Budget or Fancy?

[Fo0]

Should I leave my gun with the budget look now that I finished it or should I get a steel grip with DLC Black coat the whole gun or a steel grip and no coating?

Grip $600+

Coating $450+

 

I have never held a metal grip before - only the plain STI and STI tree bark.

 

Not sure how it will feel with more weight than it already has.

 

 

Thanks

[stardust tommy]

stipple the grip and finish the gun (cerakote is a budget solution, DLC or PVD or way better)

 

spend the money from a metal grip on a good training course

[jim vaughan]

Coat the plastic grip with Carbide and use it. 

Often a steel grip is not the best item for improved performance due to the excessive weight.

[blindmarksman]

stipple and coat. spend the rest on ammo/training. 

[LuvDog]

I wouldn’t do anything with a fancy finish. I like sleeper / beat up looking guns.

 

The grip could be a good investment, but that’s because I don’t really like rubber or plastic grips.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: Rust is a coating---just saying! Thanks, Eric

[echotango]

My guns are in the white with a steel grip.  Wouldn't change a thing. 

[chevrofreak]

Very nice looking just how it is.  What thumb rest is that?

[SCTaylor]

You're thinking of spending the same amount of money for a grip & finishing as my entire, match Ready Stock 2 cost.. Crazy!

 

Not a knock, just wild when you say it out loud. I like the way your gun looks now, wouldn't' change a thing!

 

Go shoot the ~7k rounds of ammo in practice, which equals the money above, then choose what you want to do!

[Steelix]

I would see if you could try someone else gun with a steel grip before you buy one. I would not shoot a open gun without  a steel grip, but there are a few guys in my club that still do. Finish is up you, But you could put a finish on it now and then add the grip after you have tried someone's else gun with it. As the grip is stanless steel and I see a lot of unfinished grip's on guns. 

[Acsr]

I would do the grip and finish if thirds is "the gun", but I'm a fan of the steel grip, my open build is just getting finished (look up emg custom on Instagram) just needs shot and off for ion bond, I have a trubor with a evo, not finished grip coating, but my custom will be done buy once cry once mentality. It's your money and gun do it the way you want

[texasdawg]

I went ahead and put the Chelly SS grip on mine. It is heavier, but feels more balanced in the hand. Save the rest of the money for ammo. 

[zzt]

I'm building an Open pistol right now and I face the same dilemma.  I originally wanted to go EVO, but a mix up in communication had my frame milled for STI plastic.  I could use the new CK Arms SS grip, but now I'm not sure.  We shoot in the Winter unless the temp is below 25 degrees.  The grip gets really cold.  So cold that even a hand warmer in the magwell doesn't help.  So now I'm thinking both.  SS up until Dec, and plastic for Dec~Feb.

[echotango]

2 hours ago, zzt said:

 I originally wanted to go EVO, but a mix up in communication had my frame milled for STI plastic. 

Never heard of a difference. I have fitted my 2 EVO's to 3 ck frames and 1 sti.

Edited August 17, 2018 by echotango

[Dranoel]

On 8/14/2018 at 8:54 AM, Aircooled6racer said:

Hello: Rust is a coating---just saying! Thanks, Eric

 

I have carbon steel guns that aren't blued that I have been shooting for years and still have not a speck of rust on them. Coatings...  schmoatings...

[biggulp]

Skip the high dollar, fancy finishes.. Just tape off the C-more lens and rattle can the entire thing in bright orange. You'll never have to worry about mis-placing it and you'll save a ton of money

[Hiroshi]

PT Evo Stainless Steel Grip.

[Foxbat]

Another strong vote for steel grip.

 

I shot several guns with plastic grips, but when I switched to steel ones I knew this was it. 

[perttime]

What is it about steel grips? Weight and balance? More rigid?

[Steelix]

1 hour ago, perttime said:

What is it about steel grips? Weight and balance? More rigid?

 

More balanced in the hand, it just feels better. 

[Janskis]

On 8/21/2018 at 10:32 PM, Foxbat said:

Another strong vote for steel grip.

 

I shot several guns with plastic grips, but when I switched to steel ones I knew this was it. 

Open guns specifically? I've heard both here and recently in person that steel grips aren't good on open guns, but make a helluva difference in standard/limited

On 8/22/2018 at 6:53 AM, perttime said:

What is it about steel grips? Weight and balance? More rigid?

More weight low and at the back, countering muzzle rise. Drawback apparently is sluggish transitions and weight.

[Steve133]

So, this is probably an odd question, but bear with me a second: where are you located?

 

I'm not going to weigh in on the plastic vs. steel grip debate, because that's not something I'm an expert in (and besides, it seems to boil down to personal preference in many cases anyway). But if you're deciding between the relative importance of some kind of coating and another upgrade, your geographical location and the climate there might play more of a role than you'd think.

 

I've seen/heard of plenty of guys (some of them in this thread) that will run a gun in the white for years with no rust issues... but they all live in the desert, the Midwest, or somewhere else relatively dry. If you live somewhere humid or somewhere closer to a coastal area, you might need to worry a little more about coating stuff to prevent rust. I live about a block away from the Gulf of Mexico, and everything I own will rust under a normal maintenance schedule. I either have to apply some kind of corrosion-resistant coating or oil everything literally every single time I touch it.

[IHMSA15151]

6 hours ago, Steve133 said:

So, this is probably an odd question, but bear with me a second: where are you located?

 

I'm not going to weigh in on the plastic vs. steel grip debate, because that's not something I'm an expert in (and besides, it seems to boil down to personal preference in many cases anyway). But if you're deciding between the relative importance of some kind of coating and another upgrade, your geographical location and the climate there might play more of a role than you'd think.

 

I've seen/heard of plenty of guys (some of them in this thread) that will run a gun in the white for years with no rust issues... but they all live in the desert, the Midwest, or somewhere else relatively dry. If you live somewhere humid or somewhere closer to a coastal area, you might need to worry a little more about coating stuff to prevent rust. I live about a block away from the Gulf of Mexico, and everything I own will rust under a normal maintenance schedule. I either have to apply some kind of corrosion-resistant coating or oil everything literally every single time I touch it.

This is sound advice. I moved from the central valley of California to Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound of Washington. My maintenance routine changed drastically. 

[Brian04rs]

Just swapped my plastic grip on my 9 major gun to a pt Evo grip off of a back up limited gun. The main reason in my mind for doing this is I think the added weight helps and secondly I much prefer the texture, profile, and shape of the pt Evo grip. Makes transitioning from my limited gun to open gun easier by keeping things common between the two. Also only gun I own that’s coated is my atlas nemesis, while it looks nice,my open gun and old limited gun are in the white and haven’t had an issue with rust of any kind on either. YMMV

[praetorian97]

For me the order would be biased on down time. If this was my only open gun and coating was 6 weeks out etc.....