bill d

I'll gladly sell you a brand new one cheap!! I've only cracked about 7 or 8 of them before I got the SV/ Infinity grip. The sti's seamed to last about 4 to 6 thousand rounds then started developing cracks and got very bad at about 7 to 10 thousand rounds. If fit properly, the first one I fit wasn't exact, they last a little longer but still crack, give or take a couple thousand. I have 2 brand new grips never touched for sale if anyone wants one at a reduced price. I'm sick and tired or fitting them or paying someone to fit them and beleiving they'll last the distance. I really like the SV/ Infinity grips. Good feel and I have one with about 30,000 rounds on it with no cracks or wear. I guess you get what you pay for. Tell me if you are interested.

Jay, I aksed SV about this and they might have something soon. However, I would give their magwell a try before you write it off. I always used an ICE magwell and THOUGHT I needed it. As I started with SV's new grip I really wanted an ICE-like magwell. After some basic dryfire I realized it was all just in my head. I actually became smoother and faster with their system because of the ergomomics (and basic dryfiring). It was like the mag was just sliding in bewteen my grip on the gun with no effort. I'm very pleased with the results so far.

...and the squad lists, and the published stages, and........

check to see if the link is broken

"Does the grip still crack if PROPERLY fit." The answer is yes. And as RIIID wrote, the issue is it isn't durable enough for the appliaction. This has nothing to do with trying something new. I'm writing about it being inferior in current design. want2race - You are correct, they will keep giving you free grips if they break, but after going through about 8 of them I decieded it really wasn't worth time or money to keep replacing them. I'd rather focus on practice. Good luck, I hope yours holds up.

Sorry you took it the wrong way but there was no attitude involed. I'm actually perplexed at this thread. And my post wasn't pointed at you, it's reflecting 4 pages on this thread with people still writing that they want to give one a try, even with all the issues. As for the sarcasm, I didn't think it was that bad considering people are still buying a product that fails continuously with knowledge of the failures. It just seems odd that this is the case.

I guess a lot of people are reading this thread, but not listening or understanding it. WHY would you buy the STI Alu. grip when you KNOW it's going to break/fail???!!! I'm lost on this one. But while were on it, If anyone wants to buy some cracked STI grips, worn out barrels, or cracked slides please PM me, I have a good assortment to choose from. I have some broken/cracked mags too if you are interested. Just pm me. And , AGAIN, if you want a metal grip that doesn't break, set an SVI/Infinity grip....

I am curious how much this solution cost... (I know, if you have to ask you can't afford it) I'm now over 20,000 rounds and NO CRACKS. As for the cost, Call Brandon at SVI / Infinity and ask. I think that SVI's are just a little more than STI's, but STI's just crack so your really just wasting money. Why spend a little less for a product that is just going to break when you can buy the product that works??

I don't want anyone to be hurt in a overall position by a stage being tossed but stage 6 was a lame stage for a "AREA" match, shooting it the way everyone shot it. Pretty much it was just draw and shoot 4 targets from around a barricade with the targets being 5 feet away. Again, I don't wish anyone a drop in position, but the stage should have read that the targets must be engaged through a port. And no, this wasn't a "gaming" stage that someone had to really think about to come up with this way of shooting it. It was obvious that it should be shot this way because it never said that the targets must be engaged through a port. The prop makers did a lot of wood set up for this. And to have it shot the way everyone shot it, they should have just set up 4 targets- 5 feet in front of you and just said shoot it strong hand. Again, no disrespect to the stages designers, workers, or the RO's. Just a little wording in the stage description would have made you shoot it they way it was intended which would have made it a little challenging.

To answer your question, Yes. If you read that other thread, I was the one with about 8 cracked sti grips. They have done nothing to change it. I now have a SVI SS grip with 15,000 rounds on it and another with a few thousand on it and no problems what so ever. Talk to Brandon at SVI and He'll get you set up. He's very informative and helpful. With all that he's done for me, I might have to think about getting rid of the STI upper.............

Thanks. I did call the club and the fax continues to answer. At least that was the posted number I got.

This really ticks me for some reason but could someone post the location of the Pathfinder club? It's not on the application, not on the Area page, not on the USPSA match page,........... How hard is it to post the physical address for the hosting club? So many of these Area, State, and Sectional matches list the club and nothing more, no address. I think this is the 3rd or 4th major match this year where I've spent about a 1/2 hour TRYING to find the club. The locals may know where its at but when I have to travel hundreds of miles it's not to easy. Even on the Pathfinder Club site it just gives a PO Box. I don't think the range is located there for some reason. Thanks in advance.

Yeah, if you have one malfunction on one of these stages you can forget finishing at the top, or at least I doubt I would be able to catch back up. I run the same 130-135 PF ammo that I use for IDPA and Steel Challenge. It passes the chrono test, it passes the PROAM test. I had three jams on three seperate stages, then a broken gun. I had to go get my back up gun. I went to the wrong parking lot, then had to go to the other one in 100 degree weather, and then get back to the stages. When I got back to the stage, my squad was gone and I had to shoot the last 3 stages by myself while trying to recover from the heat (where I live it rarely ever gets above 86 degrees at the hottest). PAIN!!! Thanks to Chuck Anderson, and a few other RO's that allowed my to collect myself enough to shoot the stages. Mr. Taylor, I'm glad you searched here to get that mag back.

I'm sorry, it has a standard (black) floorplate. Hope you get yours back.

