I have a Phillipson S86 in like new condition with the exception being the grip...there is a large chunk of cork missing from the fore end of the grip and a couple of small chunks too. Will it require a complete strop down to repair the grip, or can it be done another way?

I will try to get a picture up...hadn't thought about a cork fill...thanks

I've found that Gorilla Glue is effective in securing new cork pieces, any excess can be trimmed and sanded. In the cases where I've done this, it was best to cut out the jagged edges with an exacto knife and create a cavity with straight edges. Doing so made forming a cork plug with a small hobby (hand) saw and exacto knife to fit snugly a lot easier.

But the critical steps weren't just the fitting, it was selecting cork for the plug with a color close to the rest of the handle, and then being sure to align it directionally so the grain also matched.