Overthinking 1911 grip panels

[gato naranja]

I am sitting here today with snow up to my butt and too much time, which led me to some drawers full of crap I was going to sort through last winter (and didn't). First off was the drawer of 1911 grips. I have a lot of 1911 grips. Wood grips, G10 grips, Micarta grips, more wood grips, even more wood grips, etc, etc. The only thing I don't have is rubber grips, because I gave those away a couple years ago.

I dropped a bit of coin on the current G10 grips, and about the only "benefit" of them I can now detect is that they have rubbed more bluing off the frame than the micarta grips did, which themselves rubbed away more finish than the wood grips... (which wore away nothing).

So here I am with a hell of a lot of checkered, double-diamond, regular thickness grip panels, basically all alike save for the material they are made of. And try as I might, I can't say any particular set made me shoot better or has been any functional improvement over another.

I have always had a problem ending up with too many holsters as I look for a holy grail, now I believe I have done the same with 1911 grip panels. Anyone else have a pile of "just had to get these" 1911 grip panels that ended up doing nothing better than the ones that came on the gun? I mean, aside from not desecrating the landscape aesthetically.*


*Like a bringback 1911 with old plexiglas grips having a picture of the owner's wife circa 1944/45. Great testament to true love, longing, etc, but kinda garish.

[ECVMatt]

To be honest, I only shoot my 1911s for fun. So, I tend to have grips that reflect the character of the gun. Most of mine are made from elk horn. I do have a set of cheesy fake bone ones. But they look cool and that is the gun I let my son shoot.

I do understand your quest for the perfect grip however. I just do it on different platforms.

[JAH 3rd]

Welcome to the box, drawer, or closet club full of gun stuff accumulated through the years/decades! No doubt you are in good company here. Grips, holsters, and various parts for a particular firearm have been added to my gun museum. Some of these parts bring back memories. Like my Bianchi "the Judge" holster and Safariland speedloaders for my duty revolver, a model 19 and later a model 66, both S&Ws. Parts can be a time capsule as to a particular era or thought process.....like looking at an old picture.

As far as the 1911 goes, a whole industry has grown up around tinkering with the platform with the next best thing. We've all seen the ads. We have loads of product choices, that pull at our heart. We try a few parts and some go to the box in the parts museum. With me, I tend to take a 1911 that works 100%, add parts, then wonder why it isn't 100% anymore. Now with a 1911, I pretty much buy the pistol with all the bells and whistles I would add to a base pistol.

[Elwin]

I’m looking for things other than just shooting performance, though I definitely have my preferences there too. I carry my 1911s, so my preference first and foremost is “not wood or another potentially fragile natural material,” because I don’t want to worry about the grips if I don’t have to. Wood grips also store moisture which can worsen rust problems for a gun carried against my body in an often humid environment (good ol’ Iowa corn sweat).

Simmonich Gunner grips are a bit too harsh for me without gloves, but I like a lot of traction so I basically want something just short of that. Fortunately I stumbled onto VCD grips through this place and those solved all of my problems immediately. Good texture I can soften with sandpaper where I need to, durable, affordable, don’t require O rings like G10 and micarta, look good on my more utilitarian guns, and I can add just the tiny amount of thumb scoop I need to reach a standard mag release reliably.

It depends on what you’re doing. For general range use, I’d agree that anything checkered is going to work for most people. For a carry gun, I could see myself going crazy chasing down the right thing just like with holsters. I just got lucky because I tried something people here recommended and it worked perfectly off the bat. If all I had was traditional wood grips, I’d be hunting for something else.

[theJanitor]

Sharply checkered wood grips provide the grip and feel that I want in my 1911. Plus they look better than anything else. Win-Win

[gato naranja]

To be honest, I only shoot my 1911s for fun. So, I tend to have grips that reflect the character of the gun. Most of mine are made from elk horn. I do have a set of cheesy fake bone ones. But they look cool and that is the gun I let my son shoot.

I do understand your quest for the perfect grip however. I just do it on different platforms.

