TIP OF THE SPEAR

Tyrus Rechs valued a good pistol grip, so should you.

The founder of the Legion had functional grips on his blaster. You can bet Kel Turner does, too. Now it’s up to us to do the same. Read on if you want to learn how.

BY DOC SPEARS

Near the end of my last blog I arrived at some ideas regarding the benefits of self-development through the practice of a mind-body discipline; specifically, offering pistolcraft as one of those mediums.

I promised I’d continue the discussion in future blogs, that there’d be consideration to practical and material aspects, and also promised to make the persistent appeal that discipline is worthwhile for its own sake. Because, surely, to measure success with the pistol by outcomes of accuracy at even modestly close ranges, results can only be achieved through dedicated practice, a.k.a., discipline.

But, allow to me to talk about some of the practical things—devoid of the philosophical meanderings until the end—and emphasize that whether your interest is in simply exercising liberty, providing for self-defense, or exploring the higher art of pistolcraft, the pistol can teach you much beyond the ostensible act of sending bullets downrange.

WarGate readers love freedom, but if you’ve no interest whatsoever in firearms or shooting—and it’s by no means mandatory in order to be welcome amongst us—I still hope to inspire in you an appreciation of the potential metaphysical aspects, and the value within the practice of any mind-body discipline.

One of those basic material matters concerns the “what” that you’re actually gripping, and it’s especially helpful to understand how the effort of even a small amount of customization will benefit you in your pursuit.

So, let’s talk about grips.

Control is an inherent part of any discipline. When we’re talking about pistolcraft, at the most tangible level, the grip surface matters when it comes to controllability and the accuracy achievable. If the pistol slips in your hand, everything about your success becomes more difficult.

I can rightly use many complimentary adjectives to describe the wonderful properties of the plastic striker-fired pistol so ubiquitous in our 21^st century; utilitarian, functional, reliable. Affordable by the economy of scale, replaceable as is any item mass-produced in quality, but, not perfect out-of-the-box—especially when it comes to the grip surface itself.

As it comes from the factory, the lightly textured surface on virtually every plastic pistol is slippery, especially after your hands get a little moist. And if you’re one of those folks who has naturally sweaty hands (or you live in a state where 90% humidity is the norm), you need to address this.

Fortunately it’s not hard, nor expensive.

The basic remedy I offer is skateboard tape. It’s a remedy we’ve used for decades in the action-pistol competition world, and with minimal effort and expense, will improve the shootability of any plastic pistol. The black safety tape for stair treads is the same material. The tapes come in varying grits of roughness. Cut pieces to fit all sides of the grip panels smoothly and without overlap, so there’s no uncomfortable seam. The adhesive backings are decent, but a few drops of a gel cyanoacrylate glue in strategic spots will keep the tape from peeling off, and depending on carry and use, the application can be quite durable.

(On a competition pistol which sees 40 thousand rounds a year, many things have to replaced every few months or even weeks, but on a pistol that sees more routine use, such improvements can often be nearly permanent.)

Some of the pistols in the pictures above wear a pre-cut grip tape. For a $20 investment, they’re a convenient way to do the job. The pre-cut panels specific to each model of pistol do manage to stay on a little better than the skateboard tape you cut yourself, but the glue trick I mentioned is still very useful, and adds to the likelihood the tape doesn’t peel off over time with use and carry.

Having a professional service do a stippling job on the plastic grip is a great option but, over time, the surface dulls and becomes less “grippy.” My everyday carry pistol is in one of the pictures, and the stippling job has become quite worn. It can be refreshed, but I’ll probably just apply a skateboard tape panel over the stippling, and I’ll likely never have to mess with it again.

For metal frame pistols, some form of fine-line metal checkering is highly functional and even attractive. It’s a factory option on many higher-end pistols, and always an offering by the best custom pistolsmiths. The sharp scalloping machined into the grip frame of many wide-body semi-autos is wonderful; so sharp you have to build up callouses to run these guns! (My 2011s with that option do not shift around, even while shooting very fast and long strings of fire, which is why they’re so popular in the competition world.)

Unlike the stippling applied to a plastic pistol, these modifications made to metal frame pistols last for eternity.

It’s very worthwhile talking about revolver grips, though in this day and age it’s less likely one of these will be your choice of arm (though I highly, highly recommend a personal relationship with a double or single-action revolver—perhaps a topic for a future blogpost.)