Again, Anyone, I know it's just a mag but it's somebody's and not mine. It will just sit on the self for the next 20 years if someone doesn't claim this thing. Bueler, Bueler, Bueler,........

Hey Guys, I found a Glock mag on one of the stages. If you know anyone who lost a mag, please have them contact me. I asked on a couple of stages but no luck on the owner. I found it on Saturday. They'll have to give me a description with what type of rounds to claim it, but it's not mine so I really want to get it back to the owner. Awesome match Phil, that steel was fun. Bill Drummond 828.963.7020 or you can post here but I check infrequently. The RO's deserve Ironman badges. I shot in 100 degree weather BUT they WORKED in it. Amazing!

Yes, all my STI mags fit in the SVI grip. I had no issues from when I recieved it.

If you want a metal grip that doesn't crack in 3k rounds it is. STI is doing nothing about it, SVI did the homework and has results to show for it.

Hey guys, I've finally figured it out!! A picture of my grip number 6 or something is posted on page 2. I've cracked 8 of these grips and they are just going to continue cracking until something is done about the design and fit. It's been over a year and nothing has changed so I wouldn't expect anything soon, but i've finally figured it out. My current grip now has over 12,000 rounds on it without the slightest hint of a crack. So if you want my current fix grab your pencil. Here's what you do: First, pick up the phone Second, call and ask for Brandon Strayer at SVI/Infinity Firearms Third, tell him what style grip you want Fourth, ship him your pistol to fit it Fifth, VOILA! Your done, that's it, nothing more to it. If I knew it was that easy I would have done it to begin with. Not only have I not had to fit another 3 or 4 grips, but Brandon can actually answer my questions in regards to the engineering, tolerences, and composition of the grip. He's called my in the interim to make sure I'm satisfied and answer more of my question. A true Professional. So the puzzle has been solved........

I do. Why is he teaching about gun safety and saying "I'm the only qualified person in this room to handle a gun" and then slidelocks a gun with the mag still in it and proceeds to aim a gun at himself and pull the trigger. I'm glad he's alright.

I don't know where this belongs: I shot the Florida Open and got 1st Open Master. Great Match, Great People, Great Time....can't wait until next year. A couple of days after the match I e-mail Frank and ask him about the prize table. Wadette e-mails me back and said someone picked up my plaque and envelope. I asked who and she said she doesn't know. I live in the mountains of North Carolina, no IPSC shooters live close, I practice by myself, and I shoot about 2 to 3 matches a year. I have no clue who might have picked up my stuff. Wadette and I have traded e-mails back and forth a couple times but no one has contacted her or me and it's been two weeks. Does anyone know who took my plaque and envelope? If you do or have it could you please PM me? Thanks, Bill Drummond

Then now is NOT the time. I haven't seen any changes with the replacements at all. It's been many months since this started, I wished I would see or hear about some or any changes.

Matt, I'm not trying to tell you what to do but you should shoot the grip till the cracking gets worse. The cracks that you have are nothing compared to how they will get. I would put another 4 to 5 k rounds on that grip before you change them out. #1 because the minor cracking doesn't affect the function. #2 as soon as you put the new grip on it's just going to crack again within a couple thousand rounds ..SO, you waste time fitting it and waste money on the grip tape, etc. If I change my grips every time I had the small cracks I would be on grip number 20 or 30. Again, I'm not trying to tell you what to do but the hassle of changing them out all the time becomes a pain. Like I wrote above, I wait until the sides are cracked down to around the mag catch and the trigger gaurd breaks from the frame. At that point I feel the grip is no longer good to use. Remember, the new grip is going to crack right away too, and STI will still warrant them, so get the most out of each one. Otherwise you'll have a few hundred dollars just in grip tape

Matt....once the crack starts, it grows pretty quickly. Normally for the first 1,500 there are no cracks (visible to the eye). Then around 2 to 3k it starts on the sides up top and progresses. Around 4 to 5k it cracks at the trigger gaurd. Then around 6 to 7k (sometimes 1 to 2 k more)the trigger gaurd breaks completely from the frame at the bottom (still connected at the top where the small bushing is). FYI: These are all rough numbers. The grips are not going to crack exactally at these intervals. But going through the number of grips I have, they are pretty sound give or take a 1,000.

The problem, I believe, here is not technology at all. It's a failure at R&D'ing. It would be different if they cracked at 15k or 20k rounds. but they don't last past 2k. I even told STI that I would gladly help with some R&D'ing (putting many rounds through guns with the grip as it was improved and giving feedback) and they said they would look into it but never really responded other than sending me more grips to break. I don't have an engineering degree but if you look at the grip, where it's cracking, you could tell that it's way to thin. From when I first got the grip I could tell that that area might be a problem as it's only a few thousandths. It looks exactally like the polymer grip. Metal does not flex as forgiving as plastic. I hope they are working on something, as I prefer the metal grip. A design change may resolve the problem but I haven't been informed of anything. Maybe this issue being circulated out in the open may get them to be a little more proactive. One last thing, I normally change the grips out when they are really bad. In about another 3 to 4k the bottom break at the trigger gaurd will completely break through and you can bend the trigger gaurd AWAY from the frame. Yes you can actually pry it away because there is no connection below the trigger bow. It flex's so it doesn't really bend away and stay there, but you can pry it away from the frame and see daylight from the crack where the triggergaurd meets the frame. I would like to help with the R&D'ing as the grip is awesome.............. Again, I'm going to keep using the metal grips as I prefer them. I'm just going to have to keep changing them out as they crack until they figure something out.