Jump to content

Thompson Front Vertical Grip Comparison-Colt vs. Savage


Recommended Posts

All,

 

I have put together a photographic comparison of some of the subtle differences between the original Colt vertical grips and the WWII Savage vertical grips. This should help members distinguish between the two in photographs or help in determining a real grip from a reproduction.

 

Grip-23.jpg

 

Savage grip on left, Colt grip on right.

 

Grip-24.jpg

 

Savage grip on left, Colt grip on right.

 

Grip-2.jpg

 

Grip mount channels.

 

Grip-1.jpg

 

Savage "S" mark in grip mount channel.

 

Grip-6.jpg

 

Savage grip slightly longer than Colt grip.

 

Grip-15.jpg

 

Colt grip.

 

Grip-18.jpg

 

Savage grip.

 

Grip-14.jpg

 

Colt grip.

 

Grip-17.jpg

 

Savage grip.

 

Grip-13.jpg

 

Colt grip.

 

Grip-16.jpg

 

Savage grip.

 

Grip-21.jpg

 

Colt grip.

 

Grip-22.jpg

 

Savage grip.

 

Grip-5.jpg

 

Savage left, Colt right.

 

Grip-7.jpg

 

Savage grip.

 

Grip-10.jpg

 

Colt grip.

 

Grip-9.jpg

 

Savage grip.

 

Grip-8.jpg

 

Colt grip.

 

Grip-4.jpg

 

Savage left, Colt right.

 

Grip-25.jpg

 

Savage grip.

 

Grip-26.jpg

 

 

Colt grip.

 

Hope this helps the new collectors as well as the older ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread should be included in the pinned topics section for sure!

Great job Chuck,

Darryl

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very well done sir!!! I have seen several comparisons where the Colt was authentic but the Savage was not. You are spot on thanks this really helps those of us obsessed with finding the elusive Savage grip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dave, The M is for Strombeck-Becker of Moline IL. They were an official AOC supplier of WWll TSMG wood.

 

Bob D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Bob, I'd been meaning to ask for a while. Going to take a good closer look at other parts for markings. Plenty of Savage marks & Savage-Stevens barrel, plus P proof & FJA plus GEG marks etc. Thanks for the info.

 

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for sharing those.

On a Savage produced M1A1 fore end stock any idea what an M stamp may relate to? This is on the outer of the wood facing the magazine well.

Dave

A very good book with a comprehensive list of parts and their makers (among other great info) is: American Thunder III by Frank Iannamico. I'm guessing that you don't already have it. It's $40 on Amazon and worth every penny.

 

I'm fairly new to the Thompson world too and that was the first book I bought.

 

Andrew

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Andrew, no I don't have plus I'm in the UK so unable to order direct. Unavailable currently via Amazon but will keep an eye on stock via US listings for UK shipping. The UK Amazon don't even list it either!

 

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Paladin.

 

I've only seen a couple of others with the lighter wood highlights present. The grip has not been stripped, just cleaned and treated with Boiled LInseed Oil.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

were there different grades of the 21 Thompson, say comercial or professional (for police, feds, etc) ?

Nope, they were all high grade guns. Yes there were some guns that were presented to employees, but they are very similar to production guns save the engraving.

Ron

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

were there different grades of the 21 Thompson, say comercial or professional (for police, feds, etc) ?

Nope, they were all high grade guns. Yes there were some guns that were presented to employees, but they are very similar to production guns save the engraving.

Ron

 

Thanks Ron

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Paladin.

 

I've only seen a couple of others with the lighter wood highlights present. The grip has not been stripped, just cleaned and treated with Boiled LInseed Oil.

Thanks gijive

Paladin601,

 

The grip is not quite as yellow as it appears in the photos, there is more of an amber color to the light highlights. I was using strong natural sunlight and you can see it was illuminated from the right side of the picture. This contributed somewhat to the light appearance of the wood. I can post some additional pictures of the varying color of the wood on original Colt grips if you are interested.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Paladin.

 

I've only seen a couple of others with the lighter wood highlights present. The grip has not been stripped, just cleaned and treated with Boiled LInseed Oil.

Thanks gijive

Paladin601,

 

The grip is not quite as yellow as it appears in the photos, there is more of an amber color to the light highlights. I was using strong natural sunlight and you can see it was illuminated from the right side of the picture. This contributed somewhat to the light appearance of the wood. I can post some additional pictures of the varying color of the wood on original Colt grips if you are interested.

Thanks, not necessary. I got out some my old stocks and noticed the same think on them, and they are heart wood as well.

 

I guess there are a lot of things that change the appearance,, lighting, cameras white balance and my monitors settings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A excellent treatise by gijive! Agree with Darrylta - penned reference section material.

 

Chuck normally attends one of the yearly Thompson Show and Shoots in Ohio. Perhaps we could talk him into bringing his fore grips and comparing with grips of an uncertain pedigree. This would make for an interesting show and tell session. I may try to slip in one of my deerslayer grips just to see how close Dan came to copying the original Colt grip ;)

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...