My 1911s are just big range toys for my second childhood, though I do insist that they be at least reliable enough that I could use them socially in a pinch. I started out getting finer checkering and better wood. Then I thought I needed to get first micarta and then G10 because they would be moisture resistant and tougher, but I really don't get them wet anyway, and I wipe under them whether I need to or not. I don't know about "tougher," but they damn sure are more brittle. I still have an unused pair of Wood Caliber double diamond grips in "damn-near-white" American holly, and I am tempted to slap them on and say "This ends now."


Welcome to the box, drawer, or closet club full of gun stuff accumulated through the years/decades! No doubt you are in good company here. Grips, holsters, and various parts for a particular firearm have been added to my gun museum. Some of these parts bring back memories. Like my Bianchi "the Judge" holster and Safariland speedloaders for my duty revolver, a model 19 and later a model 66, both S&Ws. Parts can be a time capsule as to a particular era or thought process.....like looking at an old picture.

As far as the 1911 goes, a whole industry has grown up around tinkering with the platform with the next best thing. We've all seen the ads. We have loads of product choices, that pull at our heart. We try a few parts and some go to the box in the parts museum. With me, I tend to take a 1911 that works 100%, add parts, then wonder why it isn't 100% anymore. Now with a 1911, I pretty much buy the pistol with all the bells and whistles I would add to a base pistol.

I have watched too many fellow tinkering coots start putting high-end and/or boutique parts in their pistols and it was the same as anything else, be it guns, cars, etc-- other items then started failing or a new choke point was found. The kicker is watching a "bulletproof" cheap part cause a not-so-bulletproof expensive part fail (I watched a guy destroy a CZ75 with a custom slide stop that was truly bombproof... CZ slide stops are cheap, but he had to go big or go home).

[HCM]

I’m looking for things other than just shooting performance, though I definitely have my preferences there too. I carry my 1911s, so my preference first and foremost is “not wood or another potentially fragile natural material,” because I don’t want to worry about the grips if I don’t have to. Wood grips also store moisture which can worsen rust problems for a gun carried against my body in an often humid environment (good ol’ Iowa corn sweat).

Simmonich Gunner grips are a bit too harsh for me without gloves, but I like a lot of traction so I basically want something just short of that. Fortunately I stumbled onto VCD grips through this place and those solved all of my problems immediately. Good texture I can soften with sandpaper where I need to, durable, affordable, don’t require O rings like G10 and micarta, look good on my more utilitarian guns, and I can add just the tiny amount of thumb scoop I need to reach a standard mag release reliably.

It depends on what you’re doing. For general range use, I’d agree that anything checkered is going to work for most people. For a carry gun, I could see myself going crazy chasing down the right thing just like with holsters. I just got lucky because I tried something people here recommended and it worked perfectly off the bat. If all I had was traditional wood grips, I’d be hunting for something else.

The original Simmonich Gunner grips came with a bit of Emory cloth to slightly dull the texture if desired

IME the current VZ version is not as aggressive as the originals but YMMV.

[awmp]

I see 1911 grips like my wife looks at shoes. There is always a purpose and time for them but they always have to look good.

[Dog Face Gremlin]

Yup....holsters and grips....still have some WWII grips......tryin' to sell some of my stuff off.

[Robinson]

Yeah I have a whole box of various 1911 stocks/grips/panels.

I've never been big on the fancy stocks in exotic woods. My preference is for either full-checkered wood stocks or full-checkered rubber or plastic grip panels. I have VCD grips on some of my guns and they work really well.

G-10 grips work fine but add some weight over wood/rubber/plastic. Micarta grips by companies like Navidrex are an OG option that still work.

[Duelist]

I love 1911s. I have three sets of 1911 grips sitting in my drawer.

I do not own a 1911. :D

[Darth_Uno]

Many moons ago I spent way too much on 1911 grips. Such as from Sarge's Grips (if you used to be on 1911forum you know who that is) and the like. Did they help me shoot better, no. Did they look good, very much yes.

Now, if I started over, I'd just rock double diamonds or VCD and not overthink it.

[Joe in PNG]

If the gun has removeable grips, I've got at least 3 sets for it.
However, I've sorta settled on Hogue G10 as the go to for my 1911 & Beretta 92.

