TargetTalk

There have been some posts on Izzy grips lately.

I bought my IZH46M last november. Loved it but hoped to be able to shoot better and reduce elbow pain via anatomical grip.

I used my Benelli .22 Rink grip as a pattern and pressed the pattern tool in to it (looks like harmonica with wires out the sides). Then, I started grinding the izzy grip with a dremel sanding cylinder. I couldn't make the grips identical as I would have cut in to cavities, but they are close.

I'd grip, assess, grind as necessary, trying to get ridges and cavities to match my hands. I sanded, then stipled with the pointy end of my welding slag hammer. It was heavy enough that light and rapid tapping produced nice stipling. I got one coat of oil on and then tried it at a match the next day. It really felt good, my scores jumped, and the elbow felt less painful than normal post match.

I don't know if I created a legal grip. But reknowned champion and grip maker, Arnie Vitarbo (who shoots with us) held it and said "that fits my hand perfectly".

I've been training daily now with an LP5 so don't shoot the Izzy much. I still like it's trigger better than the LP5. I'll shoot it once a week for variety. It fits my large hand comfortably. The reach for the trigger is long. I'm sure it would fit an Xlarge hand.

Nice work. Very impressive.

I've had some nice emails about the grips.

Someone asked for a procedure on doing the grips. After reading some of the posts on this site, I realize that I tread where eagles dare. There are issues related to making a match-legal grip. And I'm fairly new at shooting so there is so much I don't know.

But, that still doesn't stop me from diving in. I wanted a cabin so I bought a dumptruck and backhoe, surveyed, dug, poured, stacked logs. Sure, I made mistakes.

Fortunately, I've come across great ISSF and bullseye pistol sites which capture wisdom from our antecedents. We don't have to reinvent everything. One find was Nygord's Notes. http://www.nygordprecision.com/notes.htm

There are two articles by Nygord on modifying the grip. I like the quote from the first. "The major mistake most novice grip changers make is to ADD too much "stuff". Very seldom does material need to be added to a modern generation target pistol grip! Quite to the contrary, most are too big in one or more places for the average hand."

The izzy grip is one of those which typically would need material removed. I'm comfortable with a dremel so I dove in. Following a Rink grip I couldn't go too wrong insomuch as I was able to carve and not go "whoops".

When I get more expertise, I may make a different grip. I'm not that expert yet. Just know it needs to be comfortable. Then comes stuff such as reducing palm swell to reduce length of pull (a pistol term?), dishing under the knuckles to pull aim point right, or filling under the knuckles to push aim point left.

For now, my grip is comfortable. I'm able to focus on watching the front sight and learning to squeeze the trigger correctly as that is where the bulk of the points are. My shooting partner could still be state champ with a 1911 grip on his AP.

Spacestout,

I'm sure you'll get great advice from Arnie.

Please tell him Roger ("The Guinea") said,
"Mangi, mangi, il mio amico!"

OK. But I'll make sure he's not holding a pistol at the time in case you're setting me up with an insult:)

I do hear him speaking a foreign language now and then. When his wife replies, it sounds Japanese.