Homemade 1911 grips!!!

[snakeman21]

Hi all... I've recently caught a bug to make my own 1911 grips. When I got my RIA, I didn't like the plain grip that came with it, and I bought a set of Pachmyer American Legend grips. I love them, they feel amazing and really do cut down on recoil. But recently, I've been wanting to build some decent grips. Something that goes back to the original look, but still unique and eye-catching.

I'm hoping some people here have done this... Post pics of your handmade 1911 grips, or even other grips that you have made. I'm just looking to get some ideas. I've been hitting up google and there's a lot of cool stuff people have done. I like the idea of stacking fabrics and using resin to make cool designs, but I think I want to go with wood. Something with a striking grain and a nice color.

So let's see what you guys have. Any pointers would be useful to, although making grips should be a breeze compared to making my bow! LOL.

[Shodan]

http://usaknifemaker.com/handle-mate...ware-c-95.html

This is their "camo" G10 material. If the scales for knife handles aren't big enough for a 1911 grip, they sell most of the materials in sheets also.

[snakeman21]

http://usaknifemaker.com/handle-mate...ware-c-95.html

This is their "camo" G10 material. If the scales for knife handles aren't big enough for a 1911 grip, they sell most of the materials in sheets also.

Very nice. But I wouldn't pay for that when I could recreate the effect with different colored cloths and some fibreglass resin. I'm really looking to go "from scratch" here as much as possible.

I really want to go out and find a decent chunk of wood with some cool grain. However, I'm thinking I might try the cloth and resin method a couple of times first to get the hang of carving grips, and then do a set of wooden ones. Or, I might find a piece of scrap wood in the basement and make a rough set. I wouldn't want to find some awesome wood and put in all the work, only to find out my screw holes are just a little bit off.

I did find a set of templates online that should make the project easier. But as I said already, after successfully building a longbow, making a set of 1911 grips should be child's play.

[The Bandit]

Sounds like a fun and neat project. I will have to look up the resin idea, seems you could create infinate results with that.

[USMC3531]

contact theese guys,http://www.rifle-stocks.com/ ask them if they have any "drops" I think it was $8 for a 4"x8" block or buy a whole stock from boyds for like $40

[harold63]

I don't have a way to post a pic, but my son and I made a set for his 1911. They are a little thicker than a normal grip because he has hands like a big foot, so it feels more like a Beretta 92 as far as the thickness of the entire grip. The only real tricky part was getting the indent right and centered with the screw holes. We made four, but ended up with two that were good enough to use. It is not a daunting task, at all. Have fun making them.

[Sparks]

Go to Lowes or Home Depot, they have smaller pieces of oak, spruce, a few others. 1/4 x 2 x 24 should be enough for two pair and cost only a couple of bucks. It would give you a chance to pratice before getting some good wood.

[snakeman21]

Go to Lowes or Home Depot, they have smaller pieces of oak, spruce, a few others. 1/4 x 2 x 24 should be enough for two pair and cost only a couple of bucks. It would give you a chance to pratice before getting some good wood.

Well, if I want to practice, I'll just grab some scrap wood from the basement. I still have some red oak left over from my longbow.

[mwndragon]

I found this a while back when I was looking for some info on a 1911 I brought.
http://1911pistolgrips.com/process.php
Hope this helps

[photoshooter]

I haven't tried grips yet but I have done a fair amount of knife handles. I get a lot of my wood on ebay. You can buy small/thin wood geared toward knife makers. Since the sizes are small shipping isn't expensive and you can get some great exotics.

top is bloodwood and ebony
bottom is cherry burl and maple




applewood, macawood strips, maple burl