Are all pistol grips equal?

[bigred]

This is quite difficult to explain, so here goes.
Most of the major AP manufacturers seem to use Morini grips - Steyr, FWB, Walther etc. My question is this - are these grips all the same shape and style on each pistol (obviously except for the mounting slot, sight cutaway etc.). I'm looking to upgrade from my IZH-46 but dont have much access to pistols to try (live in Ireland). I know there's little difference between the technical abilities of the top level pistols, so the deciding factor is often the 'feel factor'.
I've tried an FWB P44 and found the grip an amazing fit. If for example, I was to try an LP10 would the grip feel the same??
There's been many threads about what's the best pistol, maybe you can tell me what comes with the best grip (or is it all down to 'feel')?
Thanks
James

[PaulB]

I believe that you will find that most top shooters either use custom made grips or modify factory grips to give them best grip for them. I personally find a dremel tool and epoxy putty to be two items that every pistol shooter needs.

[Richard H]

This is quite difficult to explain, so here goes.
Most of the major AP manufacturers seem to use Morini grips - Steyr, FWB, Walther etc. My question is this - are these grips all the same shape and style on each pistol (obviously except for the mounting slot, sight cutaway etc.). I'm looking to upgrade from my IZH-46 but dont have much access to pistols to try (live in Ireland). I know there's little difference between the technical abilities of the top level pistols, so the deciding factor is often the 'feel factor'.
I've tried an FWB P44 and found the grip an amazing fit. If for example, I was to try an LP10 would the grip feel the same??
There's been many threads about what's the best pistol, maybe you can tell me what comes with the best grip (or is it all down to 'feel')?
Thanks
James

Short anwer is no, the grip may be made by Morini but they are made for the particular MFg. so there are differences. You may find differences in grips on the same type of pistol too.

[jipe]

All the grips of top pistols like Steyr LP10, Anschutz LP@, Morini CM162, Walther LP300XT, FWBP44, Tesro PA10 are very good. But even if several of them are Morini branded, they are not the same (even the grips of the LP10 and LP@ that now belong to the same company are not the same) and you should try what is the best for you.

Also, even if all those pistol can make top scores, they do not provide the same feeling when shooting, here also you must try and find out which ones fits the best for you.

There are finally some other differences you may consider like the way they resist to time/wear, their value if you want to sell it back used:
- here the absolute top performer is the LP10: it is very resistant to wear, no traces of usage even after 10 thousands of shots and it has the higest value if you sell it back because it is the most demanded pistol.
- the LP@ resists as well to usage but the demand is much lower, so the price you can sell it back will be much lower.
- CM162 is sensitive to corrosion, you should take care during storage, but it is also highly appreciated and sell for a good price.
- Walther is also well made and resist quite well (at least the LP300, the LP300XT is pretty new) but the problem with Walther is that the models change often and your pistol is quickly obsolete what has a negative impact on the used price
- FWB has also often changed the models and the previous models are very prone to scratches/wear (FWB red and blue cylinders for instance are painted instead of anodised like on the Steyr and Anschutz, painting is much less resistant than anodisation), the P44 is new but the manufacturing is similar and I have seen already one that had wear on the frame near the cocking lever (something that doesn't happen for instance with an LP10 even after years of use).

[James]

I find that the Morini grips on the LP2 are pretty poor compared to some other pistol grips.

[Richard H]

I find that the Morini grips on the LP2 are pretty poor compared to some other pistol grips.

How so, fit for you or actual quality?

[bigred]

There are finally some other differences you may consider like the way they resist to time/wear, their value if you want to sell it back used:
- here the absolute top performer is the LP10: it is very resistant to wear, no traces of usage even after 10 thousands of shots and it has the higest value if you sell it back because it is the most demanded pistol.
- the LP@ resists as well to usage but the demand is much lower, so the price you can sell it back will be much lower.
- CM162 is sensitive to corrosion, you should take care during storage, but it is also highly appreciated and sell for a good price.
- Walther is also well made and resist quite well (at least the LP300, the LP300XT is pretty new) but the problem with Walther is that the models change often and your pistol is quickly obsolete what has a negative impact on the used price
- FWB has also often changed the models and the previous models are very prone to scratches/wear (FWB red and blue cylinders for instance are painted instead of anodised like on the Steyr and Anschutz, painting is much less resistant than anodisation), the P44 is new but the manufacturing is similar and I have seen already one that had wear on the frame near the cocking lever (something that doesn't happen for instance with an LP10 even after years of use).

