I switched from a Glock 34(medium BTBS) to a shadow 2 for USPSA last January and fell in love with the gun, however I never found a set of grips that fit me.
Most discussions online were either people wanting smaller grips or "just get palm-swells". The factory grips lack meaningful texture and are too thin for me so I
started chasing grips for nearly the entirety that I have had the gun and since I am crap at returns... a rather pricey journey. Hopefully this post can help someone avoid that mess.
If anyone has more to add, please do. I know that there are some incidental grip discussions in the Shadow 2 thread also.
I first ordered the LOK palmswell "boogies" grips which were better, but I could not get comfortable with the coke bottle shape of them, I then ordered the LOK "thin grips"
which are flat and Lok says are slightly thicker than factory. Again still too thin for me.
Next was the Henning group contour grips which I used for this past season. Now I am trying the new Shooting Sports innovations(SSI) "Scales 4.0"
All measurements are taken from sides while on the gun at about the middle of each grip
I tried to keep my blurbs objective as possible
Factory/LOK boogie thins: 1.135"/1.160"
I used these the least as it was clear that they were too small. With these grips I pulled shots to the right(Strong hand) more frequently when doing things like bill drills
or lots of transitions (el pres, blake drill, etc). The boogie texture is very aggressive which I like, if you have soft hands either try a less aggressive texture or lightly sand.
LOK Palmswell Boogies: 1.490" (lok measure them at 1.475")
These seem to be the go to grips for many people, just not me. The size of these fit me ok. The palmswell is too big and the shape of them did not work for me.
Anything from the holster I found it difficult to get a consistent index and wasted time looking for the front sight. I also had a difficult time getting good finger placement for DA
My hits on most drill were acceptable. These grips do work well for me on my Sp01 shadow.
Henning Contour grips: 1.295"
I used these the most last season and just worked on learning them. They are still too small and I tend to peel my strong hand fingers off when I complete my grip, but they worked well enough.
The shape of the contour is vaguely similar to 1911 grips
The checkering is decent, however in the humid months some kind of grip enhancer is a must.
The DA reach is good, however on SA I smash my finger tip on the mag catch if I am not careful.
SSI Scales 4.0: 1.407"
These for me are the best feature off all the above grips, flat, big, and grippy is the right spots. I also have good DA reach without feeling like ET on single action. SSI sells weight inserts for them as well, I did not purchase those.
I have not had a chance to shoot with these yet, hopefully next week when deer season is over and the ranges open back up.
Some quick cons I ran into is that they are more difficult to install (it took me over an hour....) SSI did suggest that some guns may need gunsmith fitting.
I found the screw holes difficult to line up straight and I had to lightly dremel a relief for the mag catch. They do not come with O' rings and require locktite which I don't care for on non-bushing frames
Also not included was a T15 torx wrench.
My only practical complaints with them so far is that aluminum and January is not a combination I want. The front edge is not tapered an makes table starts more difficult.
I also suspect that in humid environments that grip enhancer will be a good idea.
First for reference I wear a large mechanix glove
SSI, Henning, LOK thin, factory
Hennings
SSI/Henning
SSI/Palmswell
SSI/Lok thins
SSI