Slim 1911 grips

Status
Not open for further replies.

jpatterson

Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2007
Messages
400
Location
PNW
Like some of you, I have baby hands.

This makes double-stack handguns particular difficult for me, so I went with a 1911. I still could use a little bit less space, so I've been looking into slim 1911 grips.

Does anyone else use these? Do they actually provide more space, or is it negligible? Any company you'd recommend?

Thanks in advance!
 
If you get the slim grips you will also need to change the bushing in the frame They help if you have a small hand so does a flat mainspring housing and a short trigger Kind of custom fir to your hand
 
woodgrips.com has the best thin bushings, screws, and bushing removal/installation tools that I've found.
I happen to like the Alumagrips for the look and feel. You can get them from Midway or Brownells.
I like the slim grips even though my hands are large, they reduce the width so the pistol doesn't print as much when carrying, and it helps me index to the target better.
 
Thin grips just didn't fill out my mits as well as I'd hoped they would but they sure looked nice and made the gun feel extremely thin. I just switched from the thin grips that came with my Les Baer TRS to some VZ Operator 2 standard size grips. I can attest to how well the surface texture grips my hand.

Although they don't make the Operators 2 in slims sizes they do make the regular Operators and several of their other styles in slim.

I haven't noticed a difference in print-ability but someone who tucks their shirts might. The only difference I noticed is how much more grip I have.
 
The standard and price/value winners are usually CMC grips. They come with decent double diamond patterned Cocobolo panels and the screws/bushings you need.

I bought a Commander with a set of these on it a year ago. The seller said to me, "try those before you take them off, they will shrink your groups." I doubted him, but he was in fact (1/2) right. They didn't shrink my groups, but they made it easier to make tight groups. I could shoot the same, but work less hard. Here's why (I think after a lot of testing/swapping/testing):

The slim grips reduce the width, and thus the ability of your palm and re-curved finger tips to put pressure on the grips themselves and create an across-the-sight-plane grip tension. This means more of your grip energy is focused on the front strap and back strap when you naturally form your grip. This stabilizes the gun in the fore-aft dimension, which is the angular dimension your finger on the trigger works on to disturb the sights during the trigger stroke. So, you naturally grip the gun with slim grips in a way to stabilize it better to counteract the trigger action.

All of this dawned on me after reading what Jack Weaver actually wrote about pistol shooting and accuracy, and he focused on a nice, tight, isometric fore-aft grip. This was something I was already incorporating into my grip before I got the slim gripped gun, but it made it very apparent. So, I feel that if you think you need slim grips, not only will it make you feel better it can help you shoot better. A set of the CMC grips are attractive and not terribly expensive; try a set.
 
Get onto Brownells.com and buy a set of Navirex slim grips. I have a set on my Springfield 1911 and I LOVE them. I got them in mahogany. I have small hands too, and these grips are tiny. And you can get them for about 17 bucks. Cheap and thin.
 
Crashbuell - I'm looking at what you recommended, I'd like to save as much money as possible. Could you point me in the right direction for the bushing and screws on Brownells? Are they just smaller bushings and screws?
 
I have small hands, and short fingers, and I love 1911 pistols. I tried the slim grips, but didn't like the way it made the grips feel.
What I've settled on, is regular grips, but a flat mainspring housing, and a short trigger.
Works perfect for me.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top