Many opportunities for grip customization exist for your revolver, both in regards to the size of the grip (the better the grip swells to fit the palm, the better the control) as well as the options for materials.

With these arms we have choices for grip improvement that are simply not a possibility with our beloved plastic pistols.

The pages of gun-part websites tease a plethora of alluring options for your particular model of revolver, advertising easy replacement and improvement of your pistol’s aesthetics and functionality. Yes, and often, no. If it’s a two-piece type grip (as is common on most single-action and many double-action guns) the fit can be quite poor. There are reasons for this, none being the fault of the factory producing the after-market grips.

A significant variability in the actual dimensions of the grip frame can exist between even revolvers of the same make and model, especially between those made during different factory runs. For some makers (Ruger, I’m talking to you) aftermarket grips often—but not always—fit poorly. It’s because the finish processes to remove casting and machining marks on the rough grip frames are done by hand, with files and buffers.

So, even though you’ve correctly ordered grips specific to your model of pistol, the grip panels may protrude the edges of the frame, creating sharp and uncomfortable edges poking into your grasp. There may also be gaps between the sides of the panels and the frame. Any of these will cut or pinch during recoil. Rather than improve your shooting experience, the result is something detrimental to accuracy.

For these reasons, it’s a difficult task for the folks making your after-market grips to provide for you the perfect and comfortable fit that’s all you’ve dreamed of. Sometimes, though, it serendipitously works out.

Many double-action pistols can utilize one-piece grips, alleviating a lot of the concerns regarding the fit of two-piece grips to your gun’s frame. But for the same reasons I cited above, there but can still be a gap between the grip and back of the trigger guard, producing a very undesirable “pinch” to your non-firing hand.

In both cases, there are services available to improve the fit of the off-the-shelf grips. Fillers can be applied to gaps, judicious wood removal can be done that doesn’t require refinishing the exterior, and an affordable and comfortable option to improve your shooting exists.

(The real solution for guns requiring two-piece grips is “decking”— a process done by the pistolsmith, not the grip maker—to ensure the grip frame is perfectly flat. Custom grip makers prefer this be done so they can fashion a perfectly flush and seamless set of grips. It’s very worthwhile.)

As far as materials, wood is wonderful. There’s hardly a grip material more attractive than a fancy walnut exhibiting curl, providing a mesmerizing depth you can lose yourself in, like ocean waves teasing what lies beneath. Custom grip makers often ask for a tracing of the shooting hand in order to fashion a grip with the perfect amount of swell to fill the palm and increase the surface area of the grip—a highly custom and expensive experience. Without such a fill of the hand, smooth and highly polished wood grips, though beautiful, are quite slick.

Wood checkering is highly “grippy” and attractive, and is an excellent option available from many producers offering the “slap-on” options for your pistol.

The ultimate grip material for any revolver is some form of bone or antler. Even when highly polished for beauty, these natural animal materials are porous and provide a superior gripping surface. They actually warm in the hand and give a very “sticky” feel and superior control.

You’ll see a lot of rubber options available. Meh. They have their place, especially on small carry revolvers. As far as their purported ability to absorb recoil, I’ve never been that impressed, especially in comparison to a set of grips that truly fill the hand, but they have their place and if they serve you well, that’s all that matters.

Now, time for the aforementioned philosophizing and intellectualizing. (You’ve either skipped to this or are stopping here, depending on your interest.)

Individuation Vs. Homogenization is a theme I talked about previously. There is great value in individuation; the artisanal, the custom, the handcrafted.

But there is no practical or metaphysical value in doing something to a pistol you actually intend to use if it is done purely for the purpose of aesthetic individuation. Finishes, grips, bolt on do-dads; the internet is packed with them.

Beauty is as beauty does. If whatever you do in the way of customization does not improve the functionality of the pistol, it’s worthless and detracts rather than adds to the journey I hope you’re on.

Which is why, your plastic pistol may look like any other plastic pistol; may be essentially indistinguishable from any other—save the unique wear pattern on the grip tape—but because it is yours, because it is above all functional, and most importantly, because it is the proof that you are a free person practicing the exercise of your liberty, that alone makes it an object of great beauty and value.

That you do so responsibly and with the goal of doing something meaningful to you, means your pistol can be the most metaphysical object in the universe, capable of making you a true disciple of the spiral tube, and a better person.

I’ll delve into why that can be so in future visits.