How many lpi for serrations?

[rk246]

I am sending in my Colt CCO, I want to get rid of the big rubber grips and have the grip serrated. I am not sure how many lines to go with? I am thinking either 25 or 30, this is my EDC so I want comfort. I will shoot it some, but it is not for any kind of competition or anything. What do you think?

Thanks,
RJ

[Blackhawk]

I have been considering having this done to my XSE as well. If I am not mistaken the 30 LPI should be less aggressive i.e. more comfortable but again I have no firsthand experience with this. Hopeful, others who have had this treatment performed will chime in shortly. It would also be beneficial if you could provide info on sources performing this work and what actual charges were.

[paul45]

I am a little confused. Do you want serrated or checkered? I am thinking serrated are straight cuts on the front strap, ala an older Gold Cup.

Checkering......my opinion is 25 LPI..... 20 hurts and 30 is too fragile. My 2 cents only though.

[Rio Vista Slim]

I am a little confused. Do you want serrated or checkered? I am thinking serrated are straight cuts on the front strap, ala an older Gold Cup.

Checkering......my opinion is 25 LPI..... 20 hurts and 30 is too fragile. My 2 cents only though.
I've got to agree with Paul all the way on this issue. I have seen and held a 1911 that had a serrated front strap at 25 lines-per-inch, but I wasn't able to shoot the thing, so I have no opinion on the desirability of such a feature.

[ColtCustom45]

Checkering......my opinion is 25 LPI..... 20 hurts and 30 is too fragile. My 2 cents only though.

I was at the gun shop the other day and they had a beautiful Colt Gold Cup with the front strap checkered at 20 LPI an it was very painful just holding the gun I could not imagine ever shooting it.

[44 Man]

I used a 20 lpi file to checker the plastic main spring housing on my Defender. It matched the factory serrations perfectly and made a decent grip. However, I would not want the front strap that coarse. I did an old Star PD .45 at 25 lpi years ago and that was pretty coarse also. Now I would like to also do the front strap on my Defender. That will be at 30 lpi when I get up enough nerve to do so. My whole hold up is that I would then have to bead blast the gray teflon off the frame to have a nice match. Got enough nerve to have at it with the file, just not sure yet that I want to remove the teflon. 44 Man

[elijdub]

My Kimber CDP Pro has 25lpi on the MSH and 30lpi on the front strap (and under the trigger gaurd). I MUCH prefer the 30, and will never go with anything less, personally. The "25" devours my hands when i shoot. I'm sure others disagree... Only my opinion. The "30" feels like a very fine grit sandpaper, while the "20" feels like something i'd use to remove burrs from an engine block! The "25" is still to aggressive for me personally.

I get the absolute perfect "grip" from the 30 lpi. Eventually i'll get around to swapping out my MSH (on the Kimber) with a less aggressive pattern. Additionally, the "serrations" (like those on my Colt's MSH) are very comfortable for me when shooting. I'd like having them machined on the front strap of my Series 80 Commander to match the MSH.

BTW, i can definitely see the tactical benefit to having an aggressive pattern. I just have no need for that.

[rk246]

30 is what I am leaning towards, I have it on my Stinger and really like it. I don't have anything with the 25 though, so that is why I was wondering.

[elijdub]

Since it's basically a permanent modification, i might recommend trying to get ahold of a few components, and maybe even shooting some guns, with differing lpi counts. It might even be worth it to spend $20 or so and buy a MSH with 25 lpi so you can get a sense of how it feels.