Question: Is it wise to shoot a 1911 with mammoth ivoy on it?

hwjhfs said:

You asked about mammoth ivory which I understand to be fossilized; hard and brittle. I agree with elephant ivory being no problem with stress from recoil. I shot my SAA once with pearl on it and promptly got a chip at the conjunction of the frame and backstrap. Pearl is hard and brittle too. I don't do that any more. I don't know if I would risk the fossilized mammoth being pliable enough to absorb recoil. I think most of the replies above were for elephant ivory....anyone shoot fossilized ivory?

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In regard to the original question about mammoth ivory it depends on the maker.
Some 'stabilize' the material with epoxy or other types of chemicals. Some mammoth ivory makers do not stabilize it.
I have some mammoth tooth Ivory grips made by Dan Chinnock that have been stabilized as well as reinforced with G10.
They are as durable as most grips and quite safe to use. He advertises that if any of his grips ever fail or crack he will replace them for free. I shoot with them on regularly and probably have 1000rnds thru the gun with them on.
The grips the Op has are mammoth 'bark' or ivory from the tusk. It is usually a bit more brittle than than tooth ivory.
I'd check with the maker if possible to see if they were stabilized and safe to shoot.

If you really want to protect them get some challis bushings and O rings to put underneath as well as on the screws and the grips won't move at all and be better protected against shock and recoil.

iwanna -- If I understand your situation, fix with epoxy & fiberglass cloth backing --

1. I'd clean the broken surfaces, roughen them slightly to give a better glue surface,

2. With a piece of fiberglass cloth, locate screw holes properly to avoid it bunching up, cut larger than the entire grip.

3. Clean/roughen the ivory back that goes against the gun.

4. Cut a piece of foil, lightly waxed both sides, larger than the entire grip surface.

All that made ready --

a. Wax around the grip area of the gun & put the foil (4.) in place where the grip will go.

b. Put the fiber glass cloth (2.) in place, saturated with epoxy.

c. Assemble the grip pieces (1.) with the glued edges in place with the screws well waxed for sure removal.

d. Once all is assembled & fitting, with a rag damp with alcohol, carefully clean off the excess epoxy, with not so much liquid alcohol to wash away our protective wax.

If after setup, disassembly is still stuck with epoxy, heat will melt the wax & free it. After removal, the fiberglass cloth around the ivorw will be a solid, easy filed off. Finally clean it all with an alcohol rag. I use Devcon 2 Ton clear epoxy, not the 5 minute. The fiberglass cloth is so thin its effect is negligible but strength is great. PM me your mailing address & I'll mail you a piece if you don't have it already ---->