Dwayne Worley Grips

I often carry a Smith & Wesson Model 67 .38 Special; it’s a stainless K-Frame with a 4” tapered barrel. Most people wouldn’t choose it as a concealed carry gun. I wouldn’t have either when I was younger, but it makes more sense today. S&W made mine in 1974, along with thousands just like it. Now, mine is special. It has a perfect action and gorgeous custom stocks- Worley Grips.

Editor’s Note:  Please welcome RevolverGuy Kevin McPherson to our pages. Kevin is a longtime reader here and when he approached me about this story, I jumped at the chance to give him the stage! I know you’ll enjoy Kevin’s tale and will be amazed at the artistry and talent that defines a set of Dwayne Worley Grips. Kevin’s friend Mark Mitchell is the genius behind the camera that captured the beauty of Worley’s work. His photography is wonderful, and it’s the perfect complement to Kevin’s heartfelt tribute. Thank you gentlemen! We’re honored to have you share your work, and Dwayne Worley, with us! –Mike

Worley turned the author’s humble Model 67 into a Combat Masterpiece. The grips look and feel amazing, the action approaches perfection. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell.

My law enforcement career started in small town Eastern New Mexico, circa 1987. I knew nothing about the job, but I knew enough to be impressed by cops who took pride in their appearance. The sharpest guys I knew had custom duty rigs and handmade wooden grips on their revolvers. Local craftsman Dwayne Worley was the guy making those grips. Officers wore them like badges of honor and I studied them to the point that I could recognize his distinct stocks. One day a tall slim man dressed impeccably in a sport coat and tie, slacks and western boots came by the PD. He spoke with my chief about an upcoming PPC match. It was a hot day and soon the man took off his jacket.  He was wearing a 6” 686 revolver with deeply grained finger grooved custom grips- Worley grips! I asked my FTO “Who’s the guy with Worley grips?” He looked at me like I was touched and said “That IS Worley, moron; he’s an investigator for the D.A.’s office”.

The more I learned about Worley the more he impressed me. He dressed like a cowboy James Bond and he knew enough about PPC shooting to run matches. He was a high level martial artist and gave freely of his time instructing local cops. Worley also knew a thing or two about police work; he was a cop several years before I was born. I discovered he was a New Mexico State Police Officer during the 1960’s. In the short time I’d been commissioned, I had already become enamored with the NMSP. I was pretty sure the state cops I knew could walk on water. At that point, I’d have bet money that Worley could.

I attended Worley’s martial arts classes and he taught me how to wield a side handle baton.  He treated me well even though I wasn’t old enough to buy my own pistol ammo. One day I asked what he’d charge to make grips for my 686. He pondered a minute then quoted a very reasonable figure considering the labor involved. It might as well have been a million dollars for what I was earning at the time. Acquiring a pair became a dream for me.

Author’s first duty gun, A 5” S&W 686. It sports Worley Grips thanks to a huge act of kindness by the maker, Dwayne Worley. These grips are made of Macassar Ebony. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell

Shortly after graduating from the basic law enforcement academy, Worley summoned me to the D.A.’s office. I backtracked mentally on the short drive to the courthouse fretting what infraction I might have committed.  Worley offered me a seat and announced that his wife Linda had taken a job as the Deputy District Court Administrator in Roswell- he’d hired on with the D.A.’s office there, too. He handed me a small paper towel wrapped bundle that I opened to reveal the grips off of his 686. He said “I’ve been meaning to make myself a new pair and our hands are about the same size, so… here you go.” My throat got tight and I had one of those moments where words were not found.

Worley told me there might be hope for me yet and shooed me to go catch bad guys. I couldn’t wait to show off my Worley grips- I drove straight to the station and swapped my Pachmayr’s for the dark wooden stocks. He was right; they felt like they had been custom made for my hand. I couldn’t have been prouder.

Time passed and I was accepted by the New Mexico State Police. I survived that academy and reported to a two-man duty station in Capitan, NM (Population 762). Roswell was only an hour’s drive, so I got to spend time with Worley occasionally. I started carrying a Colt 1911 as my duty sidearm and had a custom Combat Commander built for off duty carry. One visit, Worley told me to leave the Commander with him. I hesitated to leave my new favorite pistol, but I wasn’t inclined to argue with my old sensei. A couple of weeks passed and Worley called to tell me he was tired of storing my 1911.

Worley made these grips, the extended magazine release paddle, and the magazine bumper pad for the author’s off duty pistol. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell

When I walked into Worley’s shop, he told me that graduating from the NMSP academy warranted a gift. He had made grips from black micarta, stippled them and inletted NMSP shoulder patch pins into the flats between the grip screws. The magazine sported a matching base pad and the mag release was now a gracefully extended paddle. The gun looked stunning. I stammered something about it being too pretty to carry and Worley stated sternly, “No, this is how it should look; you carry the heck out of it.” I couldn’t argue with that wisdom.

