thin grips - bad idea?

[iwannausername]

Went to a gun show yesterday. I've been wanting some thin(ner) checkered grips than what came wtih my GI style Rock Island (they are smooth as well).

Of the 3 grip sellers I spoke with, they all said that the thin/ultrathin grips Just Don't Work. Fitting issues, the need for shorter bushings (all the grips I've thought about buying online come with short bushings), and "it makes the gun harder to hold on to". They all were willing to bring some today (I have a bud working a table, he would've picked 'em up for me), but they each discouraged me from them. Which is weird.. I'd think they'd be happy to sell something..

Any truth to any of this? When I did hospital work, I wore size 7 1/2 surgical gloves as opposed to the average-for-men 8 1/2s. I do have smaller hands - a Glock 17 is too much of a handful for me. From what I've read, most of the thinner grips are only 1/8" thinner, which would reduce total size by 1/4".

Just I just get a set of checkered grips? Would the Pachymars do better than a wood grip for me? I don't mind rubber, but I like nice wood.

Help?

[Jolly Rogers]

Material isn't important. Get what you prefer. GET THE THIN GRIPS. I have hand size that along with a fused middle joint in my trigger finger require a smaller overall grip diameter. I went with thin grips, a flat mainspring housing, and a short trigger. I added grip tape to the front strap and my 1911 fits me like a dream. I have complete confidence in it when I shoot. I could use a shorter trigger yet and I would have no difficulty making the change if it makes the gun fit better. That is the beauty of the 1911 :appld: and the uglyness :eb:
of a double stack (insert tupperware of choice here) to me.
Joe

[AZ Husker]

Many thousands of shooters will disagree with your buddies. For smaller hands, they are just the ticket. Yes, you do have to change the bushings. That takes the mechanical skill of a donkey.

[ClarkEMyers]

The only drawback to thin grips (when they fit the user) is no plunger tube support.

A pistol that fits the user is always better than a pistol that doesn't fit the user.

Oddly over the course of his life Jeff Cooper modified his own view from supporing full fitted, palm rest and thumb rest style, grips for the combat pistol - on the argument that self defense was even more demanding of perfect performance than shooting paper targets - to supporting stock grips for the 1911 on the theory that stock grips did a fine job of giving an index of deflection and allowed familiar use of any available 1911.

Some like slightly thicker grips or grips that have more of a palm swell and some like thin grips. Myself I like smooth thin grips and a short trigger with improved gripping surfaces (checkering mostly) on the MSH and front strap. The current thinking on the draw, with which I agree, is that the hand moves to the pistol and takes a firing grip - some like a gripping surface that allows some readjustment when held loosely and sticks when held tightly - some of the rationale for half checkered grip panels. I find no practical difference but the half checkered panels can look very nice. Some thin grips for the 1911 are grooved rather than checkered and this might allow a better hold when squeezed so the flesh fills the grooves and easier adjustment when held loosely. My principal carry gun is smooth thin ivory - needs some maintenance - and my number 2 has Ahrends thin and grooved both checkered 30lpi front and rear. When I was younger I preferred more agressive textures and my hands were rougher - aggessive textures can be hard during high round count training, exercises or games. Folks who routinely wear gloves have different needs.

Swapping the grip bushings is trivial, I have both sizes of bushing drivers and Vice Grips for when the bushing drivers fail. Vice Grips to get the old ones out and a driver for short bushings to easily get the new ones in square. There's an argument for stainless bushings in all cases since rust under the grips is more of a problem in a carry gun (depending on time and place) than some people expect. A soldering iron/gun to heat the LocTite deals well with LocTited (or otherwise glued in) bushings. Always pays to check newly installed bushings for clearance in the magazine well.

[AZ Husker]

Well said Clark, but I really don't believe plunger tubes are working loose like they did twenty years ago.

[Panzer308]

Agreed here as well. I have full size grips with rough texture, long trigger, arched mainspring housing, etc. why? cause i have larger than normal hands. If they were smaller i'd compensate as i see fit. Dont let anyone tell you how it should fit or feel. that's a personal choice.

