I recently purchased my Back Up 45 and so far it's proven to be quite a reliable little fire breathing cannon. A few more non-issue trips to the range and it'll most likely become my primary CCW.
The pistol is constructed in s/s and although it's very manageable during fire [and rapid fire] , I wanted to have the frontstrap checkered to enhance gripping, especially during the humid and hot summer months ahead of us. I didn't want to go through the expense of having the checkering done professionally and incur all the extra fees and charges associated with shipping a firearm.
I'd read many posts from owners that were attaching strips of skateboard grip tape on the frontstraps of their pistols with good results, but the strips had to be replaced often. I really didn't want to go that route. I wanted something more permanent and aesthetically appealing.
So I decided to order a Wilson S/S Checkered Frontstrap thats made and sold for the 1911. Basically, the part is positioned on a 1911's frontstrap and it's then held in place by the grips. My Back Up isn't based on the 1911 platform so I knew from the get-go that the installation would involve a complete modification of the part to achieve what I was seeking. The modification needed to work, and work well.
I ordered the part from Brownell's last Thursday evening and it was delivered yesterday. Great service and shipping from Brownells, for sure! I was surprised to see that the The Wilson CFS had a s/s finish that perfectly matched the s/s frame of my Back Up.
Obviously, the Wilson CFS was too long and too wide for my pistol so I had to do a lot of trimming, which wasn't hard to do. It only took me a few minutes to trim it down to a perfect fit with a pair of needle-nose scissors. After sizing, it was time to prepare the pistol. The Back Up is constructed entirely of stainless so I had to prepare it for proper bonding by lightly sanding it's frontstrap. I mixed a small amount of 60 Sec. Epoxy [purchased at my local auto parts store) and applied it to the frontstrap and the part. I attached the part to the frontstrap and made sure it was placed on right, and presto. Bada-Bing!
The modified checkered frontstrap installation turned out much better than I anticipated. I mean it's a Huge Difference! The Back Up's checkered frontstrap now gives me perfect sticky grip. I'm pretty stoked with the result.
Not bad for a 10 buck item and 10 minutes of work.
Here's a few photos of the finished product. Tell me what you think. :smile:
The pistol is constructed in s/s and although it's very manageable during fire [and rapid fire] , I wanted to have the frontstrap checkered to enhance gripping, especially during the humid and hot summer months ahead of us. I didn't want to go through the expense of having the checkering done professionally and incur all the extra fees and charges associated with shipping a firearm.
I'd read many posts from owners that were attaching strips of skateboard grip tape on the frontstraps of their pistols with good results, but the strips had to be replaced often. I really didn't want to go that route. I wanted something more permanent and aesthetically appealing.
So I decided to order a Wilson S/S Checkered Frontstrap thats made and sold for the 1911. Basically, the part is positioned on a 1911's frontstrap and it's then held in place by the grips. My Back Up isn't based on the 1911 platform so I knew from the get-go that the installation would involve a complete modification of the part to achieve what I was seeking. The modification needed to work, and work well.
I ordered the part from Brownell's last Thursday evening and it was delivered yesterday. Great service and shipping from Brownells, for sure! I was surprised to see that the The Wilson CFS had a s/s finish that perfectly matched the s/s frame of my Back Up.
Obviously, the Wilson CFS was too long and too wide for my pistol so I had to do a lot of trimming, which wasn't hard to do. It only took me a few minutes to trim it down to a perfect fit with a pair of needle-nose scissors. After sizing, it was time to prepare the pistol. The Back Up is constructed entirely of stainless so I had to prepare it for proper bonding by lightly sanding it's frontstrap. I mixed a small amount of 60 Sec. Epoxy [purchased at my local auto parts store) and applied it to the frontstrap and the part. I attached the part to the frontstrap and made sure it was placed on right, and presto. Bada-Bing!
The modified checkered frontstrap installation turned out much better than I anticipated. I mean it's a Huge Difference! The Back Up's checkered frontstrap now gives me perfect sticky grip. I'm pretty stoked with the result.
Not bad for a 10 buck item and 10 minutes of work.
Here's a few photos of the finished product. Tell me what you think. :smile:
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