The grips are made from paper micarta. Worley stippled them and added the NMSP shoulder patch to recognize the author’s academy graduation. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell

I resumed PPC shooting in 1992; Worley was kind enough to loan me the PPC open revolver that he and Portales gunsmith Clifford Hugg had collaborated on to create. Hugg supplied the mechanical genius to assemble the heavy barreled Model 10, complete with a modern triple lock on the yoke. Worley provided magnificent grips and tuned the double action to a point that single action fire wasn’t necessary. In a moment of carelessness, I struck the butt on concrete rushing to the prone position and broke off the front bottom edge of both panels. I hated to face him after damaging that gun. Worley repaired them with his typical ingenuity and actually made them more appealing to the eye.

As the years passed and I grew up a little, I took a major shine to big bore N-Frame Smiths. Worley approved; he’d carried a 4” Model 29 for most of his time with the NMSP. He had many stories of a rougher time in Northern New Mexico when that big 44 helped him make it home.  That Model 29 was actually what started Worley on the path to being a stock maker. The factory grips weren’t conducive to recoil management with heavy loads. Patrolling Route 66 one day, Worley spied a downed mesquite tree and salvaged the root pod. Transporting the stump in the trunk of his police car, Worley took it to a friend with a table saw who split it for him. He fashioned his first pair of stocks with that mesquite. They must’ve turned out ok; Worley was soon fielding requests from area cops wanting his grips. He kept a notebook recording every pair he ever made and who they were for. It numbered over 440 the last time I saw it.

Worley retained the sleek profile of the round butt on the author’s .45 Colt Mountain Gun. Worley chose Ironwood for these grips, and they have darkened gracefully with age. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell

My own Model 29 and 625 Mountain Gun travelled to Roswell for Worley Grips. Dwayne had retired from law enforcement and had started making high end turkey calls. He swiftly drew a fan base and his calls were in high demand. Graciously, he still took time to build grips for his “wayward son”.  The actions on my N-Frames didn’t meet his approval and he took it upon himself to clean them up. Worley knew exactly where to touch stone to steel in the guts of an S&W action to make it right

I woke up one morning and realized that my career had flown by. 23 ½ years had come and gone and I was retiring. I went to visit Worley and show off my latest S&W acquisitions. Dwayne told me I better leave the 67 with him for a bit. Yes sir, Sensei. Soon I got the call that my .38 was taking up needed space in his shop. He had created stocks that were a rich, grainy caramel color with splashes of blond; carefully selected mesquite. In my opinion, they have no equal- aesthetically or ergonomically. I shudder to think how long he toiled to make them so smooth. The fact that they were made from mesquite like his first pair occurred to me about the same time I got a piece of sawdust in my eye. Dry firing the gun confirmed that Worley had applied his voodoo on the inside as well.

This is the 417th pair of grips that Worley has made. They are made from mesquite just like the first pair that he ever made. The author is honored to own them. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell

We journeyed to the range and I qualified Dwayne for LEOSA carry. He still shoots a 1911 proficiently; even after seeing 80 summers. His posture changes somewhat when he shoots a revolver, though. He shows the sureness of a skill long mastered. An artist practicing his art.  I fired the 67 and marveled at how well it shot. The action was so good that it was… Inspirational. If you’ve fired a revolver worked by a master like Dwayne Worley, you know what I’m talking about. It was almost as if he had infused the gun with confidence. Craftsmen who can do that are getting scarce. S&W no longer uses the term, but Worley made mine into a Combat Masterpiece. It deserves the name now more than the number.

Driving home, I pulled over for a moment and reflected on the starry night sky over the desolate New Mexico plain. It hit me how fortunate I’d been to have a few good men like Dwayne Worley looking after me my whole career.  I drew the old Masterpiece and felt the same overwhelming pride I had so many years ago when he gave me the grips off of his own gun.

*****

Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, Mr. Worley isn’t taking new orders at the current time. I know that will disappoint you as much as it disappointed me! We’ll be sure to let you know in these pages if the situation changes. For now, we’ll just be thankful that men of such caliber and talent walk among us. I’m happy and grateful to know that men like Worley are out there.  –Mike

Photo Gallery

All images from Mark W. Mitchell.

Website: Mark William Photography

Email: [email protected]

This Model 10 was built for PPC open competition by two gifted craftsmen. Worley made the grips and stippled the backstrap in addition to tuning the action. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell
These grips were one of very few pairs that Worley made from Red Oak. He repaired damage done to them by adding the linen micarta end cap. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell
Worley classed up the author’ parkerized 29-2 with a pair of his beautiful grips. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell
Worley made these from Zircote. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell
Worley’s ironwood grips grace this .45 Colt Mountain Gun. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell
Worley started his career carrying a 5 screw Highway Patrolman like this one. He later transitioned to a .44 Magnum. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell
The grips on this Highway Patrolman are also fashioned from a spectacular sample of Ironwood, Worley went without his customary finger grooves on these. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell
Worley took a stock S&W Model 65 and rendered it into a gorgeous but purposeful fighting gun. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell
The grips on the 65 are Bubinga, native to Africa. Worley’s stippling adds to their functionality as well as their appearance. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell
The smooth finger grooved stocks on this 624 .44 Special are crafted from Bloodwood. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell
Worley takes pains to fit stocks to an individual gun, not just to a general category of gun, like an N-Frame Smith. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell
Worley added his touch to a Les Baer 1911 that belongs to a friend of the author. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell
Worley used Ironwood to complement the Les Baer 1911. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell
The grips on the author’s custom Colt Combat Commander are from paper micarta, and feature the shoulder patch of the New Mexico State Police. Photo credit: Mark W. Mitchell

