Ongurth Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 I recently picked up an X5 Legion and am planning on switching into CO. I like the gun a lot, but am finding that it is somewhat more difficult to find people who do aftermarket work on it... like applying silicon carbide to the grip. I'm hesitant to do it myself, since the grip costs $300, but have been unable to find a gunsmith that offers the service (I saw a couple mentioned previously on the forums, but reached out and they don't offer the service anymore). Does any one have a recommendation for someone who does silicon carbide work on the 320 or X5 that I should reach out to? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemphisMechanic Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 (edited) Paging @alma Edited January 16, 2020 by MemphisMechanic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m700 Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Its not really that bad I did my original x5 grip. What I learned was that the epoxy needs to be thoroughly mixed. My first batch was and i got 90% done and had to mix more I rushed the second batch and it didnt come out perfect for that little bit. Materials were inexpensive. And if your nervous you can pick up any cheep plastic grip to try it first. I havent done my txg grip because im waiting for my springer tape to die(it wont) Ive seen Alma's work and it is flawless from what i could see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Get a gi grip off yours or a friend's AR. Better yet get 2. Practice on them yourself and you'll do a great job on your own gun! Really. The shaping of the grip is much more of the "hard part" if you ask me. Actually doing the silicon is just careful prep work and not being a spaz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babayaga Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 9 hours ago, rowdyb said: Get a gi grip off yours or a friend's AR. Better yet get 2. Practice on them yourself and you'll do a great job on your own gun! Really. The shaping of the grip is much more of the "hard part" if you ask me. Actually doing the silicon is just careful prep work and not being a spaz. What rowdyB said is correct. It’s easy. AR grips are cheap to practice on. I’ve also used blocks of wood and pieces of pipe. It’s like a school art project but for adults. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhunter Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 (edited) I need to know which silicone carbide grit to order? I did a bit of searching and looks like 60-80 is the sweet spot. Can anyone confirm? Thanks Edited to add: after further search, I ordered 60 grit. Edited January 17, 2020 by zhunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 All personal preference. I bought the 3 pack from harbor freight so I had some to use for practice and could also see which grit I liked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajblack Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 I went with a mix of 60/90 because that's what I could find on Amazon. If it's too aggressive, you can always knock it down a bit with diamond files to get it right. You may want to do this in certain places on the grip anyways to provide the level of traction that you're looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heliarclee Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 1 hour ago, rowdyb said: All personal preference. I bought the 3 pack from harbor freight so I had some to use for practice and could also see which grit I liked. Thats what I used to do my grips. I liked the course grit that was in there, but had to knock It down a bit where my firing hand fingertips are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 Since there seem to be some seasoned DIY’ers here, I want to put some grit on my STI GRIP THAT I had painted. I like the paint scheme and don’t want to hide it much if any. Can I just put small spots of epoxy and grit in strategic locations? What grit size for something like that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcc7x7 Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 Sarge I spot grit some of mine. Cut a hole size you like. Place it where you want apply thin coat of epoxy and grit. Done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcc7x7 Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 Hole in a piece of tape Pull tape after about 30 minutes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_Tanner Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 Its super easy, just take your time and it will come out great! I used 5 min epoxy and 80 grit silicon carbide that I got from some rock polishing place on amazon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 I use blue painter tape and a stencil to cut out a negative mask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_stw Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 I did my regular x5 grip and it was pretty easy. It's all in the prep, I scuff up the area that I want the grit to be and tape off that area and also make sure there isn't any oils on that area before putting the epoxy on. Mix up the epoxy really good and I used a small foam brush to put it on, and then started to sprinkle on the carbide grit. I did multiple pass on it and also kind of lightly patted the grit into the epoxy and kept applying more grit to the grip and that seemed to work good for me. I used 60/90 grit but I would have liked it to be a little bit more coarse. I picked up some more from amazon thats 46/70 instead and I plan to do a legion grip at some point soon. I did practice before on some other cheap grips before hand and I think its a great idea if its your first time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich406 Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 I’ve done quite a few grips now, it’s not difficult, just take your time. I settled on using 36g, gets less plugged up with skin and dirt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posvar Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 I had Alma Cole do mine because I wanted it built out like a 2011 and it turned out amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ongurth Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 Thanks for the help everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lfine Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 FWIW, 80 grit seems to be the standard on premade grip tape cutouts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PewPewJohnson87 Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 Shooting Sports Innovations did my Legion grip module, 1 week turn around at the time and it was the first Legion grip module they did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowsc3 Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Had a buddy do it himself for his 2011 polymer grip. It was easy and it came out great for his first time. I paid a buddy 50 bucks, I think anything over that you are better off doing it yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcm Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Can any of y'all post photos of your DIY's? Can the silicone carbide be found in colors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valerko Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 found this , seems easy enough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valerko Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 Wasn't that hard and took like 10 min Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT_Schultz Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 On 2/19/2020 at 9:06 AM, jcm said: Can any of y'all post photos of your DIY's? Can the silicone carbide be found in colors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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