Wood Grips on a Modern "Fighting" Handgun?

[Suvorov]

My recent new-to-me Beretta 92C came with checkered wood grips. I immediately replaced them with Hogue "thinish" rubber grip panels, but I have to admit - those Italian Maple grips sure are pretty.

Do pretty wooden grips have a place on a modern fighting handgun, or are they completely outclassed by more modern polymer, elastomer, and even metal grips on the market today?

Does anyone carry/run, a gun with wooden grips and if so, how do they hold up to the knock around abuse as well as the sweat generated by concealment?

[David Armstrong]

Lots of 1911s running around out there with wood on them, I still use wood on my S&W 39, and so on. Don't really see any reason not to use it. Plastic and metal may last longer and take more abuse but I doubt most of us will put our guns through that much abuse.

[Odin Bravo One]

I have pistols with wood grips, and have no issue using them for defensive pistols. But for a "fighting" pistol, I want something I can hold onto when it's covered in sweat, water, blood, etc. Wood doesn't give me that like plastic does.

[NETim]

G10 all the way baby! VZ's in particular. Bombproof.

And I've heard they're really, really tactical.

[digiadaamore]

I have pistols with wood grips, and have no issue using them for defensive pistols. But for a "fighting" pistol, I want something I can hold onto when it's covered in sweat, water, blood, etc. Wood doesn't give me that like plastic does.

exactly! i was(and still are) a beretta guy forever and evertime id see a guy post pics of his beretta with wood grips id know that despite that gun being functionally identical to all the others, it was no where near as deadly because its owner did not have the right mindset

[abu fitna]

Ran the old style slick wooden grips on a Browning BDA for some time a long while back. (Perhaps not what one would consider a modern weapons platform due to the very small sights, but definitely among the more modern options for the time and place it was needed.) They looked good, and stood up to quite a bit of abuse... though didn't look as good after some years. Also were admittedly not ideal for sweat or blood soaked hands under stress.

Did better with an Argentine .45 (though for a relatively short time), but those were not pretty grips and while they soaked up the abuse, the checkering was blunted by the years on a very old gun. The number of chips and nicks left more imprints in the hand than the Browning medallion set into the BDA.

Having said that, a colleague swears by lovely boot grips on a small frame revolver, also slick but absolutely wonderful piece of the woodworker's art. They seem to be very dense wood, and have stayed pretty for a long time.

These days though I am onto the fantastic plastic like everyone else - brutally utilitarian and functional, but certainly nothing to look at in the older sense (though one must admit a certain appeal where form follows function). Don't even own a single wooden grip on any of my personal weapons (not even the AK; factory polymer direct from the fair land of Bulgaria).

[Tamara]

My recent new-to-me Beretta 92C came with checkered wood grips. I immediately replaced them with Hogue "thinish" rubber grip panels...

I hates me some sticky neoprene Hogues. They bind up on clothing like superglue.

There are good alternatives to wood for most any autopistol design out there, but the best revolver grips still come from Eagle and Ahrends, IMO.

[rsa-otc]

I hates me some sticky neoprene Hogues. They bind up on clothing like superglue.

There are good alternatives to wood for most any autopistol design out there, but the best revolver grips still come from Eagle and Ahrends, IMO.

Hogues nylon mono grip has been my go to revolver grip since it's interduction in the late 70's. Vertually indestructable and I never had a problem with slippage. I absolutely hated the rubber version; as Tam pointed out too sticky. Recently had to move to the Pachmayr Grippers to reduce the wear and tear on my forearms. A well made wood grip just sets off a quality firearm.

[GA_Jeff]

Wood grips may or may not be an issue. I'll put it this way. What are the odds that you actually need to draw your weapon for SD? What are the odds that the conditions make a wood grip a factor in the outcome?

To me, I don't care for wood grips from a practical perspective. There are times when I'm shooting matches, etc where it's pretty hot. I would not be comfortable with a wood grip and sweaty hands. Likewise, there are times when there's some percipitation while I'm shooting. Again, I would not be comfortable with wood grips.

However that's just me. YMMV.

[Nephrology]

Well checkered wood on an autoloader like a CZ, Beretta, SIG, 1911 etc are fine for me. Front and backstrap texture is more important that what is on the side panels either way.

that said the best texture I've ever felt on a pistol, bar none, is the Gen 3 Glock RTF. Incredibly coarse, perfect for sweaty hands. Though it also has succeeded in giving me a callous on the meat of my palm towards my wrist, something I never before thought possible.