Author: Kevin McPherson

Kevin McPherson began his career as a police officer in New Mexico in 1987. He served for 23 ½ years, the last 19 ½ with the New Mexico State Police. There he worked in the uniform bureau and narcotics enforcement section and did two tours in the NMSP Training Bureau, retiring as a Sergeant in 2011. Kevin ran the firearms program and was the chief armorer for NMSP for 13 years. He served as a member of the NMSP Tactical Team (SWAT) for 10 years, eventually becoming the counter sniper team leader. He was commander of the NMSP Pistol Team and competed with a revolver throughout his career. He is a master firearms instructor through NMDPS and continues to instruct in retirement. He has had several articles published in American Cop Magazine, SWAT Magazine, and the NRA Law Enforcement Quarterly. He started his career carrying a revolver and has always been partial to them.

19 thoughts on “Dwayne Worley Grips”

  1. Welcome aboard the “writers club” and thank you for sharing those true works of art in wood. Plastic may be the norm for uniform duty these days, but there is no substitute for steel dressed with magnificent grains of wood. And congrats on surviving 23 yrs on the job.

  2. Thank you very much, Sir. I’m honored to be here. You’re welcome, I’m pleased to share Mr. Worley’s handiwork. You’re right about steel and wood! I’m glad I made it through My LE career intact, that’s not always the case these days.

  3. I was already looking my wallet halfway through the article and then finished…not taking orders! Ugh. That was a bummer.

  4. Mr. Worley has talent beyond what my lens can capture. He is remarkably humble and a man I’m honored to call a friend.

  5. Thank you for this great article. I had never heard of Mr. Worley before. He sounds like a great guy in addition to being a very gifted craftsman. The photos are gorgeous. It is a pity S&W does not make revolvers like those anymore. I understand why, and am willing to acknowledge that their current revolvers are good guns in terms of accuracy and durability. But they just dont have the finish, aesthetics, and wonderful DA triggers of the older models.

  6. Thanks so much for a fine article, Kevin. Mr. Worley is obviously a master at his craft. It is also obvious that his character is good for taking in a young cop and mentoring him. What a great story!

  7. I’m obliged to you guys for appreciating my article, Mark’s pictures, and Dwayne Worley’s work- and the measure of his character. Revolver Guys get it!

  8. Kevin – Thanks for taking us along on a journey with You. I was excited to see that this article was written by a fellow ‘Eastern New Mexican’, and recognize names like Clifford Hugg, who did some work on guns for my dad and myself. Dwayne Worley’s story is a great one, not only as a man of character, and lawman, but as a craftsman and artist, he’s effected many. Thanks for telling this story so well…

  9. Very heartfelt story. Incredible work. Inspirational person in the embodiment of Mr. Worley.

    Men like him are very few and far between….cherish your time and memories with people of his stature, if one is lucky enough to have someone like this in your life.

  10. Guys, I apologize for being so late to the party. I’m just catching up on my Revolverguy articles.

    Kevin, this was a wonderfully written piece and such a great story. Glad to see you are becoming a regular contributor. Mr. Worley sounds like a remarkable man and his craftsmanship is off the charts. Your model 37 with the Worley grips is simply incredible. I’m still drooling.

    I must admit, I was already trying to justify the cost of a pair of Worley’s grips in my head until I reached the end and my heart sank when you revealed he is no longer creating these masterpieces.

    Thanks again Kevin for this story and thank you Mike for continuing this wonderful website and keeping the Revolverguy community going.

    1. Sean, it’s never too late to recognize great work, and that certainly applies here! Worley’s grips are stunning, and from Kevin’s wonderful prose, we understand that the man is equally impressive. We were awfully proud to help Kevin bring this story to life. Thanks for writing in!

    2. Sean, sorry I was late to my own party on this, too- I just saw your comment! Thank you very much for your praise reference my words, and for Dwayne Worley and his art. I appreciate it!

  11. Kevin,
    After talking with Dwayne Worley and then you this very morning I have just finished reading your article dedicated to him and his magnificent work. Magnificent is hardly adequate to describe the workmanship and talent displayed in his grips. Your article about him and his work is a genuine tribute that most of us can only hope to ever have applied to us by a writer with your gift. Thanks for the article and the conversation about Dwayne Worley and guns and grips in general. See you around the local gun shop and maybe on the range! Thanks again.

    1. Thank you, Mr. Kissam, I enjoyed the visit, too. It’s always good to talk guns with fellow revolver guys. I’m glad I was able to share Mr. Worley’s gift a little bit. His is a rare talent- and getting rarer. I’m blessed to hang out with him! Thanks for appreciating his skill and character, and for the kind words about my article. I hope to bump into you at the LGS or the range soon!

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