[CraigS]

We shoot 92s but the grip thing is similar. My wife likes wood and very little checkering. She is on her 3rd set. I like layered G10. I have gotten super anal about sanding them, a GOOD face mask and a bucket of water that I put the grip and both hands in to wash the dust away, and 90% of the time I do the sanding outside. I mod mine quite a bit and have been really surprised how strong G10 is. My 92X Defensive needs the top of the grip slim to fit under the frame mounted safety levers. I keep waiting for one of those sections to snap off but they have not so far. Like pretty much everything else I touch, I like messing w/ grips. Change it so it works a bit better for ME is my goal.

[DDTSGM]

I feel your pain. After trying all kinds of grips, I found that the best of the bunch were the butt ugly, IMO, Kensight Sharkskin grips that Bob Marvel provides in his builders classes.

https://kensight.com/kensight-sharkskin-1911-grip-black/

I do have a set of grips worked over by VDC and they are a close second.

I have six 1911 pattern pistols, the other four all have LOK Bogeys in various patterns/colors. So that leaves me boc o; stock grips and a couple after markets I tried and didn't like.

[358156hp]

Yeah I have a whole box of various 1911 stocks/grips/panels.

I've never been big on the fancy stocks in exotic woods. My preference is for either full-checkered wood stocks or full-checkered rubber or plastic grip panels. I have VCD grips on some of my guns and they work really well.

G-10 grips work fine but add some weight over wood/rubber/plastic. Micarta grips by companies like Navidrex are an OG option that still work.

I favor thin grips on 1911s, and my all-time favorite has been a (discontinued) set of Navidrex fully checkered thins. I'd buy a lot more of them if they still made them.

[JonInWA]

1911 grips for me have been, and continue to be a journey. Yes, I'll grant that a simple set of walnut double-diamond grips can more than adequately get the job done, but I've found that there are ergonomic and quantifiable improvements that enhance my 1911 shooting capabilities.

In the inexpensive end of the spectrum, there's a huge value to be found with VCD, Magpul and Ergo polymer grips.

Moving upstream, I prefer BH Spring Solutions checkered Masters Grips; their subtle shaping and vestigial, but effective thumb shelves really assist, particularly when shooting single-handedly.

With G10 grips, I'm preferring a set of VZ Operator II with palm swells.

Any and all of these I've had excellent operational results (including mixing them, using a VCD Practitioner polymer thumb scoop grip on the left, and a BH Spring Solutions walnut Masters Grip on the right).

Best, Jon

[RJ]

I don't have a "box o' 1911 grips" like I do a "box o' holsters" but it's close. I had no idea when I bought my (first, only) 1911 in 2022 that grips would become an accessory not unlike my wife's shoes. :cool:

But seriously: My options are somewhat limited, as I use the thin ones due to hand size. I have one set of wood (Springfield) which came on the gun (oddly I didn't realize until I bought it the Garrison comes with thin grips and bushings). I bought a "GI" brown rubber set on eBay I really liked, for a while. They were serviceable but maybe a touch slippery. I have a few of the "Cool Hand" brand. At $20 a throw, they allow you to experiment with colors. Good solid option. I tried a set of VCD's but could not make the standard thickness work for me.

I finally ordered a set of VZ Operator II's in black. Black because it goes with everything. I got them with a magwell cut, since I put a Stan Chen SI on at the same time. Shooting them they are great and seem to key into my hands very well. Fit and finish is excellent, and despite them being thin, kinda sorta match up with the magwell at the bottom. I have them on Challis thin bushings with plain black slotted Challis screws. I'm very happy with the VZs; they have been on the gun since August of last year. But I have to say, if I was invited to a BBQ, I'd put the original Springfield wood grips back on.

[CSW]

I am sitting here today with snow up to my butt and too much time, which led me to some drawers full of crap I was going to sort through last winter (and didn't). First off was the drawer of 1911 grips. I have a lot of 1911 grips. Wood grips, G10 grips, Micarta grips, more wood grips, even more wood grips, etc, etc. The only thing I don't have is rubber grips, because I gave those away a couple years ago.

I dropped a bit of coin on the current G10 grips, and about the only "benefit" of them I can now detect is that they have rubbed more bluing off the frame than the micarta grips did, which themselves rubbed away more finish than the wood grips... (which wore away nothing).

