My Glock 19 Grip Reduction - Cold Bore Customs

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Ganderson

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After flip-flopping for several weeks on whether or not I wanted to modify my Glock, I finally made the descision last week to send it out for a grip reduction (hump removal) and texturing job. This was not an easy thing for me to do as I am not one to get caught up in making modifications to perfectly good pistols just for the hell of it.

The thing is, my Glock 19 had already won me over for it's perfect combination of size, accuracy, firepower and simplicity. My only issues with it were the shape of the backstrap (the hump) and the lack of good grip when my hands get sweaty. This was most obvious after shooting my SR9 or CZ and going back to the Glock. The hump just hit me in the wrong place and I found that I could get used to it in a sense but caught myself "hunting" for a decent hand position instead of it falling into my hand correctly as my other pistols did.

After doing my research and a few emails back and forth with Lane Owens of Cold Bore Customs I was ready to ship off my frame and hope for the best. I chose Cold Bore because I really liked the look of his work that has been posted on the forums and the CBC website and Lane was very responsive in communication. It also doesn't hurt that we are in the same state for shipping speed/cost and he quoted me a very quick turn-around time.

I kicked around the idea of having the finger humps removed in addition to the reduction as that seems to be the preference of many, but the reality for me is that my hands fit the finger grooves perfectly and I do not suffer from the Glock Knuckle at all. With that in mind I decided to not fix what ain't broke and keep the finger grooves.

The work I had done was basically the Grip Reduction Package with Carry Texture stippling and my own custom twist. I asked Lane to texture between the finger grooves but wanted the side panel texturing connected and blended into the texturing between the finger grooves. To eliminate confusion, I provided Lane with sketches of what I was looking for and he delivered EXACTLY.

My reasoning for wanting it done this way was that I would get the grip benefit of 360 degree texturing while at the same time leaving the humps smooth would allow my fingers to "slide" down into their proper positions in the valleys between the humps... that and I thought it would look cool.

I was a bit nervous as this is an irreversible procedure but I am very happy to say that Lane at CBC met and even exceeded my high expectations.

Grip Reduction: The reshaping of my G19's grip has made an already great pistol 100% better for me. It feels better, grip aquisition is faster and it points more naturally. I always thought it was the grip angle that made the Glock seem to point higher than other pistols but apparently it was the hump because it points fine for me now. I can also rotate my grip slightly so the pistol is comfortably in line with my forearm now which makes a huge difference shooting one handed... the hump made this very awkward before.

Texture/Stippling: As I said before, I got the Carry Texture option. The borders of the stippling are very straight and defined. Lane apparently has a REALLY good eye for this work because the layout of the stippling is also very SYMMETRICAL left to right... very professionally done.
As for the texture itself, the CBC website defines it thus: "CARRY TEXTURE, this closely resembles the Glock OEM texture, but is more aggressive allowing a better purchase on the weapon."

Personally, I do not see much resemblance to the Glock OEM texture at all. That's ok with me as I was not looking for that... I was looking for something much more functional than the Glock OEM texture while still being reasonably attractive and I was not disappointed. The carry texture looks and feels great and provides loads more grip and my sweaty hands are no longer a problem. Awesome.

I will say that the texture is a little more aggressive than I was expecting but doesn't seem to grab clothing too badly... I only hope it doesn't rub me too raw if carrying IWB without an undershirt... we'll see.

Overall I am very happy with the work of Cold Bore Customs and I'm glad I took the leap and had this work done. I recommend CBC highly and will be sending another G19 soon for the same work.

Here are a few quick snapshots I took this evening.

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P1010122.jpg

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P1010119.jpg

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WOW!! Looks really nice. I'm a sweaty palms guy, so I actually really like the RTF textured grip. This looks much better than RTF with the hump removed to boot. Enjoy!
 
looks great, and thanks for the post and the pics. it is interesting that you didn't have the finger groves removed as well, which i see farily common and think that i would do as well. so i assume that you like and or preffer the finger groves?
 
Ganderson, it looks like they did a great job.
I too find the standard Glock texture to be a bit lacking when it's humid out, so I added a strip of bicycle inner-tube which works great and was only about $4.00 bucks.

The grip angle, the finger-grooves, and the back swell are very comfortable for me, but we all have different hands, right?


Easy
 
Pruned -- Sam

That CBC guy did some great work on that G19.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
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Looks nice. That sure is some grip they put on there, how is it done?

(Response to noise pruned --Sam)
 
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possum,
Like I said in my post, the finger grooves fit my hand perfectly so I saw no reason to remove them.... maybe they give just a little extra bit of security in a weapon renetion type of situation... who knows.


easyg,
Thanks... and you are correct... my Glock was quite usable in stock form and I could use it just fine. This was just a personalization measure because we do all indeed have different hands.

straitnate14,
I'm not sure of the exact stippling technique but I know it is done by hand and with heat.

dom1104,
Check out http://www.coldborecustom.com/ for pricing.

(Pruned quoted bad vibes -- Sam)
 
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Hey, that looks pretty good! I'd like to try one like that some day. Might make me look harder at picking up a Glock.


By the way, I do hope you won't be troubled anymore by pointless side comments.
 
Wow, nice work! And at what looks like very reasonable prices. By your post it sounds like the turn around was only about a week, that's terrific service.
 
Sam1911,
Thanks and sorry for perpetuating the bad vibes.

WC145,
IMO very reasonable prices and they pay return shipping. CBC received it on a Friday and I had it back the next Tuesday morning.
 
