Carved Grips For The Colt Single Action

Carved Grips For The Colt Single Action
By Bill Welch

(Photography by John Strickler)

Fifty years ago, I acquired my first engraved single action with carved ivory grips. Santa also brought me a double holster rig with fringe and conchos.

Bill Welch, shown here in Georgia in 1953 with his first Single Action and holster rig, collects engraved and Western-shipped SA's and saddle shop gun leather.

Nothing epitomizes the Old West like an engraved single action with carved stocks. Before William Mason’s Single Action ("SA") patent invention improvement in 1872, Gustave Young and L.D. Nimschke engraved most of the magnificent predecessor Colts of various types. Some of these percussion guns had plain and checkered grips of ivory. A small percentage had carved ivories with the liberty bust, the seated and standing Goddess of Liberty, the helmeted dragoon, the American shield, the snake and eagle or other Americana themes. With the advent of the SA, carved stocks were destined to change to a decidedly Texas theme in the short years ahead.

Fancy grips for single actions

Initially, Colonel Colt’s SA's, both government and civilian models, had one-piece walnut grips. While at least one very early engraved single action (Serial No. 114) is known, engraved single actions did not appear in any real quantity until around 1876 and SN range 20,000. Around this time, the Colt allies, notably Spies, Kissam & Co., received rather large orders of SA's from Colt and sent them out to the Nimschke and other New York shops for engraving and carved ivory stocks. These were the early "New York engraved" pieces, as shown in Figure 1. These 7½" SA's predated the factory engraved and "soft" engraved guns. The experts say that it was not until 1878 that the first Colt factory engraved SA was shipped. The "soft" shipped guns came a few years later.

Prior to 1880, engraved SA's would typically have plain or checkered ivories or carved Mexican snake-and-eagles. These were holdovers from the Colt percussion models and typical of the New York engraving shops like Nimschke. However, a new western-theme, the great Texas "longhorn", was about to emerge.

Figure 1: Three early New York, Nimschke-style engraved SA's with diverse one-piece carved ivories, including a shortened .44 rimfire.

The 1880s -- the steerhead motif emerges

Around 1876 there were more than 300,000 longhorns moved North to be shipped from the Kansas railheads on the Union Pacific to the beef-hungry East. Perhaps the most romantic event in the Old West was the cattle drive north of the Texas longhorns by those dusty, mounted cattle-tenders – the Cowboys. From 1880 to about 1885 there was an increased interest in factory and New York shipped "soft" engraved SA's with one-piece carved ivory grips. One-piece pearl carved grips were much more scarce during this period. The overwhelming carved motif became the Texas longhorn steerhead.

Not only did the steerhead craze originate from the Texas cattle drives north, but Texans probably purchased a disproportionate number of engraved SA's with carved steerhead stocks. This is evidenced by Colt’s shipping records showing Texas destinations. Furthermore, there is a documented preference for SA's with fancy stocks by numerous Texas Rangers. While the carved stocks on SA's were very popular among lawmen and well-heeled ranchers, carved stocks for non-SA Colt models of the era were much less common. There are fewer examples of carved steerheads of ivory or pearl grips for the 1878 DA, the Bisley or the Lightning. This relative scarcity probably existed because of the disproportionate extra cost for carved stocks for these models.

Carved grips did not come cheap in the 1880s. The Colt factory, Hartley & Graham and other Colt allies offered carved ivories for about $5 extra. Advertisements show that inflation took the price to about $7 in 1891 and to $11.50 extra in 1913. Sometime in 1911, Colt introduced the new style pearl and ivory grips with inset medallions on each side. Engraving might be as cheap as $2 but full coverage might cost $20. These were considerable sums not affordable for the typical cowboy. Occasionally, as shown in Figure 2, a SA would be special ordered without engraving but with expensive carved stocks.

Figure2: Unusual special order SA #113,775 to Browning Bros., unengraved gun with stocks of "ivory with carved steerhead motif"

While each carved steerhead (also sometimes called bullhead or ox head) was unique, most appeared quite similar, as can be seen in Figure 3. This is true for the one-piece ivories and the slightly later two-piece carved grips (now with grip hold pin and screw) becoming the norm by 1886.(A separate article could be written on the advent of the two-piece rubber grip variations, first appearing in 1882). From an historical perspective, it was at this very time (1886) that the famous mid-April cattle round up took place in Miles City, Montana Territory. In attendance were many "Montanafied" Texans who had come up the trail in the last ten years. No doubt, those who could afford it were in Miles City sporting their engraved SA's with fancy stocks.