So here I am with a hell of a lot of checkered, double-diamond, regular thickness grip panels, basically all alike save for the material they are made of. And try as I might, I can't say any particular set made me shoot better or has been any functional improvement over another.

I have always had a problem ending up with too many holsters as I look for a holy grail, now I believe I have done the same with 1911 grip panels. Anyone else have a pile of "just had to get these" 1911 grip panels that ended up doing nothing better than the ones that came on the gun? I mean, aside from not desecrating the landscape aesthetically.*


*Like a bringback 1911 with old plexiglas grips having a picture of the owner's wife circa 1944/45. Great testament to true love, longing, etc, but kinda garish.

I went thru "grip-quest" as well. Six months of buying, then trying different types of grips. I've come to find;

I prefer wood, half checkered, and thin grips have the feel I'm desiring. I found a distributor/maker on Ebay, and bought two pairs. One pair is a fully checkered white cocobolo set, the other's are the cocobolo half checkered.
Haven't changed out the half checkered since I put them on, except for a fit of 'want-to-try-some-new-grips' overtook me. That lasted a day, and back to the half checkered.

So I have a box of ambi cut grips I should probably list for sale here on the classifieds.....

[awmp]

https://i.imgur.com/iYquNL0.jpg

[Trooper224]

I have a few.

113983

[gato naranja]

I have a few.

113983

You probably have me beat.

I have more double-diamonds, though.

[CSW]

I'm in the process of converting a set of thin, white cocobolo diamonds to Bob grips.
Used my existing set to mark them up, an went to the band saw.
Sealing them up with Tung oil now.

[Trooper224]

You probably have me beat.

I have more double-diamonds, though.

I doubt it, the whole box is full, not just the top layer. I really should get rid of a lot.

[Elwin]

I'm in the process of converting a set of thin, white cocobolo diamonds to Bob grips.
Used my existing set to mark them up, an went to the band saw.
Sealing them up with Tung oil now.

Have you settled on getting your Elite bobbed or did you add to the collection?

[gato naranja]

I doubt it, the whole box is full, not just the top layer. I really should get rid of a lot.

Good grief!

[Redhat]

Tried:

Hogue Cobblestone Rubber

https://www.hogueinc.com/1911-govt-model-cobblestone-rubber-grip-panels-with0palm-swells-black

VZ Operator II

https://vzgrips.com/products/vz-operator-ii-full-size-1911-grips.html

Pachmayr Signature

https://www.lymanproducts.com/brands/pachmayr/handgun-grips/semi-auto-grips/signaturetm-grips

For looks, the original Colt Walnut with gold Colt emblem looked the best to me.

For shooting, the Pachmayr's worked best.

Pretty boring I guess.

[CSW]

Have you settled on getting your Elite bobbed or did you add to the collection?
Ummmmm, maybe I might be adding 🤔🙄

I've decided to leave the Elite as, is, for now. It's pretty much set up the way I wanted it.

[theJanitor]

For shooting, the Pachmayr's worked best.

Pretty boring I guess.

I could never hang onto a 1911 outfitted with these unless they were just cleaned and my hands washed

[Redhat]

I could never hang onto a 1911 outfitted with these unless they were just cleaned and my hands washed

Worked good for me.

Maybe they're "surgical grips" :D

[CSW]

Digging thru the grip box this morning, because it's 5°, and I'm not gonna do a damn thing outside.


Found a well used pair of thin diamonds, cocobolo.
Installed with a new slice of grip tape.

114214

[gato naranja]

Digging thru the grip box this morning, because it's 5°, and I'm not gonna do a damn thing outside.]

Last Saturday/Sunday we got down to 19 below zero with wind gusts up to 49 mph. I think the wind chill was right about -50 F. Circumstances forced me outside for a bit on Sunday, but oh, how I have been paying for it. This January in Iowa has been no month for old men.

