thompsoncustom Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I posted this a year or so ago over at a different forum but thought you guys might use it more so here it is.Things you'll need:A pair of plastic 75 gripsPlastic epoxySand paperSkate TapeA file and/or dremelFiberglass (optional)First thing you need to do is take your pair of stock grips and flip them over so that the side that faces the gun is up. Then at the top and bottom of each grip there will be a pointy oval that is recessed into the grip that is what we are going to start with, this needs filled in with epoxy so just mix up a small amount and fill in the 4 recessed ovals like the picture below. Next we need to fill in the center part of the grip and here you can use just straight epoxy or mix in a little fiberglass cloth like I did. Try to keep all of the epoxy in the center and off the edges as anything on the edges will have to be removed. Also don't over fill the center I would say stop between a 1/16 and a 1/8 from being level with the top if you add to much you will have to dremel it out. Wipe anything on the top or outside of the edges off, if it drys you can use the file to remove it. Now wait at least 4 hours tho overnight would be better. After the epoxy has dried take your small file and remove enough epoxy from the oval parts of the grip so that the inside is flush. This is also a good time to test fit the grips that will let you know if there is epoxy somewhere that it shouldn't be and you can remove it.Now for the time consuming part. Take your sand paper and lay the face of the grip (the part your hand touchs when holding the gun) flat on the sand paper and use a up and down stroke to remove plastic from the face of the grip. It helps to start with 100 grit sand paper as the stock plastic grips are tough and it takes some time to sand them down, I used 100, 200, and ended with 400 grit sand paper. In this picture you can see why you need to add epoxy to the grips. Now you can go as thin as you want but the thinner you go the weaker the grip will be so that's up to you. I did not measure mine but here is a pic of how thin the grips are without the tape added. Now the hard part is done and all is left is some grip tape. I bought a big sheet of skate tape and cut out a square about a 1/4 inch bigger than the grip all around and put the face of the grip on the sticky part of the tape then took a hair dry and heated and pressed the grip to the trap. After I was happy with the tape being laid I took a carpet knife and cut the extra tape off and here is a pic of the final grip. Hope this helps some people that want thin grips but don't want to spend the money on alum ones.Final grip next to a stock grip. Just shot these on my shadow today and made me think of this. Enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdave24 Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Nice job. Thanks for the write up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 nicely done. thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magsz Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 I really dont understand how doing grip work, ie profiling the grip is production legal on a gun with removable grip panels... You cant reduce an M&P backstrap but you can do it to a CZ? Hrmph... I hate to open this can of worms again but are we sure something like this is production legal? (im not sure if the OP cares, im just mentioning it for those that might) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosapiens Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 (edited) I really dont understand how doing grip work, ie profiling the grip is production legal on a gun with removable grip panels... You cant reduce an M&P backstrap but you can do it to a CZ? Hrmph... I hate to open this can of worms again but are we sure something like this is production legal? (im not sure if the OP cares, im just mentioning it for those that might) What exactly does 'profiling the grip' mean? The rules say you can't add or remove material to change the factory profile. Profile generally means 'seen from the side', and the examples they give (extending below the frame to form a magwell, or adds function such as a beavertail or thumbrest) don't seem to apply to simply making grips thinner or thicker. Edited June 12, 2014 by motosapiens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alma Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Replacement of grip panels is with aftermarket is explicitly authorized. Reprofiling the grip is not. I am now saying that if makes sense but this does allow for a lot of leeway with Guns that accept grips as long as they don't make a make-shift magwell or add too much weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thompsoncustom Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 (edited) How could this not be production legal? How is it different than buying aftermarket grips? What if I bought these from a vender and they were made like this? BTW I don't compete in anything yet so idk but would like to get into idpa SSP. Would like to use these grips its like ur hand is glued to them with all the grip tape. Edited June 13, 2014 by thompsoncustom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magsz Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 So why cant someone take a large S&W backstrap and thin out the sides? Its a removable grip panel. :/ I appreciate the work the OP did, its a great job, i just think we are running down a slippery slope here with rule interpretation. Sorry to derail the thread into lawyering. :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosapiens Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 So why cant someone take a large S&W backstrap and thin out the sides? Its a removable grip panel. :/ I would say a) it's NOT a grip panel, it's a backstrap. you would be changing its profile. wouldn't bother me if the rules allowed it, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thompsoncustom Posted June 15, 2014 Author Share Posted June 15, 2014 So why cant someone take a large S&W backstrap and thin out the sides? Its a removable grip panel. :/ I appreciate the work the OP did, its a great job, i just think we are running down a slippery slope here with rule interpretation. Sorry to derail the thread into lawyering. :/ That's alright I've been practicing with these grips on lately and there no point if I can't use them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magsz Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Thompson, I think you're good to go under the current rules and your work IS indeed well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alma Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 These are definitely legal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunsen Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Nicely done and totally legal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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