And as far as plunger tubes go...if you need your grip to hold it on you've got bigger problems than the size of your hands. You need to re-stake or replace your plunger tube.

[Rich-D]

A size nine glove, is a bit tight on me. However, I appreciated the thin grips on my New Colt Agent. I replaced the pachmyers on my Colt Defender and the standard wood grips on my Commander with thin grips. My EMP came with thin grips. So all of my carry guns, now have thin grips. With the one exception of a Para LTC that is equipped with Crimson Trace Laser Grips.


Rich

[holdencmc]

I agree with panzer 308, you need to be comfortable with your weapon the fit and feel to you is key! its your life it might be saving, I have large hands, wear size 11 gloves I have a pair of p14 limiteds one with stock grips and one with hogue 's they each have a purpose , I prefer the stock grips for concealed carry because they are slightly thinner than the Hogues, but I prefer the feel of the hogues for target shooting because of the individual finger grooves

[sarge43]

Get grips that enhance YOUR shooting skill and comfort with the weapon. I have large hands and actually prefer grips that are a little thicker than stock, but that's ME. The only issue with thin grips is material to a certain degree. I know there are certain woods that are fine in stock thickness, but are a little too fragile if you cut that in half. Composite grips - it will make no difference. As to the plunger tube issue - a properly made set of thins will still support the tube from underneath, just not on the outward side. Unless the staking gives way totally, this is more than adequte in my opinion.
Get your thins, shoot well and be happy!
Sarge

[JeffVN]

Get the thins. I love mine and they have been installed for going on 7 years now. They work great,have lasted very well so far, and are showing no sign of falling apart any time soon.

I agree it take NO skill to change our the bushing.

JeffVN

[Nathan]

I like the thins on my OACP a lot. They really make it easier to conceal, just a bit.

[El Gato]

Clint Smith... when asked this question in class a couple of weeks ago answered thusly:

Do you hold onto the large end of the bat or the small end of the bat?

That was it.. he never gave the guy an answer.... but I noticed his guns seem to have a preference for thin stocks... the Les Baer TRS comes with thin I believe...

Shoot... try em and then if'n ya don't like em... put the old ones back on!

[rln_21]

Thin grips shouldnt make it any harder to hold on to a 1911. With the wide flat grip, the frontstrap and backstrap make a far larger difference. I can take the grips panels and bushings off a 1911 and really it hardly feels any different in shootability, handling, or the ability to grip it well. I have average to small sized hands and thin grips are just the ticket for me. Fit to the shooter is supremely important to selecting a firearm that the shooter can handle well.

[j4570]

Before there were thin grips, there were Navidrex Contoured Grips. They basically are thinned out in the middle (hourglass shaped kinda) for smaller hands. I really like them. They even offer them in double diamond checkered and most people don't know they have the thinned part. I tried a friends thin gripped 1911 after they came out and found them only marginally slimmer to me. And these grips use Standard Grip Bushings.

Brownells carries them and the Mahogany (they are listed seperate from the Micarta) are like $14 if you have a business, C&R, or FFL.

It's just another option, that's not well known.

JW

[Rio Vista Slim]

As my user-name suggests, I'm not the largest guy on the planet. I, too, have relatively small hands.

My Colt Model 04691 has some Colt medallion factory stocks which I substituted for those originally supplied with the pistol. These are slightly thinner than standard (but do not require a short bushing), and they allow the pistol to fit my hand perfectly. As the photograph below illustrates, the plunger tube is covered by these stocks.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a294/RioVistaSlim/IMG_2702.jpg

My Colt New Agent came with the thin stocks (and shorter bushings), and that gun is a pure joy to carry and shoot. The photo shows that the plunger tube is uncovered with these stocks, but I don't anticipate any problems with this arrangement.

If thinner stocks will allow you to hold the pistol more comfortably, go for it!

[Wildcat Creeker]

The gunshow grip sellers you mention are full of you know what. If you look at the 1911 section of a Brownell's catalog you will find a good selection of different thin grips(stocks) available. They work fine. I have been using thins for years. Currently using thin Alumagrips and SlimTechs on my carry 1911s. Keep a close watch on your plunger tube to be sure it's not gettting loose and enjoy a more comfortable feel when you hold your gun. The only down side to thin grips is I have never seen ivory or mammoth tooth exotics in thins. Maybe thins in those materials would be too fragile.

