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.
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.