Homemade bbq gun grips and holster

[RiverRat]

I always wanted a bbq gun, but money has been a problem. Maybe some day I can afford to modify a gun with engravings, etc. I had a bottom of the line Springer military 1911 copy .45 with US grips that I used for the base bbq gun for no other reason than it was looking lonely in the safe.

Anyway, I made my own holster earlier this year and now carved a set of fake ivory grips (plastic) last night in about an hour with a dremmel tool, sandpaper, and a pocket knife. As long as the gun is in the holster, it looks pretty bbq. The grips were ~$30 at a recent gun show. I'm chicken to do it with a $350 set of real ivory...but I will make some more carved plastic or wooden ones.

I have a Tucker bbq holster and belt, but it wouldn't be the same. Next project is a matching double layer gun belt.


Here are the grips on the gun;


Here is the gun in my homemade pancake holster;


The other side;


Has anyone else done this? Please share.

[GlockFan]

Thats some good looking work. But what is a bbq gun?

[USA1]

i thought this was going to be about food

[RiverRat]

Thats some good looking work. But what is a bbq gun?

One of the old Texas Rangers used to have a bunch of guns. He had special dressed out, engraved ones with fancy grips that he would wear to fancy occasions. He called them BBQ guns.

I found this quote doing a google search;

"pale horseSeptember 5, 2003, 07:05 PM
BBQ gun are generally eye candy. They are worn during fancy occasions like weddings, parties, or the every so popular company picknick.

Texas rangers wear them as a Dress gun for formal functions and governor protection so I am told. While I am not going to be going to many formal functions and would not want to protect the governor of the state I do go to bbqs and would like to have a dress gun."
http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/inde ... 39019.html

Here's a link to an article about Charlie Miller with a photo of his BBQ gun: http://www.shootingtimes.com/gunsmoke/miller_0730/

[WildBill]

That's some nice work RiverRat. Thanks for sharing.

[Texas Bulldog]

Great job

My .02c, all that nice work should have some nicer screw's holding it together

JOe

[longtooth]

Over the yrs I made several holsters but never any grips.

[RiverRat]

Great job

My .02c, all that nice work should have some nicer screw's holding it together

JOe

Agree. I used what I had on it. I'd love some SS allen heads. I would like a drawer full of 1911 parts, but I haven't located a reasonable source. I have been looking for a good source of screws and stuff. I'm hard pressed to pay $10 for a set of grip scews and $10 for shipping when you know screws only cost a nickel apiece from a manufacturer. Not that I'm cheap, but there is a depression going on, at least a my house.

I have noticed that anything for a 1911, even common screws, costs about 10X or more, particularly, at the race gun, custom and speciality houses (Wilson, Brownnel??sp) and dealers like Midway even add to that.

Anyone have a cheap (good metal screw) source for 1911? I can't see paying $2.50 ($5 each counting the shipping) per screw. Most of the screw and bolt places want a minimum 1000 piece order in a good quality 400 series SS.

Anyone know of a good cheap source that'll work?

[Cosmo 9]

Just google fasteners, Austin and call the one closest to ya see what they have in stainless. Their not home depot they have all the odd sizes and thread pitches.

Now get that thing chromed and yer good to go!!!

I should have read the last line in your post It works better if you go to the sales counter most of the time they sell small quantities but if you call they want to load ya up.

[MoJo]

CDNN in Abeline has 1911 parts at a good price they have both blue and stainless allen head grip screws. Here's their 1911 parts page.

http://www.cdnninvestments.com/1911foncolsi.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RiverRat]

CDNN in Abeline has 1911 parts at a good price they have both blue and stainless allen head grip screws. Here's their 1911 parts page.

http://www.cdnninvestments.com/1911foncolsi.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks Mojo, that's a good source. I have a bunch of 1911's, knock on wood, they all just run and run. I've never HAD to work on one other than clean 'em.

Cosmo, I'm going to call around on Monday. Used to work in a development lab and used to have to buy strange hardware once in while. I'll have to check my index files. I don't have any dies that size in my tap and die set, or I'd just make some. I think I found a size. They are heat treated. .150" –50 x .250", very strange.....very strange to be so common......measured mine = 0.1495".....not a chance finding those other than from a gun place.

[lonewolf]

Star Stainless Fasteners in Arlington, Texas might be able to help. In a past life I worked on their forklifts there. Stainless fasteners are more common than one might normally imagine since food processing facilities and such use them so extensively. I think they have a place in Houston as well......just trying to help...

[Roscoe]

That's professional grade work. That gun and holster would be welcome at any Texas BBQ I've been to. Now, if you can come up with some excellent bbq sauce to match your other work, I'd say you'ld be the jefe at any bbq you attend!!!

[stash]

RR, if that was my gun I would keep it just the way it is except maybe what Bulldog said about the screws. The thing is real nice looking and I really like the contrast of the white grips on black. It would be welcome at my bbq.

[RiverRat]

Thanks all for the suggestions. I'll get on the phone tomorrow and see what I can come up with for screws.

My 6th generation Austinite secret BBQ sauce is protected by my BBQ gun .

Thought I'd share my next grip project...don't know if you are familiar with spalted pecan for grips, but being the national tree of Texas and having a stump in the yard, I think I'm going to try to make some.

The stump in the front yard. Note the whitish area to the right about center photo....that's spalted:


Here are some photos of grips made by others, since the photos are theirs, I included links;
http://www.tommy2feathers.com/images/20 ... es_132.jpg
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/11419

a bowl of spalted pecan; http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... twfAk8WDAQ


You get the idea.....the stump should make a pretty set of grips.....we'll see.