Happy Thanksgiving!
As I reflect on the things I’m thankful for, I thought I’d write a blog post to express my gratitude, share some insights into what we’re planning for the near future, and provide a few updates.
First, what have we been up to?
As many of you have likely seen, we’ve released some medium- and large-frame Smith & Wesson grips. We’ve also launched the Spegel Round Butt N-frame boot grips and the Spegel Round Butt K-frame extended boot grips. Both have been very well received, and very long awaited. Next up, we’ll be releasing the Spegel Square K boot with extension, along with full-size Spegel Square K and N frames (these will likely not feature a hook, though some K-frame hooks might be available on request; I still need to think that through).
The shop recently received an electrical upgrade to accommodate more machines, and we’re still sorting through the details. We also purchased and received another machine that will greatly increase our capacity and throughput. We’re excited to get it up and running, but it’s been a lot of work moving toward that goal. It’s more than just rolling the machine in and hooking it up, there’s extensive facilities work to get it online.
To say that this year so far has been our biggest would be a massive understatement. We switched to an SLS machine in 2024 in the hopes that it would let us build an inventory of grips, but we quickly realized we needed more capacity to keep up. It’s a double-edged sword: while we’re able to get more grips into shooters’ hands, most of our website items have a short window of being in stock before they’re snapped up and go out of stock again.
We understand how frustrating that can be for customers who want to buy a grip today and have it in the mail three days later. We’re doing everything we can to mitigate it.
At our current growth rate, I estimate we’ll be in a similar situation once the new machine is in. Our facilities, at this point, don’t allow for a third machine, which means our facilities are a major bottleneck for growth. We’ll need to address that in 2026.
We’ve been fortunate to keep our prices competitive. Our manufacturing process is costly if we’re making a single grip profile in the thousands, but it’s very cost-effective when we’re producing lots of different profiles and selling plenty of them. It’s an interesting dynamic. Right now, the products we’re selling, at this price point, seem to deliver a custom, handmade-feeling grip without the custom price tag. The market appears to agree, and the feedback confirms it. As long as that holds true, we’ll keep doing what we’re doing.
Our plans for future grips form a long and promising list. On it are options for Colt, Ruger GP100, SP101, and Korth (with very minimal changes to accommodate those), plus the elusive left-handed hook for the Ruger LCR.
Starting tomorrow, we’ll be running a Black Friday site-wide sale: 10% off everything. No coupon code needed—all prices will be slashed by 10%. We’ll run it for a while; I haven’t decided exactly how long yet.
As we finish up all the Spegel Round Butt Extended K boots, we’ll shift to two J-frame priorities: the Spegel Low Horn full set (in standard, hooked, and double-cut options), plus the AFR UCs. We’ll start running those next week.
Now, everything we’ve been able to accomplish, and all the plans we have for the future, has only been made possible by the support of our customers. Because of that, we’re tremendously thankful.
Seriously, we’ve done so much in such a short time; it really blows my mind. We’ve been blessed beyond measure, and the feedback and support have been amazing.
Doing this has been a labor of love, blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifice. The rewards have been worth it, and the future looks bright.
Everyone at Hamre Forge wishes you a very Happy Thanksgiving. We hope and pray you have a wonderful day of reflection, thanksgiving, and time with family and friends.
I also hope these safe holidays can be enjoyed with a tightening waistline, one that leaves a little room for a comfortable, casual hooked revolver.
Again, from each and every one of us at Hamre Forge, Happy Thanksgiving, and God Bless! Christ is King!
Regards,
Ryan, Lydia, Sylas, and Ava
The Hamre Family, of Hamre Forge