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Steel grips vs polymer


lrdchaos

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Everyone I have talked to about this have stated they mostly like the difference in the weight and balance. A cheaper alternative would be to try a weighted magwell to see if you like the balance before going all out on a new grip.

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Metal grips can be thinner, so make for a better feel if you have small to medium sized hands. Also, the various textures offered on the metal grips is superior to what you can achieve on a plastic grip. Whether those difference make it better is a personal choice.

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I like it mostly - the signature grip did not fit my hand as well as I expected so I'm switching it out for the infinity regular. Couple of benefits for me - (1) mags slide in and out easier. I've never had a mag hang up in my steel grip - they almost feel slick going in and out. (2) weight is nice to soak up any extra recoil. The gun just seems to sit there. (3) if you have a strong grip like mine, sometimes you can squeeze the plastic grip together a little bit which can cause a mag to hang up. I sometimes have to tell myself to relax on the gun to get mags to drop out of my plastic grip. No chance of that happening on the steel grip.

Cons are of course cost and fitting. Fitting can be hit or miss depending on the brand. Also some people don't like the extra weight or feel the metal works as a tuning fork to transmit vibrations. I've never felt that but it does seem possible.

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I had a signature series grip and loved it until it broke...I opted for a plastic grip rather than spend the $$$ and it didn't take long to get use to...If money is no issue and you can afford to replace it when it brakes, I'd go with the steel grip...

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I have a PT steel grip. I like it - only downside for me is that it slows down my reloads. The poly grips are very forgiving if you get the mag started at the wrong angle. Steel grip hit a fast reload wrong and it jams in and gets stuck. No fun.

Are you not running a magwell?
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I have a PT steel grip. I like it - only downside for me is that it slows down my reloads. The poly grips are very forgiving if you get the mag started at the wrong angle. Steel grip hit a fast reload wrong and it jams in and gets stuck. No fun.

Are you not running a magwell?

Running a Dawson ICE. The end of the mags are narrow enough you can get it through the magwell at an angle.

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I run CK steel on my new open gun. It weighs in at 54.5 oz and almost makes my backup gun feel like a toy. I'll have to get a steel grip on it eventually.

The feel is better with steel. The grip is thinner and more secure. The gun balances better.

Tuning fork? Uh no.

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The feel is better with steel. The grip is thinner and more secure. The gun balances better.

I agree with this. I have the SV Signature Grip and it allows me to get a better grip on the gun and to work the mag release without shifting my grip. Couldn't do that with the polymer grip.

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I've never shot a polymer grip, but I have a few observations. I have two friends at the club who shoot STI polymer grips, and both have the same problem. Mags sometimes fail to drop. Each has no problem when practicing. However, in the heat of a stage, they both grip so tightly they warp the poly grip. B..., the worst offender, grips so tightly that two of his four 20 round mags almost never drop. With his 22LR conversion unit on, none of his Aluminum mags drop. They do when he is practicing loading, etc., but no in a match. I've tried his pistol and I cannot squeeze the grip hard enough to keep the mags from dropping. When I shoot it, everything works fine. Even so, I'm going to stick with metal, just to be sure.

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I like wood myself. I found the perfect load for my .45acp with 230gn, so I don't think I can do better than hitting the target everytime.

Wood for a 2011 would break in one round! lol
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I went with a steel grip from Matt Cheely. I would probably never know the difference, but I thought since I was building I might as well spend as much money as possible.

Can't go wrong with a CK steel grip from Matt or Bobby!

I like your thought process of spending as much as possible on a build.:)

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