Posted: 10/13/2011 1:42:54 AM EDT
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Quite a while ago, the wonderful people at Grip Force contacted me and told me that they had read my review of the Generation 4 Glock 22 that I had posted on M4c ( http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=51356 ). They asked me if I was interested in reviewing their products. I was actually flattered that they would contact lowly old me to T&E their product so of course I was eager to accept. About two days later, I received a package in the mail containing three Grip Force units. Two of the Generation 1,2,3 adapters and one Generation 4 adapter. They were in their normal packaging that one would get if you ordered from them directly. Enclosed in the packaging are very detailed instructions on how to install the adapter to your weapon. What intrigued me was the information on how to modify the adapter to fit your needs.
http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/af269/CoryCop25/Grip%20Force/P1010166.jpg Lastly, included with the Grip Force Adapter, is not one but several pins to attach the adapter to the pistol. This was interesting and it became apparently clear why during installation of my final modified adapter. The first step in my evaluation of the Grip Force Adapter was to install one as is right out of the package. I installed it on my Generation 3 Glock 22. I did a bunch of dry fire tests and I made some initial observations right off the bat. Some observations were good and some were not so good. First, I quickly noticed that the point of aim changed by adding the adapter. I will talk about this later. I have been carrying some form of Glock pistol for the past 15 years on and off duty. The Glock points fine for me just the way it is but, this was a definite improvement. Next, I noticed that the adapter added a bit more width on the grip. It added about 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch in thickness to the overall grip. I use an extended magazine release on this pistol and by adding the Grip Force Adapter; it made it feel like a stock magazine release. The addition of the longer beaver tail is a great improvement over the standard Glock grip and most likely the reason most people will add this product to their pistols. After my initial observations of the Grip Force Adapter, I spent quite a while trying to figure out how I can take what I believe were the positive aspects of the Grip Force Adapter and modify it to get rid of what I believe were the negative aspects of the adapter. This of course would be different for every user and what some people may think is comfortable for them, may not be comfortable for others. So, for the record, what I did to my samples of the Grip Force Adapter was done to fit me. What we are getting into now will be an example for the reader to follow to make the Grip Force Adapter work for them. What I felt I needed for the Grip Force Adapter to work for me was to maximize the use of the beaver tail, lower the signature of the overall width of the Grip Force Adapter, keep the contact surface of the adapter from slipping out of my hands during shooting and lastly, make sure the adapter stays on the pistol when installed. The first step was to reduce the overall signature of the Grip Force Adapter. I pulled out the trusty Dremel and went to work with the sanding wheel. I sanded off all of the vertical ridges and reduced the “bump” around the pin holes. The pin holes were the crucial area where the Grip Force Adapter added more width to the pistol. I took off very little plastic at a time so I would not destroy the adapter. I will say that the adapter itself was made of some pretty strong material (very technical there…). I took a bit of time making sure that after I sanded the adapter down to where I wanted it, I made it look even. I went a bit lower on the adapter and squared it off toward the bottom. Next, I attempted to install the Grip Force Adapter onto my pistol. I lined up the holes and began to install the pin. The pin went through the hole in the one side of the adapter and through the pistol and when I lined up the hole for the pin to go through the other side of the adapter; the pin split the hole in the adapter rendering it useless. http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/af269/CoryCop25/Grip%20Force/P1010169.jpg Lucky for me, I had an extra! I began the same routine on the second adapter and what I did was instead of grinding the holes down flush, I only ground the rear half of the holes leaving more material for the pins to sit on when installed on the pistol. The next dilemma was to get the pins the right length. Obviously by making the adapter slimmer, the pins protruded from both sides of the pistol. Because I only had one Grip Force Adapter to work with, I had to really think this out and make this work the first time. I decided to use the Dremel and grind the pins down at an angle so that they fit flush at the front and the rear of the adapter. The only issue with this was that if you removed the pins for maintenance, you would have a