Thanks for this. The info above is invaluable along with the interesting points on grips. I'm in a bit of a bad position as there are not many pistols in Ireland and hence very few to try out. I'll have to wait till I go to the UK in Feb to hold a few others. My preference had been leaning towards an LP10, but obviously I'd rather have some time with one to get a feel for it.

[James]

It seemed slightly less than fully anatomical.

The grip was a little narrower than my nill grip, and the palm swell less pronounced, along with most of the contours. The shaping was more neutral and conservative. Also there were no finger grooves. It does seem like it would fit a larger variety of hands though. Overall finish is not as good, the stippling is smooth and sloppy looking, and the walnut is very light in color. But that's not really a big issue as most of us carve our grips anyways.

Maybe "poor" is too harsh. It didn't feel bad, but It dosn't fit like a glove.

Actually now that I think of it. Every morini grip i've used felt like that. So to answer your question, they don't fit me as well.



Compared to my benelli's very agressivly shaped nill grips.

[jipe]

There are finally some other differences you may consider like the way they resist to time/wear, their value if you want to sell it back used:
- here the absolute top performer is the LP10: it is very resistant to wear, no traces of usage even after 10 thousands of shots and it has the higest value if you sell it back because it is the most demanded pistol.
- the LP@ resists as well to usage but the demand is much lower, so the price you can sell it back will be much lower.
- CM162 is sensitive to corrosion, you should take care during storage, but it is also highly appreciated and sell for a good price.
- Walther is also well made and resist quite well (at least the LP300, the LP300XT is pretty new) but the problem with Walther is that the models change often and your pistol is quickly obsolete what has a negative impact on the used price
- FWB has also often changed the models and the previous models are very prone to scratches/wear (FWB red and blue cylinders for instance are painted instead of anodised like on the Steyr and Anschutz, painting is much less resistant than anodisation), the P44 is new but the manufacturing is similar and I have seen already one that had wear on the frame near the cocking lever (something that doesn't happen for instance with an LP10 even after years of use).

Thanks for this. The info above is invaluable along with the interesting points on grips. I'm in a bit of a bad position as there are not many pistols in Ireland and hence very few to try out. I'll have to wait till I go to the UK in Feb to hold a few others. My preference had been leaning towards an LP10, but obviously I'd rather have some time with one to get a feel for it.

What you could also do is to try a Rink or Nill grip that are available for almost all air pistol.

I didn't notice you where in Ireland and not in the US. So I would strongly advise you to buy from a German shop: their prices for LP10 and most German pistols (or associated like FWB, actually from Switzerland) are much lower than in any other country. You can easily find an LP10 in German online shops for about 1100Euros and sometimes for 1050Euros. I think it is much more expensive in UK.

[tenex]

The problem with most target grips is they are too pretty and too expensive. No one wants to hack up an expensive piece of furniture. I have a few Nill grips on various guns, and one grip fits like a glove, but another needed significant rework. Unfortunately, that was the one with the nicest finish. It took me a while before I carved it up, but It was not very useful as it was.

I'd get the LP10 and resign myself to either carving up the grip if necessary, or getting a Rink, or a Nill grip. You can always make the grip fit with enough filing (and Bondo). It may not be pretty, but it will scare the competitors you shoot against.

Steve.

[Richard H]

It seemed slightly less than fully anatomical.

The grip was a little narrower than my nill grip, and the palm swell less pronounced, along with most of the contours. The shaping was more neutral and conservative. Also there were no finger grooves. It does seem like it would fit a larger variety of hands though. Overall finish is not as good, the stippling is smooth and sloppy looking, and the walnut is very light in color. But that's not really a big issue as most of us carve our grips anyways.