114216

I am seriously thinking about returning to the first grip (RAASCO walnut double diamonds) and holster (SimplyRugged "Shootist") combo I bought for this SA 9mm ROO back in 2016. It was sort of an aesthetic nod to the mildly-customized but not gaudy 1911s I would occasionally see back in the day. I still have the set somewhere in the box o' extras. It is simple, tasteful, and doesn't make me wonder "what in the hell was I thinking?"

I like the idea of micarta and G10 a lot better than I like the reality of them, and the same can be said of kydex.

[CSW]

Last Saturday/Sunday we got down to 19 below zero with wind gusts up to 49 mph. I think the wind chill was right about -50 F. Circumstances forced me outside for a bit on Sunday, but oh, how I have been paying for it. This January in Iowa has been no month for old men.

114216

I am seriously thinking about returning to the first grip (RAASCO walnut double diamonds) and holster (SimplyRugged "Shootist") combo I bought for this SA 9mm ROO back in 2016. It was sort of an aesthetic nod to the mildly-customized but not gaudy 1911s I would occasionally see back in the day. I still have the set somewhere in the box o' extras. It is simple, tasteful, and doesn't make me wonder "what in the hell was I thinking?"

I like the idea of micarta and G10 a lot better than I like the reality of them, and the same can be said of kydex.

I have been seriously considering a 5 shot sme as a holster.
Currently using a tenicor certum 3, or a KSG.

Can't do anything iwb but appendix, due to sciatic pain when carried iwb.

[gato naranja]

I have been seriously considering a 5 shot sme as a holster.
Currently using a tenicor certum 3, or a KSG.

Can't do anything iwb but appendix, due to sciatic pain when carried iwb.

Various old guy issues make most IWB carry a figurative and literal pain for me.

Unfortunately, just the thought of appendix carrying a 1911 makes me pucker up in the wrong place, whereas doing so with a 92X doesn't much bother me.

[gato naranja]

Well, the RAASCO walnut double-diamonds and the Simply Rugged Cattleman made the final cut, after some thoughtful input from the better half.

114349

My favorite uncle carried a 1911 while keeping deuce-and-a-halfs running from Channel ports to Germany during his 1944-1946 European Vacation, thus the background of the pic. I like to think that he'd have approved of this combination

[TikritTourist]

I only like Double Diamond grips, be they wood or G10, etc..
And... well, I only like them in black color, ha!

[TOTS]

I only like Double Diamond grips, be they wood or G10, etc..
And... well, I only like them in black color, ha!
Looking like you really like them wrapped around Dan Wessons, too! Me too!

114534

[Slice]

I keep the cheap plastic grips on my budget Tisas 1911 because I like the idea of a cheap looking 1911 that’s nearly match grade accurate😀

[Joe in PNG]

Gotta add my Colt. No diamonds, but I still like the look & feel.

114535

[SW CQB 45]

https://i.imgur.com/L2ILaWMh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/FxWdjsrh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/QC8E14ph.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/RbmDtJBh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/utTVkQHh.jpg

[Trooper224]

Various old guy issues make most IWB carry a figurative and literal pain for me.

Unfortunately, just the thought of appendix carrying a 1911 makes me pucker up in the wrong place, whereas doing so with a 92X doesn't much bother me.

After decades of IWB carry, I think it may be becoming a thing of the past for me. I ran around Saturday doing my usual while carrying IWB. Halfway through the day I was regretting leaving the shoulder rig at home.

[gato naranja]

After decades of IWB carry, I think it may be becoming a thing of the past for me. I ran around Saturday doing my usual while carrying IWB. Halfway through the day I was regretting leaving the shoulder rig at home.

It took me a (too) long time to finally bow to the inevitable, but my days of IWB are now in the past tense.

[Chuck Whitlock]

After decades of IWB carry, I think it may be becoming a thing of the past for me. I ran around Saturday doing my usual while carrying IWB. Halfway through the day I was regretting leaving the shoulder rig at home.



It took me a (too) long time to finally bow to the inevitable, but my days of IWB are now in the past tense.

I'm not there yet, but a LW 9mm is noticeably a hell of a lot more comfortable than a steel-framed .45.

[gato naranja]

I'm not there yet, but a LW 9mm is noticeably a hell of a lot more comfortable than a steel-framed .45.

