1911 Grips - School me please.

StevieP

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I'm getting an E-series Smith & Wesson, which comes with nice-looking wood grips, but I'm thinking I'll take them off to keep them "original" to retain whatever value they might have, and so I can add something a little more "personal" to make the gun my own.

So, what does everyone do/use for grips on their 1911?

Do you go for looks (smooth, exotic woods, etc.), or "function" (VZ tactical type grips, etc.)?

Do you leave just one set on? Or swap them around depending on....?

Please add pics and/or links to good grip companies/people.

TIA.
 
Also - does anyone have, use, or recommend "oversize" grips? I have large hands, and haven't ever really shot a 1911, so I don't know if this is an issue, and whether oversize grips help. I imagine some folks replace the mainspring housing with something a little thicker... (?)
 
Also - does anyone have, use, or recommend "oversize" grips? I have large hands, and haven't ever really shot a 1911, so I don't know if this is an issue, and whether oversize grips help. I imagine some folks replace the mainspring housing with something a little thicker... (?)

You can get an arched mainspring housing which might fit your hand better. You'd need to try different grip thicknesses to see which you prefer. There's no formula, and no right or wrong answer. Just preference.

I don't think it's worth saving factory grips to hold their value.
 
I imagine some folks replace the mainspring housing with something a little thicker... (?)

I'm not aware of any "thicker" mainspring housings. The three choices are flat, arched or "v-grip." Personally, I use flat mainspring housings. As for grips, that's really a personal choice. No, I don't use oversize grips nor do I know anyone who does.

Shoot it for six months before you start spending money changing things.
 
Never seen a v grip housing.


I went with the black rubber grips. Think Hugo? 14$.
I like them better then the stock wood grips cause they griped my hand but didn't chafe it. Also added a Wilson front strap. To my 1911r1 .
I bought the strap for 10$ brownells to see if I'd want it machined into my next 1911.
e3y3e4et.jpg
 
I'm a long time user of checkered wood grips. I've used Hoag grips for years. Good checkering and the exotic woods seem to wear at a slower rate than most walnut.
I've found rubber grips to be slippery at the wrong time.
 
I don't get it? Looks like a flat mainspring housing with deep serrations....


I think my black rubber grips are hoag my memory sucks. I was alittle worried about my hands sweating but it didn't seem to effect my grip. With the wood grips when my hand was moist the gun would shift in my hand...
 
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I don't get it? Looks like a flat mainspring housing with deep serrations....

The difference is that it is thicker at the bottom than a flat mainspring housing. So it changes the grip angle. Here is a flat mainspring housing. See the difference?

92sf.jpg


I've never tried a V-grip mainspring housing. The arched mainspring housing is too big for my hands, so I suspect that I wouldn't care for the V-grip either. For me, one of the beauties of the 1911 is the small grip circumference, so the last thing I want to do is to add anything that increases it.
 
I have grips that I got from Sarge's Grips aka thefinergrain.com and they are noticeably larger than the stock grips. These, with an arched MSH will thicken the hold.
 
picturesgrips 002.jpggrips 003.jpggrips 001.jpg

I don't know if the pictures help, but with the arched MSH and the grips, The firearm definitely had a thick feel to it.
 
6a9yty9a.jpg


http://www.esmeralda.cc/

She makes the best 1911 grips I've ever seen. She's wicked nice to deal with and you can supply the wood if you ask.


If you got basic tools you could make your own.
http://blindhogg.com/grip.html
Shows you how to make a jig/sells one.

I got a bunch exotic wood from building basses. Gonna try my hand soon.
 
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Esmeralda's grips are very pretty. I have a pair. But for actually shooting, they just aren't grippy enough for me. YMMV.
 
I never found a pair of grips that I really liked, so I had Carl at cwgrips.com make up a custom pair exactly the way I wanted:

2012092216413968.jpg
 
I swapped the nice wood grips from my S&W 1911sc for a cheapo pair of rubber grips. They feel good in the hand and I bought two pair in different colors to give the gun a little more character. I thought about buying a second pair of nice wood grips but couldn't see the point since I had just taken a nice pair of wood grips off the gun.
 
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