10m AP Grip Mod - is this legal?

The_Mole · Post by **The_Mole** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 4:42 am

Hi

I am new to the forum and new to AP shooting, well a 20 year break.

I have got myself a Steyr LP2 and I have modified the grip to fit better.

I have used a great product SUGRU a rubber epoxy that hardens over night and gives a nice grippy surface.

I need to know if you guys think the modifications to my grip are legal or have I overstepped the mark.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo29 ... 1332495360

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo29 ... 1332495327

Richard H · Post by **Richard H** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 5:01 am

Nothing wrong with those adjustments according to the rules. Where you need to Pay attention is the thumb area, the top under the rear sight and the palm shelf it doesn't look like you've adjusted any of those areas. Sugru is pretty handy for quick adjustments I just wish I hardened a little faster.

The_Mole · Post by **The_Mole** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 5:47 am

Thanks for clearing that up - I'm please the grip is ok as I really feel a lot more solid and stable with the adjustments.

Sugru - you are correct takes a LONG time to go off, but saying that you can push it around for a few hours as it hardens to get the shape just right.

I also use polymorph a hot water activated plastic and it sets in seconds. To re-use just heat it up again. the only problem is it's white and not as grippy on the hand as the sugru.

Now I have the pistol and a grip I like. There are no excuses I just need to learn how to shoot ;-)

GaryN · Post by **GaryN** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 2:35 pm

Looks like you needed a LARGE grip.

seamaster · Post by **seamaster** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 9:06 am

The black Sugru looks kind of misfit.

Why don't you use mostly orange/ add little black to match the wood color, smooth out the edge, use a pencil tip to stipple the grip. You do have 24 hours to set it to hard. Grip it once or twice, then leave it alone for 24 hours. It is very tempting to grip your creation every few minutes. Don't, otherwise you might overgrip and squash the alignment out of angle.

I agree Sugru is the best material I used for my grip.

The_Mole · Post by **The_Mole** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 9:29 am

seamaster wrote:The black Sugru looks kind of misfit.

Why don't you use mostly orange/ add little black to match the wood color, smooth out the edge, use a pencil tip to stipple the grip. You do have 24 hours to set it to hard. Grip it once or twice, then leave it alone for 24 hours. It is very tempting to grip your creation every few minutes. Don't, otherwise you might overgrip and squash the alignment out of angle.

I agree Sugru is the best material I used for my grip.

Seamaster I hear you - the temptation to touch it and over grip it was killing me. I agree the black is a little harsh but was all I had a the time in the quantities to do the job.

I made the grip additions in polymorph first as they were easier to take off and re-work. I found I liked the raised edges and the the chunky feel so it kept it with the final version.

I pushed in a little rough sand paper to give the grip a little texture but I agree a pencil was an obvious choice - ;-) I could have made some nice designs.

I am really happy with the results for how the grip feels and my scores have gone up a tiny bit.

Funny Farmer · Post by **Funny Farmer** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 9:30 am

Hi, I have a few question about SUGRU, looks quite innovative to me but..

* Can it be worked on e.g. with a file?
* Does SUGRU produce more a rubber or plastic consistency?
* On the pictures it looks like a thick blob. Can it be evened out to make a seamless conjunction to the wood?

Robert

Richard H · Post by **Richard H** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 11:15 am

Funny Farmer wrote:Hi, I have a few question about SUGRU, looks quite innovative to me but..

* Can it be worked on e.g. with a file?
* Does SUGRU produce more a rubber or plastic consistency?
* On the pictures it looks like a thick blob. Can it be evened out to make a seamless conjunction to the wood?

Robert

1. Can be trimmed with a sharp knife, but not really filed
2. Its a silicon rubber product so it is a rubbery
3. Yes it can be moulded to any shape and it can easily be feathered out to make smooth transitions.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 7:17 pm

Just another 2 cents' worth... I haven't found stippling Sugru to be very different in grip feel/security than leaving it smooth. What I have found useful in making it grippy is the addition of fairly coarse silicon carbide particles (lapping grit, used in truing grindstones or other grinding operations) to the outer layer of Sugru. I happened to have some 90x grit around and used that on a grip, on the part which beds into the heel of the palm. Works quite well, but if I were shopping for particles I'd probably look for something like 60x instead to get a bit more of an aggressive feel in the hand.

seamaster · Post by **seamaster** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:42 am

Gerard,

adding silicon carbide to Sugru surface, that is an excellent idea.

is this what you are talking about?

http://www.amlap.com type in silicon carbide 60/90 $3.35 for 1 pound

Lapidary, that is the first time I heard that word.

Just browsing through their site. Came across this spectacle loupe 4x 7x

http://www.amlap.com/alw/magnifiers.html

Are those thing legal for shooting? If yes, that would be very interesting

David Levene · Post by **David Levene** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:51 am

seamaster wrote:Just browsing through their site. Came across this spectacle loupe 4x 7x

http://www.amlap.com/alw/magnifiers.html

Are those thing legal for shooting? If yes, that would be very interesting

Legal - Yes
Useful - As useful as an extremely strong lens in your shooting glasses, to put it another way, no.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 1:19 pm

A loupe might be useful if you held the pistol just about touching your eye... and if the whole pistol were about an inch long so that the front sight would be in focus. But then isn't there a rule about compound optics? Or perhaps it's just no optics allowed to be attached to the pistol. As for the grit by the pound; if you were doing lapidary work anyway, sure, buy a pound of grit. But I used about a gram, or about 1/450th of a pound at most. Unless you're planning on using Sugru on a big pile of pistols, try to find a 1oz. jar somewhere. Got mine at Lee Valley Tools.

The_Mole · Post by **The_Mole** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 9:22 am

Thanks for all the input guys.

http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww29 ... 1333014416

I've cleaned my design up and added some more sugru to neaten up the edges and added texture. It still looks like my 11 year old made the mods but I'm really happy with the functionality.
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