The LW 9mm 1911 is one of those things that I never used to quite understand, though every once in a while someone would hand me theirs and I could kinda/sorta appreciate the handiness of the thing.

My wife has sussed out a few handguns in particular that I was initially horrified and/or repelled by, including the Springfield RO 9mm 1911 Compact and the Ruger SR22. Some of her pistol selection criteria can be completely opaque to me, but if a handgun is not light, slim and mild-recoiling, she really doesn't care to waste any time on it. The older I get, the more I come to see her point.

114586

Adding insult to injury--

She still digs the same grips it came with while I, on the other hand, go on a 1911 grip walkabout that turned out to be both idiotically expensive and and ultimately inconclusive.

[CSW]

The LW 9mm 1911 is one of those things that I never used to quite understand, though every once in a while someone would hand me theirs and I could kinda/sorta appreciate the handiness of the thing.



Sorta like this?

114590


These are the grips I just reshaped to bobs..... Just to stay with the thread.

114591

[Trooper224]

I'm not there yet, but a LW 9mm is noticeably a hell of a lot more comfortable than a steel-framed .45.

A LW Commander in 9mm has proven to be a godsend.

[Joe in PNG]

I honestly love my LW Commander.

[Trooper224]

Not only praise for the LW, but I've found an all steel 9mm Commander to be the sweetest handling variant in the 1911 family.

[TDA]

People have not a lot of good things to say about them, but this ancient artifact just runs and runs.

114631

[Trooper224]

People have not a lot of good things to say about them, but this ancient artifact just runs and runs.

114631

Pure sex.

[KevH]

I used to have double-diamond wood on all my 1911's. I've tried lots of other types and those just work and last forever.

My current favorite 1911 grips are VZ Slim Double-Diamonds. I have a 9mm LW Commander off getting customized that has a set of with a Colt medallion inlayed.

[Danko]

I took up pistol shooting three years ago and joined this site two years ago. My transformation into becoming a complete gun nut is well on it's way. I own two 9mm and a .22 auto pistol. I'm planning on buying a Tisas 1911 in a couple of months when I have the money for the gun and ammo. After viewing the 1911 grips in this thread, many really nice ones, I'm already thinking of buying some additional grips for the new 1911 I don't yet own.

Look you you guys have done!

Keep up the good work!, Danko

[HeavyDuty]

I’m easy. Thin VZ G10 double diamonds.

[Chuck Whitlock]

I figured out what I like early, I guess. And since thin panels were for me, I suppose I was able to avoid trying a lot of cumulatively expensive options.

I'm down with LOK's thin, dark red black, fully checkered Classics.

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?2817-1911-picture-thread&p=1500855&viewfull=1#post1500855

[SW CQB 45]

I bought the grips below (cheap) Amazon $30 grips. They seemed to have good bite when new.

The last time I shot my MCOP before I sent it back to the GS, the grips have lost their bite.

I guess I wore them down with heavy handling.

I am wanting to try some aggressive grips for duty.

VCD grips. Not sure they cover the plunger tube which is a preference.

I thought about Shredders (sold by Guncrafters). I had some Monkey Grip Shredders, and they were sharp but that was many moons ago.

There is
VZ Operator III 4.5/5 on the aggressive scale.
VZ Recon 5/5
VZ Krell 5/5

https://i.imgur.com/JXCvLYLh.jpg

[Robinson]

VCD grips. Not sure they cover the plunger tube which is a preference.

VCD Grips contact and support the bottom edge of the plunger tube but they don't completely cover it.

[SW CQB 45]

I knock my gun grips into interior door frames and we drive small Ford Explorers. Will the VCD grips rip car seat material backings?

[Robinson]

I knock my gun grips into interior door frames and we drive small Ford Explorers. Will the VCD grips rip car seat material backings?


They probably won't rip them, but could cause some wear/scuffing to occur.

[vcdgrips]

Concur re plunger tube coverage.

Concur re potential for fabric abrasion though that can be mitigated by sanding the grip a bit.

Having said that, edges of a gun/slide/sights can do the same.

