TargetTalk

FWB 65 had front grip that is straight.

Pictures of those recent FWB 102 and K58, on for sell section, have a curve front.

FWB 103 has a top finger groove, below that is straight. (hybrid)

Morini grips have three finger grooves for past twenty years.

Who knows how many times I have filed my three grooves over the years. Every time, a little bit makes a difference. I just leave it where it is now. Just live with it.

But wondering if no groove should have been the route I could have taken fifteen years ago?

Or is that straight front good for mass production, but not good for individual refinement? Do you really get refinement from those grooves?

Since no one seems to want to help you out, here's my take on finger grooves: My hands change size due to temperature, my degree of hydration, and for no apparent reason. When that happens, the finger grooves don't seem to fit properly. I have been much more comfortable with a somewhat straight or curved front of the grip so my fingers can move. This does NOT mean that I don't alter my grips to fit my hand.

The grooves should only serve as "index" features, in that they guide your hand to get a consistent grip. Every time you pick up the pistol, you want your grip to be absolutely identical. The grooves shouldn't be providing any support, especially pressing on your fingers off the axis of the barrel. As such, they can be pretty minimal (or absent). If they aren't comfortable, then they definitely need adjusting.

As Rover said, your hand is not a fixed size. You may find that the grooves feel fine most of the time, but on some days they feel off. Removing the offending bits (a tiny amount is usually plenty) will fairly quickly provide a loose enough fit to accommodate all but extreme changes.

My hand is a pretty average size, and I've never had to adjust the grooves on my pistols more than a tiny bit of sanding when I first got them. Some of them are 20 years old now.

Free pistol grips are a different animal, not so much for the finger grooves, but the part that goes over the back of the hand. I would avoid a fixed full wrap-around grip. An adjustable palm shelf is essential if you want a good fit over the course of a season, and from year to year. I have an old PGP-75 with a fixed grip that I haven't shot in about 20 years. I can't come close to getting my hand into it anymore.

FWIW, I think a vertical ridge providing positive placement for the groove at the base of the fingers is more important than the horizontal finger grooves. You won't need to adapt to it as your hands change due to temperature, etc. Your fingers may get thinner / thicker, but their length remains constant.

The problem with the vertical ridges is that they are off-axis. Even if they fit your hand perfectly, if your grip pressure varies in the least, it will tend to twist the pistol to one side or the other. If your grip is 100% ABSOLUTELY consistent, you can ignore this...