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Old November 6, 1999, 10:13 PM   #1
Jim V
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Do any of you have a suggestion where I can obtain a set of REAL ivory pistol stocks for a 1911? I just gave the one pair I had to my nephew upon his graduation from the police academy. The man that made those stocks had died between the time I got them and the time I gave them away.

Thanks

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Old November 6, 1999, 10:34 PM   #2
H&K Fan
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Jim,
Try www.ajaxgrips.com - They do offer real ivory but I believe you have to e-mail them for a quote.
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Old November 8, 1999, 10:19 PM   #3
WalterGAII
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Isn't there a an on the importation of ivory?? Maybe not.
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Old November 9, 1999, 11:36 AM   #4
sharpsrifle
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It's my understanding that there is a ban on elephant ivory importation. Most of the new manufactured stocks are made using old ivory from the 1930's. Suppliers comb the country looking for estate sales and what not inorder to find the stuff. Hence, the astronomical price of genuine ivory stocks. BTW walrus tusk is also used.

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Old November 9, 1999, 02:18 PM   #5
Jim V
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Boy, have the prices of ivory stocks jumped from when I last bought a pair.
$250.00 for plain ivory.
$350.00 for diamond checkered.

I paid $110.00 for the pair I gave my nephew, and they were hand picked by the maker. I guess I'll have to mug my nephew and take the grips back. LOL

Wowzers.

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Old November 9, 1999, 08:02 PM   #6
WalterGAII
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Then there's the case of the guys who are being prosecuted for selling Geronimo's last headdress..because it contains eagle feathers. Didn't matter that the headdress was made prior to the act that banned the selling of eagle feathers.

None of this feathers stuff probably relates to ivory, just thought I'd throw it in.

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Old November 9, 1999, 09:30 PM   #7
Backwoods
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Jim, I hate to tell you this but the last pair of Ivories I bought cost only $30. Of course, I'm not saying how long ago that was! I still have them on my "Half breed" Gold Cup .45 and I'll never sell them because I couldn't begin to justify the current prices. I was digging thru some of my "archives"(My wife says "junk")a couple of months ago and found the price list I ordered from way back then. The dealer was John Suth and he had a permanent ad in the Shotgun News for more years than I care to think about. The prices on that paper would make a guy howl at the moon!! As far as the price they want now, ask yourself, "What will it be NEXT year? If you can afford to, bite the bullet and buy them now, later is almost certain to cost more.
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Old November 9, 1999, 11:19 PM   #8
Jim V
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I am half considering growing my own elephant. In 20 years or so, I'll have: 1: Enough ivory for several sets of pistol stocks, 2: The makings of elephant hide boots, holsters, belts, jackets and a lota wallets and 3: The need for the world's biggest barbecue pit. If I do that, you are all invited to the cook out, bring lotsa charcoal and/or barbecue sauce. LOL

"Gee wiz, not left over elephant, AGAIN."

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Old November 10, 1999, 05:29 AM   #9
George Hill
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Tastes like Chicken
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Old November 10, 1999, 10:07 AM   #10
Bennett Richards
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Now this is interesting....
MOST of the ivory for real ivory grips comes from WOOLY MAMMOTH tusks found in the frozen tunra of Siberia. This material is fairly abundant and not covered by and bans.
I think it's WAY cool to have grips from ivory over 25,000 years old!!!!!!

Ben
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Old November 10, 1999, 05:27 PM   #11
slickpuppy
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Bennett,
What are you smoking?
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Old November 11, 1999, 02:16 AM   #12
Bennett Richards
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SlickPup,

Ain't smokin nothing... Swear to God. MOST of the ivory being used to make grips today is Fossil Wooly Mammoth or mastadon ivory taken from tusks excavated from the frozen tundra of Siberia.

You may have seen press on the WHOLE Wooly Mammoth excavated this year in Siberia in a state of PERFECT preservation. One HUGE chunk of ice with 2 HUGE tusks sticking out of the front.

Much of this ivory can be as old as 25,000 years. Makes no difference...Cold has perfectly preserved it. If you DON'T believe me then find a gripmaker at gunshow and ask... they will confirm this.

Neat eh?

Ben
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Old November 11, 1999, 09:40 AM   #13
slickpuppy
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Bennett,
If true, yes that is pretty wild. Makes me want to get several sets.
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Old November 15, 1999, 07:34 PM   #14
BenDover
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I'm sorry, but someone is yanking your chain Big time...Can you imagine the expense of retrieving these. Have you been watching the Discovery channel?? Seriously, it's not true.
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Old November 15, 1999, 08:20 PM   #15
Scott Evans
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Ben,
It appears that Mammoth ivory is relatively plentiful. I read your post and thought I would investigate. Below are just two of hundreds of links that came up during a quick search.

http://www.7cs.com/fossils/woolly.htm

http://toltecs.lab.r1.fws.gov/lab/iv.../elephant.html

Jim … I am wondering if you could work a better deal on the grips if you could supply a maker with your own ivory.

Just a thought
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Old November 18, 1999, 06:58 PM   #16
Danger Dave
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Ben, don't confuse the cost of excavating an intact mammoth with digging up a couple of tusks. When they see them poking through the ice, the Siberians get some friends and some ice axes and chip away...All it takes is time. Mammoth tusks are much bigger than elephant tusks, but they still probably weigh only a few hundred pounds - 5 or 6 healthy men could carry them quite a distance (like, to the bed of a truck). Cheaper than a helicopter and a team of scientists...

Oh yeah, it's environmentally sound, too - mastadons are already extinct, so there's no danger of wiping them out for ivory.
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Old November 21, 1999, 03:59 PM   #17
Byron Quick
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Unlike the anecdote about the eagle feathers (which I believe can be legally possessed only by Native Americans under current law), fossil ivory is legal to possess and to sell.

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Old November 22, 1999, 12:01 AM   #18
Bennett Richards
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Ah ye of little faith...
Think I woukld try and yank your chain on the fossil ivory eh...

Think I'm crazy... you guys all have GUNS!

Happy T day guys

Ben
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Old November 24, 1999, 07:19 PM   #19
BMWGS80
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Elephant does NOT tast like chicken It tastes like pork(the other white meat). It also has such a dense muscle structure with coarse muscle that a little goes a long way.
This was our prefered journey meat in Africa.
On occasion when the herds were thinned out they would process and can the meat. I would stock up for later. Been much too long or I've gotten too old. There were some good times before civilization caught on.

Cheers,

ts
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Old November 25, 1999, 12:41 AM   #20
4V50 Gary
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An African told me that Elephant is tough meat and you chew all day (his tribe got the foot and cooked it for three days).

That set aside, I emailed Ajax Grips and yes they do have ivory. They wanted $450 to fit my 2nd Gen SAA Colt. That's almost as much as I paid for the gun!

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