If I wanted maximum grip and minimal abrasion against any surface, I would go with the old school Pachmayr rubber grips or the ones that were OEM on early Kimber Series One guns.

https://www.lymanproducts.com/brands/pachmayr/handgun-grips/semi-auto-grips/signaturetm-grips

https://store.kimberamerica.com/black-rubber-double-diamond-grips-full-length

[4RNR]

Im the opposite. I absolutely hate having bits and pieces of stuff laying around. I have a small box now with a bunch of random crap. FAL wood handguards, some kind of waffle 556 mag...maybe an Aug..IDK?

So what i do if something doesnt quite work for me is instead of trying a bunch of different accessories I simply trade in the gun for something else. Im not going to keep throwing money at something hoping the next accessory is going to work. Or, Ill only buy it if it has everything I already know and want.

[Robinson]

Im the opposite. I absolutely hate having bits and pieces of stuff laying around. I have a small box now with a bunch of random crap. FAL wood handguards, some kind of waffle 556 mag...maybe an Aug..IDK?

So what i do if something doesnt quite work for me is instead of trying a bunch of different accessories I simply trade in the gun for something else. Im not going to keep throwing money at something hoping the next accessory is going to work. Or, Ill only buy it if it has everything I already know and want.

1911 stocks/grips are eminently replaceable. Trading off an otherwise good 1911 because you're not happy with the grips seems short sighted, like not seeing the forest for the trees.

It's common practice for me to swap out the nice looking grips that come on a 1911 for simple checkered wood, rubber, or VCD grips because they are more functional. Much better than getting rid of a good gun.

[Elwin]

I knock my gun grips into interior door frames and we drive small Ford Explorers. Will the VCD grips rip car seat material backings?

VCD's grips definitely have a reputation for being aggressive but I don't think they're that aggressive. Regardless, they're polymer, so they are softer than the G10 grips you've already been using and would seem less likely to damage things as a result. I carry concealed so I don't have my grips contacting things out in the world like you do, but I can also say they aren't ripping up my clothes after years carrying them between two layers (I always have a layer of clothing on that's under the gun in addition to the cover garment over it). That includes some relatively nice or "delicate" clothing like wool sweaters and dress shirts.

[4RNR]

1911 stocks/grips are eminently replaceable. Trading off an otherwise good 1911 because you're not happy with the grips seems short sighted, like not seeing the forest for the trees.

It's common practice for me to swap out the nice looking grips that come on a 1911 for simple checkered wood, rubber, or VCD grips because they are more functional. Much better than getting rid of a good gun.

No interest in trying out accessory after accessory (for anything) until something works. Meanwhile sitting on a pile of useless crap i cant get my money back on. The gun may be good and functional but its useless if I have to keep buying parts to see if I like it! Ive traded off, for this specific reason, Sigs, 1911s, ARs, AKs, and probably a bunch more I cant think of at the moment.

On the other hand, if I can see it in person, touch it, feel it, hold it before buying then thats a different situation, In this case i dont mind spending the money on the accessory or maybe buying the gun without that specific part.

[Robinson]

Okay.

[Chuck Whitlock]

No interest in trying out accessory after accessory (for anything) until something works. Meanwhile sitting on a pile of useless crap i cant get my money back on. The gun may be good and functional but its useless if I have to keep buying parts to see if I like it! Ive traded off, for this specific reason, Sigs, 1911s, ARs, AKs, and probably a bunch more I cant think of at the moment.

On the other hand, if I can see it in person, touch it, feel it, hold it before buying then thats a different situation, In this case i dont mind spending the money on the accessory or maybe buying the gun without that specific part.

To be sure, some of this is almost purely aesthetic, as I don't think any manufacturer offers a 1911 that comes with high end mammoth ivory stocks installed. There is a little, or more than a little, passion of the gun involved.

For pure utility's sake, I could've gone with these stocks:

https://www.cdnnsports.com/gun-parts/grips/1911-grip-rubber-double-diamond-ruger-logo.html

...which are probably the best utility-per-$ I've seen. But in my choice, I was able to get both aesthetic and utility. Everyone's happy place will look a little different.

[CSW]

The right set are Pearce, the left, Uncle Mike's.
Someone relieved to Pearce set for an ambi safety.

If anyone needs these, pay for the shipping and they are available.

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