Is That a Mastodon in Your Pocket? Colt Pocket Hammerless .380

[ancientnoob]

I had been looking around for some truly unique grip panels for my antique autoloader. I had a couple of criteria.
1) The grips had to be shootable non- presentation type, that can stand up to the rigors of casual shooting.
2) The grips had to be exotic and one of a kind.
3) The grips had to be fatter then the standard 0.325" inch width of the factory grips.
4) The grips had to be made by a reputable grip maker, who guarantees top quality and has a proven track record.
5) The grips had to comply with federal, state and local laws here in Connecticut.
6) The grips could not exceed $325 delivered.
7) The grips had to be an authentic natural material.
8) The grips had to be bad ass.

Having devised a written list of what I wanted my choices surely narrowed quickly. I spoke to some custom grip makers from around the country, and folks that had vintage customs and factory upgrades, while most of my options where good, the did not comply with 2,3, and most commonly 6.

I had several correspondence with a grip maker named Charles Spresser, he runs none other than Spresser Custom Grips. He had a wonderful set of Mastodon Ivory grips on Gunbroker, that I had come across by chance, having nearly given up. He accepted an offer within my #6 criteria, and a few days later they were mine. Having finally mounted them on the weapon. They are quite unlike anything else I own. I am an avid collector of all things ancient, now having a pair of ancient grips, I was just tickled pink.

The grips are of amazing quality they are thicker then the factory grips allowing for a more precise purchase on the weapon and a natural and positive depression of the grip safety. The grips themselves are backed with Micarta which I believe to be some type of fibrous resin, to anchor the grips and place and separate them from the grip frame. The fit and finish of the grips is impeccable and both meet and exceed expectations. The Mastodon ivory does not appear to be fossil, but rather well preserved and there is clear evidence of mineral exchange between Ivory and the surrounding environment. The crackling is phenomenal in my opinion, and very appealing to me, there are a multitude of subtle colors through out the grips, although elegantly not captured well in the photos.

For the gun pictured, it is a Colt Pocket Hammerless 1903/08 Type III Factory Nickel in Caliber .380 ACP,
Manufactured in 1921. The original .380 Automatic Colt Pistol.

Please share your Spresser customs, your Ivory grips, and your grips made of extinct critters and your experiences personalizing your firearms!

 

[Mr. Standfast]

Well, there's my Belgian Spirlet, which I bought cheap, minus hammer, trigger guard and finish, all of which I did for myself - probably just in time to stop the grips being cannibalised for something smaller. That is also illegal under the law of most countries signatory to the CITES treaty, but it happens.

I sympathise with those who want to ban the trade in new ivory. eBay used to be fullof fossil ivory which was no more fossil than I am. In a way this example is worse, for it probably came from the dead-and-damned King Leopold's personal colony of the Congo Free State, which some called the worst governed country in the world. The native overseers cut off hands for a failure to meet the tax quota, the riffraff of Europe (most Belgians being unwilling to be seen dead in the place) said "'Twasn't us. It was them," and the Belgian government said "'Twasn't us. It was him." Which it was. But nobody is going to put 140-year-old elephants and amputees together again.

 

[ancientnoob]

View attachment 783473

Well, there's my Belgian Spirlet, which I bought cheap, minus hammer, trigger guard and finish, all of which I did for myself - probably just in time to stop the grips being cannibalised for something smaller. That is also illegal under the law of most countries signatory to the CITES treaty, but it happens.

I sympathise with those who want to ban the trade in new ivory. In a way this example is worse, for it probably came from the dead-and-damned King Leopold's personal colony of the Congo Free State, which some called the worst governed country in the world. But nobody is going to put 150-year-old elephants and amputees together again.

A wonderful job you did, such a lovely weapon. Thanks for sharing!!!

 

[bannockburn]

ancientnoob

Love your Mastodon Ivory grips! They go perfectly with your Colt Pocket Hammerless Model 1908! My brother has the same Colt Pocket Hammerless (also in .380 and nickel plated), as you do only his gun came with factory pearl grips with Colt medallions on them. I had to make a suitable spacer on the backside of one of the grips as it was missing from one of them, causing that grip panel to move around even after the grip screw had been tightened. I used a thin slab of wood that I had and using the other grip as a guide shaped the wood piece to fit and epoxied it in place. The pearl grips are truly amazing with an iridescent quality to them which bring out so many varied and luminous colors.

 

[Mr. Standfast]

They sound beautiful. Some sort of white epoxy filler might be even better than wood, for a perfect fit to metal to stop mother of pearl cracking.

I wonder, does fossil ivory still have the property it does when straight from the elephant's mouth, or a mere century or two later, of being non-slippery when damp?

 

[bannockburn]

Mr. Standfast

The pearl portion of the grips was fine; it was the insert (which the other grip still had in place), that was missing. The back of the pearl grips is smooth, sort of like a stone slab, and needed the wood insert attached to the back of it, to fit partially inside the mag well cut-out of the frame. The grip screw by itself wasn't enough to hold the relatively heavy pearl grip panel in place.

 

[Kevin Rohrer]

Be warned to those wanting mastodon or mammoth grips, Cavery Grips from NC will take your money and never provide the grips.

Caveat Emptor.

 

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I wanted a set like that for my 1911 but my pockets weren't that deep so i went with Elk