That's some good looking work, very clean. I may have to check out CBC if I decide to have another one of mine reduced. Excellent turn around time too.
I have a G21 with a reduction and it works great, well worth the investment. Some have told me that it severely hurts the resale value, but I don't believe it does too much. Mine gets a lot of attention and interest, some even offer to buy it off of me for almost what I have in it. Like you said, it is a personalization thing.
 
I don't think it will hurt the resale value too much if you have it done by a reputable shop that does it properly.

For instance, I know some do it using a filler/beltsander method where the rear cavity is filled with a compound and allowed to cure then the backstrap is reshaped by removing material. The texture is usually then applied as some kind of textured bed-liner paint.

Others like CBC actually reshape the grip with gently applied localized heat and do the stippling as part of the frame... no material is removed that I know of. This is what I was looking for to maintain the structural integrity of the frame.
 
Some have told me that it severely hurts the resale value, but I don't believe it does too much.

I wouldn't worry much about harming the resale value of a mass-produced common polymer-framed sidearm with such a quality modification.

It's worth much more as a shooter than an investment piece.

It looks like you've set it up to run it hard. Go shoot it and enjoy!
 
Does the grip reduction weaken the frame at all?

I'd imagine that the polymer of the frame must need a certain thickness for durability's sake. So wouldn't removing the material weaken the frame?

I realize that in this case, only the hump in the back was removed, so that's not such a big deal, but I've seen cases (like Robar's website) where they really remove a whole lot of material! I can't think of how that wouldn't somehow weaken the frame.
 
I don't think it will hurt the resale value too much if you have it done by a reputable shop that does it properly.

This may or may not be true. Example on a Carolina shooters forum a Glock 19 with grip reduction languished in the firearms for sale section. The grip reduction was done by the same individual that did yours. I sent the seller a PM and suggested they place the G19 on consignment at a gun shop. This would allow potential buyers and opportunity to handle the G19.:)
 
This may or may not be true. Example on a Carolina shooters forum a Glock 19 with grip reduction languished in the firearms for sale section. The grip reduction was done by the same individual that did yours.

I have to agree.....I find it hard to believe this wouldn't hurt resale value. I'm not much of a polymer guy but if I would consider a Glock someday it sure wouldn't be one that looks like that. :scrutiny:

I guess that's what makes the world go around. It appears many of you like the way it looks. :confused:

With that said, if Ganderson doesn't plan on selling it someday, which I would think not, since he went through with the melt job, resale is really a mute point as long as he keeps it and it makes him happy.
 
Well it may or may not depending on where you try to sell and how well known the shop is... it's not really an issue for me either way right now.

It's kinda like a tattoo, once you get the first one it's not really reversible and you'll probably want another.
 
it's not really an issue for me either way right now

That's more to my point. I can't imagine really caring what the resale value of a shooter like that would be. I buy modern sidearms to shoot -- a lot. If modifying one helps me shoot it better, faster, or more accurately, I'd probably never even pause to think of resale value. I didn't buy it to sell it, I bought it to SHOOT it. In fact, I don't think any of my serious shooting guns have NOT been modified in some way.

If you put 50,000 rds through it, who cares what you can sell it for? You got your money's worth. If you carry it daily for a decade with confidence that you can hit what you're aiming at, who cares what you can sell it for? You got your money's worth!

If you only put 3-4,000 more rounds through it and decide it isn't for you, so what if you lose a couple hundred on the sale? Or just relegate it to a "truck" or "tackle-box" gun.

It's a tool. Do what you need to to make it work for you.

Now, if this was a vintage S&W revolver, or an all original 1903 rifle, or Singer 1911, or something else of great collector's value I'd probably feel quite differently. Most of their value would be as a collector's item / historical artifact.

This is "just" a Glock. :)
 
it's not really an issue for me either way right now

That's more to my point. I can't imagine really caring what the resale value of a shooter like that would be. I buy modern sidearms to shoot -- a lot. If modifying one helps me shoot it better, faster, or more accurately, I'd probably never even pause to think of resale value. I didn't buy it to sell it, I bought it to SHOOT it. In fact, I don't think any of my serious shooting guns have NOT been modified in some way.

If you put 50,000 rds through it, who cares what you can sell it for? You got your money's worth. If you carry it daily for a decade with confidence that you can hit what you're aiming at, who cares what you can sell it for? You got your money's worth!

If you only put 3-4,000 more rounds through it and decide it isn't for you, so what if you lose a couple hundred on the sale? Or just relegate it to a "truck" or "tackle-box" gun.

It's a tool. Do what you need to to make it work for you.

Now, if this was a vintage S&W revolver, or an all original 1903 rifle, or Singer 1911, or something else of great collector's value I'd probably feel quite differently. Most of their value would be as a collector's item / historical artifact.

This is "just" a Glock. :)
 
I appreciate all the positive comments about the reductions. To answer the question about removing material, Virtually no material is removed during my reduction process. The back channel is filled in to allow me to mold a speed ramp, and it makes for more of a finshed look. Some other reductions do fill the back channel and then grind away material. This can allow seperation of the frame and filler material. This will never happen with my reductions. The frames integity is not compromised. I designed my reductions to be used and were designed for a purpose, not just for looks. Thanks again guys. TXPO
 
Good work on that, I really like that unlike every other grip reduction I have seen, it didn't turn the backstrap into a flat shape. I know some just can't live without a flat backed 1911 shaped pistol, but personally I would rather have an arched backstrap. There is a reason almost every pistol ever made is shaped more or less like that.
 
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