Maybe "poor" is too harsh. It didn't feel bad, but It dosn't fit like a glove.

Actually now that I think of it. Every morini grip i've used felt like that. So to answer your question, they don't fit me as well.



Compared to my benelli's very agressivly shaped nill grips.

I too have Nills for all my pistols (2 GSP's and LP10 and 5) and I like them much better too. I've also tried the rinks on my GSP's but found the Nills fit me better. I wish I could get a Nill for my Walther Free Pistol.

[JoeG]

I have factory supplied Morini grips on my Steyr LP-1, SAM K-11 and Morini 162e. Of these I find the ones on the K-11 to feel the best. There is a difference in the area cut out for the palm that works well for me. My buddy with a Steyr LP-10 liked the grips on my LP-1 better so he bought a set from our host Scott. He had done some carving a and filling on his LP-10 grips which he then handed off to me. I have done some additional fitting and shaping and now have them working quite well for me. As a collector as well as a shooter I tend not to alter the grips on my match pistols. This gift grip has saved me the hard decision of mucking around with the original grips. As the LP-1 is my main shooter it has been a blessing.

[JoeG]

I also find the Nils grips on my Benelli kite to be the best fitting original equipment grips of any of my match pistols. Joe G.

[edster99]

You'll find that the grips on an 'adult' LP2 have more pronounced finger grips than the junior model you show there. Take a look on the hosts site for some pics...

[jipe]

Don not rely too much on the pictures seen on web sites: the grip of the Steyr AP have changed several time. You never know how old the pictures on the web sites are. For instance the pictures of the LP10 on the pilkguns website must be quite old because they have still the old trigger blade that was replaced by a new models several years ago.

For the LP2, the current model is silver:

[James]

The LP2 I looked at was full sized had a large grip. I didn't use the online pictures for my own reference.

The new Lp2's silver finish looks nice!

[Trev2205]

Having owned both a P44 and an LP10 I would say that they're not at all the same, partially because the design and balance of the pistol itself can affect how comfortable or "positive" the hold is. The grip on the P44 felt significantly different to the LP10 despite being the same size.
I exchanged the Morini grip for a Rink on the P44 and am about to do the same on the LP10. I would also note that the sizes of the Rink grips haven't (for me) matched the sizes of the Morini grips, I have found the Rink grips smaller than the same sized Morini.

It is (as are many issues here) a very personal thing, I just prefer Rink.

[dlb]

I have found the Rink grips smaller than the same sized Morini.

That's been my experience as well.

Bigred I tend to buy used pistols and often switch the grips. The cost savings is usually more than enough to pay for the grips I prefer.

[munoz]

It seemed slightly less than fully anatomical.

The grip was a little narrower than my nill grip, and the palm swell less pronounced, along with most of the contours. The shaping was more neutral and conservative. Also there were no finger grooves. It does seem like it would fit a larger variety of hands though. Overall finish is not as good, the stippling is smooth and sloppy looking, and the walnut is very light in color. But that's not really a big issue as most of us carve our grips anyways.

Maybe "poor" is too harsh. It didn't feel bad, but It dosn't fit like a glove.

Actually now that I think of it. Every morini grip i've used felt like that. So to answer your question, they don't fit me as well.



Compared to my benelli's very agressivly shaped nill grips.

I need it for my pistol, where can i get it?

____________________
A man with a briefcase can steal millions more than any man with a stun gun.

[RandomShotz]

Newbie question here:

If the usual practice is to hack and fill the grips to get optimal fit, why spend the bucks (euros, pounds) to get a "stock custom" grip? I bought a TOZ 35M that was used but had unmodified grips which presented a generous quantity of lumber. I worked on it for hours to get it to fit nicely. I had no compunction about hacking the Soviet era woodwork to make the grip angle more aggressive and will probably continue to modify it as my sense of how it should fit changes. Would I be better off starting with one of the high-end offerings?

Roger