, I boxed it up and
sent it off to Eagle to be fitted with a set of genuine stag
grips.
A couple of weeks later, the Big Brown Truck of
Happiness delivered the Colt back to me. Upon opening the box, I
beheld a sixgun wearing what is one of the most beautiful set of
stags that I have ever seen, perfectly shaped, and wearing just
the right amount of bark to make them interesting, but not so
much as to hinder comfortable shooting. Raj is not just a grip
maker, but a shooter as well, and he knows how to cut a set of
stags for shooting. These Eagle stags are very dense,
weighing 3.4 ounces for the pair. The colors are rich, and look
striking against the case-hardened colors of the Colt frame. All
the way around the grip frame, the grip panels fit precisely,
with no gaps or protrusions. The set is very well-matched
in both color and pattern. I love the feel of real stag grips.
While smooth, they still offer good weapon control. They are
smooth, but not slick. They are colorful, but not gaudy as some
grip materials tend to be. To me, a good set of Sambar
stags dress up a rather plain handgun as no amount of fancy
engraving can do. In other words, when it comes to beauty,
the grips make the gun, and in this case, Eagle made the grips.
Buyers need to beware however, as some grip
makers are trying, successfully in some cases, to pass off
European Red Deer grips as Sambar Stag. It ain’t the same
stuff, so don’t be fooled. Real Sambar is hard to find
in new grips, so no matter where you buy yours, make sure that
they come from a reputable grip maker. Whether it is genetics,
minerals in the soil, the animal’s diet, or a combination of
these, there is nothing like real Indian Sambar Stag antler.
With material provided by God, and craftsmanship
provided by Eagle, you can’t go wrong with a set of genuine
stag grips. Eagle tells me that after this supply is gone, that
there will most likely be no more. Prices start at about $250,
and for a bit more, Eagle can provide some true exhibition grade
stags. The folks at Eagle do good work, and are good
people with which to do business. Give them a call toll free at:
800-323-6144 or order online at: www.eaglegrips.com.
Jeff Quinn
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Click pictures for a larger version.
Author's new Colt Single Action Army, beautifully fitted
with genuine Indian Sambar Stag grips by Eagle Grips.
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