[BillyRam]

Well I'm going to find out if thin grips are a bad idea. Just ordered some Gator Ultra Slims. I like slim on other things so why not grips.

[BillyRam]

I installed the ultra slim VZ Gator grips on my TLE II. As what happens some times one of the bushings game out with the grip screw. No problem cause I was going to have to replace them with the short ones anyway. The short ones that I got from VZ were snug and with blue LocTite shouldn't come loose. The slim grips give the gun a noticably slimmer feel and if you have very small hands they may help some. In my case even though I have short fingers slim grips don't do me any good. But I do like the Gator grips better than the rubber grips and they are staying. I may install Gator grips on another gun but will stick with the regular size.
Billy

[tonka]

"You ain't gonna like them slim grips, buddy..."

Let me guess: the guys who told you that had a whole table of standard-thickness grips to peddle, right? That's like the guy at the shoe store telling you that you need size 7 boots, 'cause the size 10 boots that actually fit you will be too heavy.

When the stock grips on my RIA didn't please me, I took the Dremel and the sandpaper to them. I even cut a thumb relief on the left panel to make it easier to hit the mag catch button. I wear a #10 glove, but couldn't easily drop a mag without shifting my grip to an unnecessary degree.

I watched my Grand-dad "customize" the stock of a '97 Winchester one day, and it was fascinating. It was dove season. He'd shoot at a passing bird or two, then take a four-in-hand rasp from his pocket and carve away some wood, mostly from the wrist and the comb. More dove would pass, more shavings would hit the ground, repeat as needed, until he felt good about the fit of the gun to his cheek. He reduced the wrist radically. He never really refinished the stock, just let his skin oil and sweat seal it up. I still have that gun, and have customized another '97 and a Model 12 the same way. I pretty much used his method, though I didn't drink as much beer as he did, but most guys can't.

I don't need thin grips, but for me, it's easier to shoot a pistol with a smaller grip than a larger one. Just shot a pal's Colt with the thin Alumagrips installed, and liked them.

[joffe]

Fitting issues
Work just fine.
"it makes the gun harder to hold on to"
Maybe if you have hands like that Gaston Glock, evidently he took cues from a 2x4" on the drawing board..

They're the best things you can buy if you have small hands.

[Stonyman65]

Many thousands of shooters will disagree with your buddies. For smaller hands, they are just the ticket. Yes, you do have to change the bushings. That takes the mechanical skill of a donkey.

... so thats why it was so hard for me to change out the old bushings... if it takes the skill of a donkey, then I must have the skill of.....

Wait, whats lower on the pole than a donkey? hahaha

as for thin vs regular, i think it is a matter of feel and opinion. I don't think thinner grips will influence your grip anymore than thick ones do. it is all a matter of how the weapon fits your hand.

the only downside I can think of to slim grips is the (mentioned above) lack of plunger tube support and their added chance of being broken if you where to drop them (when they where off the gun)on a hard surface

[BillyRam]

... so thats why it was so hard for me to change out the old bushings... if it takes the skill of a donkey, then I must have the skill of.....

Wait, whats lower on the pole than a donkey? hahaha

as for thin vs regular, i think it is a matter of feel and opinion. I don't think thinner grips will influence your grip anymore than thick ones do. it is all a matter of how the weapon fits your hand.

the only downside I can think of to slim grips is the (mentioned above) lack of plunger tube support and their added chance of being broken if you where to drop them (when they where off the gun)on a hard surface

The slim grips didn't help me shoot or control my gun any better but they didn't hurt either. As far as plunger tube support the rubber grips didn't quite touch the plunger tube and it has a very slight movement to it. Something easily fixed when it gets too loose a long way down the road.
Billy

[Frank]

There's nothing wrong with thin grips. It's strictly a personal matter. As you see, a number of people like them. And if you have small hands, consider a short trigger as well.

DVC