What material is best for a grip?

[pewpewguns]

Specifically for a 1911

When I first got into shooting it was all about whatever looked best, but now that I look back I wish Someone had just told me "Hey! Buy a Magpul Pistol Grip for your AR-15".

The ergo grips feel gross and rubbery, bought one for my AR and I use my 99cent plastic guy over it.

So what do you guys like ? normal vs thin, and in what material or pattern?

Thanks,
Ben

[Black Majik]

My favorite feeling grips are the rubber panels that come on most Kimbers. Nice and grippy, especially great with fronstrap checkering.

Best for looks? Carbon fiber

Wood wise, I love Ahrends grips. They cut the checkering a little deeper so it provides great traction.

VZ grips also give great traction so it wont slip much.

Oh yeah, no thin grips for me. I like a little meat on mine...

[Matt C]

You best grips (like everything else) are not going to be those that are mass produced as cheaply as possible.

[Jon]

Gosh this is like asking which color is the best. . .you're gonna get a ton of answers.

There are many avenues to look for grips (Midway, Carbon Creations, Alumagrips, etc.). You can also find people that make them on various forums. Take your pick on materials: bone, metal, carbon fiber, G10, etc. I think I might pick up some Carbon Creations grips soon, just for kicks.

I personally like grips that have a slight concave in the middle to allow for a better 'grip'. My stock, rubber Springfield grips have this feature. Right now, I'm running some thin, Koa wood grips on my 1911.

[triaged]

Just like with your AR grip it is all up to personal preference and your hands. As for strength G10, aluminum, carbon, etc. are all very strong (and also more expensive).

Take a look at

https://www.simonichknives.com/gunner.htm

https://www.alumagrips.com

https://www.davidsonknives.com/grips/grips.htm

I have these because they are as thin as you can go with factory grip screw bushings, flat on the bottom for when I put on a mag well, and still cheap.

http://www.ergogrips.net/item-detail.cfm?ID=4500&storeid=1&image=ergoxt.gif&CFID=9888576&CFTOKEN=95077306

[pewpewguns]

thanks guys, good info. Guess it is mostly preference. I like the way that 4x4 G10 and that Ergo looked nice too. Does anyone know if its the same soft rubbery stuff that the AR grips are made of? Stuff sticks to everything in a gross way, The 1911 panels look like their made out of a harder material though, they look nice.

[JPN6336]

I like my Alumagrips except I think even the standard ones are thinner than most.

[626Tony]

Rubber panel ..w/ plastic it makes your hands sweaty too quick

[triaged]

thanks guys, good info. Guess it is mostly preference. I like the way that 4x4 G10 and that Ergo looked nice too. Does anyone know if its the same soft rubbery stuff that the AR grips are made of? Stuff sticks to everything in a gross way, The 1911 panels look like their made out of a harder material though, they look nice.

They make 2 kinds. The XT (what I linked to and what I have) are hard plastic. The XTR are the rubber ones.

You might also look into getting some 3M (don't get the cheap stuff) grip tape from home depot for the front strap.

[Miltiades]

Alumagrips are good

I have a number of 1911s and have tried many different grips. I tend to like Alumagrips because of their good feel as well as appearance. They adhere well to my hand but are not sharply checkered. Here they are on my Colt Defender:

[Fjold]

I like the the rubberized one with the steel inserts. I had a cartridge case let go during firing. It blew the magazine out of my gun and split my fancy wooden grips and the burning gases stung like hell.

[xrMike]

You gots big hands? If so, consider the Hogue wrap-arounds. They've got a textured non-slip finish, and have grooves for your fingers on the front strap area. They fill up your hand much better (for me) than any pair of standard 1911 grips. Also, the gun feels less "snappy" recoil-wise with the Hogue than with std. 1911 grips. (not that a .45 is particularly snappy to begin with, but that's just something I noticed after making the switch)

Granted, the Hogue grip won't look nearly as good on your 1911 as a pair of beautiful cocobolo grips, or some of those newer composite ones, but if you've got big hands you might want to consider it.

[mike100]

revolvers, my 1991 colt with the el-cheapo base model rubbers, and my cz-75b with the special edition rubber grips all have been my favorite.

cocolobo rosewood grips can look sweet on some guns though.

[mumbleypeg]

I have 2 1911's they both wear Simonich Gunners grips.