Loose Grips...

[Tom]

Sink Ships. :)

Okay, I couldn't resist the play-on-words on that classic WWII slogan. But I do have an issue regarding loose grips that I'd like to pose to everyone.

Is a little bit of play in grips normal? The grips on my 1911 have just the slightest bit of play. I'm talking a small fraction of inch, mostly at the bottom. I only notice it when handling the gun for cleaning or other non-firing activities. It hasn't affected my shooting the gun at all.

I figure with all the different 1911 manufacturers out there, along with all the places that make custom grips, that some grips will fit some guns better than others, so it would seem obvious that some grips will have a little bit of play in them.

I was thinking that I need either a small rubber washer to fit down into the grip holes to give the screws something to take up the slack, or trace and cut out a thin piece of material to slip under the grips.

Am I being silly?


Tom

[stumbler]

I was thinking that I need either a small rubber washer to fit down into the grip holes to give the screws something to take up the slack...

Am I being silly?


Tom

Try it. It has been done before. And no, you are not being silly.

[Tom]

Guess I'll be making a trip to Home Depot to see if I can find some washers of the right size and material. I'll let you know how it goes.


Tom

[sabalo]

A little non-permanent locktite or a dab of clear nail polish will work too.
Sabalo

[John]

A little non-permanent locktite or a dab of clear nail polish will work too.
Sabalo
No Locatite there, I'll reveal you a secret. Use some small rubber o-rings. I learned that from the pros (Alumagrips).

Rgds

[Tom]

I don't see how Loctite or nail polish would help anyway. It's not the screws that are loose, it's the grips themselves. Now if it were the screws I could see using the Loctite - I use it when working on my cars. But the screws are fine. There's just not enough "bite" to hold the grips tight against the frame.

I'll go with the O-ring solution. I just need to get to Home Depot and do it.


Tom

[Tom]

No Locatite there, I'll reveal you a secret. Use some small rubber o-rings. I learned that from the pros (Alumagrips).

Rgds

Home Depot. #36 O-Rings. They measure 5/16" (OD) x 3/16" (ID) x 1/16" (thickness). I wish the OD was slightly smaller (1/4"), but they fit fairly well inside the screw holes of the grips, and when I tightened the screws the grips were 100% secure - and the screws do not protrude much beyond the surface of the grips either.

Can't wait to take it out to the range again and see if it makes a difference.


Tom

[Sifu]

I use the Home Depot Orings too. They work great. I was in HD looking for washers one day and stumbled upon the orings when the idea light flashed on. Been using them ever since.

[Bosko]

Sorry to dredge up this old thread. I have tried several Search inquiries but I cannot seem to come up with an answer specific to my problem. It is embarassing to ask because I know I have seen the answer somewhere before. All the hex grip screws on the grips of my Kimber Eclipse Custom II were shooting loose after about 50 rounds. I applied #242 blue loctite to all four screws. Today, one screw on each grip started to loosen and the grips started to move in my hand. On one screw, I applied loctite again. On the other, I found that the bushing had come loose again. Is there a specific loctite (model number/color) that I should use on this loose busing? I will try the o-rings but I feel that I should set the loose bushing first.

[Tom]

Nothing wrong with dredging up old threads, so I was surprised to see this was MY thread back when I was still a newbie (long before I became a Moderator of this wonderful site). But enough of the sales pitch ...

I don't think the O-rings will solve your problem. I used them because the screw-to-grip fit was a little lacking, and the rubber O-rings helped take up the slack. But I never had a problem with the screws themselves or the bushing coming loose.

I would hesitate to suggest the red (permanent) Loctite because that is a bit more ... permanent. And you want to be able to undo the grip screws for cleaning, etc. Maybe the red for the bushings (escutcheons as Springfield incorrectly calls them, by the way) since those generally never removed from the frame. But I wouldn't use them on the grip screws themselves.

I'd make sure that the surfaces of both the grip screws and the threads inside the bushings are free from any oils and other materials and try the blue Loctite again. Maybe there was something already on the thread surfaces that didn't allow the Loctite to work as it should.

[Bosko]

Thanks Tom,

I read your old thread and thought you might be able to shed some light on the loose bushing/loctite quandry. I don't foresee a need to remove the bushing. If I ever wanted to change grips, it would be for grips that fit the same bushings. I solved the "small hands" question with a short trigger installation. I need to "lock the bushing down". Then I can address any screws that keep working loose. If the problem repeats itself, I will try #242 blue loctite on the problem bushing before going to the red loctite.

Regards, Bosko - Long Island Transplant

[RJ24]

I had the same loose grip problems and ended up using some extra o-rings made for darts. They fit and worked perfectly.