Checkered grip ???

[Cuebuddy]

Being a part time gunsmith and cue builder(very part time) I have wondered why it is not popular to have the grip area checkered like custom guns are. I know there have been a few high end cue makers who have also been gunsmiths and thought it would not only look good but be functional also. There is only one cue that I have ever found with real checkering, I am not talking about pressed in checkering that you might find on cheap cues.
The pic of the cue I am talking about is found here http://www.billiardcue.com/image.popup.php?section=1&image=1&ID=442
and it is for sale on the http://www.billiardcue.com/index.php web site ( a great site by the way). I am just wondering what others think about why it is not more popular.

 

[Scott Lee]

Jim...Brunswick, and other companies did that kind of checkering on lots of cues. You can see it on cues built by Europeon cue manufactures, in their catalogues from the 1860's (see Billiard Encyclopedia).

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Being a part time gunsmith and cue builder(very part time) I have wondered why it is not popular to have the grip area checkered like custom guns are. I know there have been a few high end cue makers who have also been gunsmiths and thought it would not only look good but be functional also. There is only one cue that I have ever found with real checkering, I am not talking about pressed in checkering that you might find on cheap cues.
The pic of the cue I am talking about is found here http://www.billiardcue.com/image.popup.php?section=1&image=1&ID=442
and it is for sale on the http://www.billiardcue.com/index.php web site ( a great site by the way). I am just wondering what others think about why it is not more popular.

 

[Cuebuddy]

Jim...Brunswick, and other companies did that kind of checkering on lots of cues. You can see it on cues built by Europeon cue manufactures, in their catalogues from the 1860's (see Billiard Encyclopedia).

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Thanks Scott, I have seen quite a few old cues that have had various textures on the grip and they sure went out of fashion. Reiper and Brunswick both used that style for many years. I hope things are going well. Jim.

 

[Cuebuddy]

My opinion on this, because I have thought a lot about it.

First, I think that checkering would be a bit irritating after a while of shooting pool. There is a lot less movement in shooting a gun than shooting pool.

Second, you hold a pool cue for three straight hours and it is a normal session. If you held a gun for three straight hours, it is a hostage situation.

Third, think of how dirty it would get.

Fourth, it would be VERY hard to checker a tapered round piece unless you only had islands of checkering.

dld

I agree the taper would be tricky. I learned to checker in college years ago and have not practiced it much. I kind of imagined this work to be done on a higher end cue that you would probably not use as a daily player. If you did play it much I think the sharpness of the points would mellow out soon.
It is good to see I am not the only one to think of this:grin-square:.

 

[TATE]

Being a part time gunsmith and cue builder(very part time) I have wondered why it is not popular to have the grip area checkered like custom guns are. I know there have been a few high end cue makers who have also been gunsmiths and thought it would not only look good but be functional also. There is only one cue that I have ever found with real checkering, I am not talking about pressed in checkering that you might find on cheap cues.

Checkering looks best when the diamonds are sharp - not good for a grip.

Below is a picture of a carved handle from one of my Brunswick's from the early 1900's. It looks like they used some sort of turning jig and a fixed saw blade to make this - the lines are very uniform. The handle is well sanded, so it feels pretty good holding it.

There are a couple of things about gun customization and cue building I too am kind of surprised never carried over. One is all the beautuful metal engraving, especially the gold on silver that I think looks so great on guns. Joints, rings, etc could really pop with some of this multi color work. The second is the use of English and French Walnut, and crotchwoods too - some of the most naturally beautiful woods - maybe they're not good for cues or we just haven't discovered them yet.

Chris

 

[Cuebuddy]

Thanks for the pic Chris. I have gun stock blanks that I bought many years ago that are far to nice to use for guns. When I look at them now all I can see is pool cues....at least 3 per blank. My issue is I will never have the time to get good enough to trust myself to do the work:embarrassed2:.

 

[TATE]

Thanks for the pic Chris. I have gun stock blanks that I bought many years ago that are far to nice to use for guns. When I look at them now all I can see is pool cues....at least 3 per blank. My issue is I will never have the time to get good enough to trust myself to do the work:embarrassed2:.

This is my favorite rifle - it's a Sako I bought for my wife 23 years ago. It turned out to be a rifle capable of shooting under 1/2" groups at 100 yards so I kind of took it over.

It's French Walnut in .223 Remington and a hand checkered deluxe stock. I get a lot of compliments on the beauty of this rifle at the range, but it's nowhere near the class of a full custom crotch walnut stock.

Chris