The Art and Science of Keeping Your 1911 Running

[CSW]

Along with the costs of the grips, your going to also need thin bushings, and screws and o_rings. May also need the Challis tool for removing the old bushings and installing the new.

I run thin grips on my 1911.
Medium-ish hands, and I feel that it is a better fit for me

[Catshooter]

Don't know why thin/thick wouldn't work. 'Course I haven't tried it . . .

[03RN]

I was perusing the below video where Hilton Yam talks about issues with grip panel thickness, at around the 5:00-6:35 mark:



Quite a few folks on here, along with myself, feel that they benefit from thin grip panels.

So, my question: Is there any disadvantage to pairing a thin RH panel with a standard-thickness LH panel? This seems like it would give you the strong-handed purchase and trigger reach you would want with the thin panels, yet give added surface area for support hand purchase, while retaining the plunger support. If you used VZ panels, their universal bushings are supposed to work with both thick and thin grips:
https://vzgrips.com/products/1911-gr...universal.html

One obvious downside would be paying for two sets of grip panels, only to discard one of each......unless you convinced a LH shooting buddy of the utility, I suppose.

Any thoughts?

I've thought about doing the same thing. I could never think of a bad reason except it might look weird.

Instead I've spent 20 years looking for the thinnest normal grips.

Herretts full checkered and ergo grips fit the bill for me.

I do really like how dark cherry vzs grips look but the thin ones don't support the plunger tube

[BillSWPA]

I tried thin grips in the past, and currently use only standard thickness grips. The problem I had was with the thin grip bushings. If you want to switch back to regular grips, the thin bushings are really hard to get out without stripping the screwdriver interface. Be sure to have extra bushings as well as a screw extractor.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CSW]

I tried thin grips in the past, and currently use only standard thickness grips. The problem I had was with the thin grip bushings. If you want to switch back to regular grips, the thin bushings are really hard to get out without stripping the screwdriver interface. Be sure to have extra bushings as well as a screw extractor.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

https://challisgrips.americommerce.com/c/23-Tools.aspx

[Chuck Whitlock]

I've thought about doing the same thing. I could never think of a bad reason except it might look weird.

Instead I've spent 20 years looking for the thinnest normal grips.

Herretts full checkered and ergo grips fit the bill for me.

Have you compared the thickness of the full checkered Herretts to their D-45 skip checkered ones? I do like the looks of those.

I do really like how dark cherry vzs grips look but the thin ones don't support the plunger tube

^^^^That right there is what got me thinking about this.

I tried thin grips in the past, and currently use only standard thickness grips. The problem I had was with the thin grip bushings. If you want to switch back to regular grips, the thin bushings are really hard to get out without stripping the screwdriver interface. Be sure to have extra bushings as well as a screw extractor.

VZ's proprietary bushings are supposed to work with both their standard and thin grips. Otherwise, I hear you....thin bushings are no fun to jack around with.

[JohnO]

I removed the thin grips & bushings from both Dan Wesson Valors I own. I prefer the feel of the standard thickness grips plus the plunger tube support.
I purchased the bushing driver bits Brownells sells, standard & slim.
https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t...s-prod493.aspx
Having the proper tool made the process simple.

[vcdgrips]

It has been awhile since I looked hard but the thinest grip out there used to be Slim Alumagrips. They did require slim bushings.

The thinnest grip out there that worked well on regular bushings is the Polymer Ergo Grip.

VZ is an absolutely stand up company in their offerings, QC and customer service. The fact that the give literal credit and royalties where they are due (i.e. Simonich Grips)
would knock me over the top if I thought one of their products was what I needed.

[KevH]

After getting sick tired of replacing plunger tubes on co-workers' Kimbers about a decade ago there is no way I would even consider running a grip that doesn't support that vital little piece.

[358156hp]

My all-time favorite thin grips were made by Navidrex and sold through Brownells. These grips were thin, and fully checkered, no diamonds or anything. And now they're discontinued, of course. I have kind of thick hands, and just can't appreciate standard thickness panels.