1911 Grip Thickness

[EricW]

The title says it all. What do you like on your gun? Even though I have small hands, I prefer the standard grip panels (probably why I feel like the STI frame fits me so well). Are people going to the thinner grips for competition, or is it more for carry?

Tell me a story.

[j1b]

Eric,

I shoot a single stack .45 better than any gun in my safe. Clearly mag capacity makes it impossible to be competitive with in most matches but the singlestack .45 is without question the perfect gun IMO. Grip thickness? On a scale of 1-10 - I rate it an 11 as is with wood grips.

JB

[rhino]

I have thin grips and short triggers on all of my guns. I'd never go back!

I do think you feel more the recoil with the thin grips, but I on the flip side, you can get a better grip because you get a better purchase on the front strap.

[Duane Thomas]

Standard grips. I have medium-small hands, but I deal with that with a short trigger. The thin grips, for me, make the grip too small. The fact these things are so thin they have no meaningful checkering doesn't help. With thin grips I get much more torque and lateral dispersion when firing fast than with more hand-filling, checkered standard grips.

[mcoliver]

Ditto what Duane said about torquing and twisting. So, (skateboard tape-covered) regular grips for me, too.

[Chuck D]

I have "paws" for hands so the thicker the grip panels...the better.

[D.Hayden]

I have the Jerry Barnhart grips, which I really like for all the traction. I think you'd say they're standard thickness, and replaced the Kimber stock (rubber/plastic?) grips on my Kimber Custom Target.

This weekend I tried a STI Trojan which seems had a much narrower grip, and found the [standard small button] mag release button much easier to hit with my thumb.

I can't remember if I have the regular or thick (Xmas present), they seem about the same as the factory grips, but now, I'd like to try a thinner one if they made one.

[jhgtyre]

I have a set of $5 grips from a local gunshow. They were UGLY plastic with a half round dent bored partly into the left side panel. PERFECT! I turned the dent into a channel to aide my thumb in hitting the mag release and then covered the entire mess with skateboard tape. The result looks like the Burner grips with a contoured left grip panel. I love 'em.

-ld

[schmitz]

Much thicker than standard,

my hands are 22cm (:8.66"), that's why I use the longest ITS-trigger I can get in combination with an arched MSH.

[Bill Schwab]

Thin grips make the gun feel very square to me, and thick grips make it hard to get to the mag release button.

I have used, and like, Burners grips, but would prefer them to be every so slightly thinner. Bottom line is that I like the standard grip panel thickness.

[BismarckC]

I have small hands so I ended up taking the grips off my para and just use skateboard tape. I have much better control of the gun.