Back in New York and Hartford, the men carving the grips were artistic masters, well trained and with an eye for composition and good proportion. They used sophisticated shading techniques to accentuate body contours and depth. These artists created high-relief figures and used hatch marks, ticks and wiggle cuts to imply texture and hair. They used a carved-dot method to emphasize the eyes and nostrils. Their artistry shows great imagination with a minimum of anatomical detail of the longhorn.

Figure 3: Ivory. The four SA's sport one-piece carved steerhead ivories; the four carved ivories in the left column are post-1885 in two piece.

These masters of the carved ivory and pearl stocks, unhappily, cannot be identified, as can the master engravers, e.g. the Ulriches, Young, Nimschke and Helfricht. Given the talents of the master engravers and those working in their shops, it is not unreasonable to assume that the stocks may have been carved by the same artisans that were engraving the Colts.

A fine carved ivory steerhead is equally appealing in new or well-used condition. Some collectors prefer the well-worn, deep yellow patina with numerous age cracks. It is popular with collectors to add an early territorial holster rig "of the period" from Cheyenne or Miles City (e.g. by saddle makers Gallatin, Meanea, Collins, Ten Eyck, Goettlich or Moran Bros.) to go with the engraved SA with carved grips.

Frequently at shows, the SA experts discuss the cant or slope on the butt of the grips. Arguably, Colt factory carved grips were more canted than those of, say Hartley & Graham. However, it is not commonly thought that the style of "steerhead" reveals whether the carving was done at the Colt factory or not. Although each steerhead was unique, the head style, quality and thickness seem interchangeable between factory and non-factory grips. Elephant ivory was the standard but sometimes walrus ivory is encountered. Walrus can be readily identified by inspecting the different cracking and coloring on the butt. Like almost no other fine antique, a pair of old, yellowed and age-cracked carved ivories becomes better with age and use.

Popularity of Mother of Pearl

One-piece carved and plain pearl grips for SA's surfaced in the late 1870s but were rare when compared with the number of carved ivories. Pearl grips on early non-SA Colts were much more prevalent. However, both plain and carved pearl two-piece grips became popular beginning in the late 1880s and rivaled carved ivories in popularity. The price for carved pearls or ivories was usually the same. Although carved pearl stocks mature to a yellow rainbow sheen, pearls never get the deep, yellow-brown patina and age-cracked look that is the trademark of old ivories. Most of the carving techniques used by the masters on ivory grips were also used on pearl (See Figure 4), including the desirable, but scarce, hatching technique.

Figure 4: Pearl. The steerhead motif also dominated two-piece pearl stocks, beginning in the latter half of the 1880's.

Steerhead Theme Continued

Carved grips on an engraved SA are equally striking under a magnifying glass or at a distance, such as in Colt’s famous "Patches" advertising poster from the 1920’s.

Much could be written about Colt’s fancy two-piece carved stocks after about 1911 when the medallion version first appeared. Colt’s "Patches" and other ads continued to fuel the interest in the steerhead motif. While top-flight carving continued, most of the steerheads on later carved grips appeared flatter, less dimensional and realistic, than in the artistic heyday of the 1880s.

Regardless of the era, because of the intrinsic artistic beauty of carved stocks and because they greatly enhance a SA, collectors eagerly seek them out and pay a premium. The desirability factor increases even more where grips are original to a gun and there is a factory letter, confirming carved stocks in pearl or ivory. Relatively few such letters exist. Keep in mind that the numerous New York "soft" engraved SA's did not "letter" with carved grips as those guns were sent out by the Colt allies for engraving, finishing and fancy grips.

Conclusion

Like Nimschke or Helfricht-shop engraving, carved ivory or pearl stocks greatly enhance a Colt SA, whether the gun and grips are in pristine or well-worn condition. Colt factory and New York carved grips exhibit fine craftsmanship that get better with age. Beginning in the 1880s, the Texas steerhead motif emerged as the dominant theme. These grips, however, did not come cheap, sometimes costing more than expert engraving.

Like 50 years ago, I hope Santa will favor me again next Christmas with an engraved SA with a yellowed, age-cracked, pair of carved steerhead ivories.