tough time reinstalling the pins so that they would work or, use a new pin. http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/af269/CoryCop25/Grip%20Force/P1010133.jpg Well thanks to Grip Force thinking ahead on this issue, there are several pins that come with the adapters! Don’t ever loose them! I did a little tweaking to the underside of the Grip Force Adapter to make the edges sit on the pistol frame a little better. This consisted of running the Dremel over the inside edges of the adapter to change the angle a little bit. I also thought that if I decided to add some silicon for a more permanent attachment, I could have a better sticking surface. Being that this is my issued duty gun and I do not own it, I did not add any adhesive to it and at this point, I don’t believe that it is necessary. Next I tried to get a feel of the semi finished product while it was attached to the pistol. I had succeeded in making the Grip Force Adapter thinner and did not loose any of the structural integrity of it, or so I thought. http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/af269/CoryCop25/Grip%20Force/P1010131.jpg With the adapter “customized” the way it felt best in my hands, I decided to get the wood burning iron out and do what I do best, stipple the crap out of it! http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/af269/CoryCop25/Grip%20Force/P1010172.jpg While stippling, I realized something very valuable. An added attribute to the Grip Force Adapter. I realized that I would never be allowed to stipple my department issued duty weapon and by adding the Grip Force Adapter, I could at least stipple my pistol in the most important area. When the stippling was complete, I checked out and admired my finished product. I did a few draws and reload drills and found that I was very impressed with the Grip Force Adapter. What I did notice was that during my modification, I made the beaver tail a bit flimsy. By grinding off the vertical ridges, I weakened the plastic a bit and I could put my thumb on the beaver tail and pull it down from the top of the frame. This is not a big deal, I just won’t pull down on it. There is no reason to. I then decided to do the same modification process to the last Grip Force Adapter that I had. This one is for the Generation 4 Glocks. I followed the same routine as I did with the last one except for one minor difference. I did not grind the vertical ridges down flush. I left just a little bit sticking up to keep the structural integrity of the adapter. This made a huge difference in the strength in the beaver tail and because of the stippling; you could not tell the difference. I believe the third time was the charm! After destroying the first Grip Force Adapter and kind of getting a pattern of how to make my modification, it took about an hour from start to finish modifying the adapter to my liking. http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/af269/CoryCop25/Grip%20Force/P1010167.jpg OK, so now you are thinking, anyone can play with a Dremel and grind plastic and stipple it to their liking… But how does it work? I will say that by adding the Grip Force Adapter, it made the pistol much more comfortable and much quicker acquisition of the front sight. Using a shot timer, a Peters Custom Spada holster at 7yards with a 6 inch circle. http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/af269/CoryCop25/Grip%20Force/P1010168.jpg My shot time went from 1.7-1.3 seconds without the Grip Force Adapter to 1.3-1.0 seconds with the Grip Force Adapter. I will admit that I tried as hard as I could to break the one second mark but I just could not do it! The 1.0 second time was the last attempt and at that point I was out of ammo for the day. I guess you can say that I ended that range day on a positive note. To sum it up, the Grip Force Adapter was a product that until I had it in hand, I had no interest in whatsoever. After modifying it to my liking and putting it to use, the Grip Force Adapter will ride along side of me on my duty gun, my Gen4 22 and when I get another adapter, my Gen4 26. The concept of this little piece of plastic, and its designers, is absolutely brilliant! If you like what you have read about Grip Force check out their web site at www.gripforceproducts.com and check them out. There is a lot of information there to answer all of your questions. |
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While I like the idea of the beaver tail, adding extra width to the grip is what Glock tried to do away with and what most complain about.
Too bad hey couldn't come up with a thinner, stronger design, retaining the beaver tail. I'm curious about the stippling. I stippled my first attempt up into the web of my hand like you did and shooting it was like 80 grit sand paper against my hand. I ended up sanding it back down. Dave N |
| I like the stippling very much. It stops me completely from readjusting my grip during shooting. Once I get a proper grip from out of the holster, the stippling keeps my hand solid, right where it is. Like I explained in the OP, this was an example of what I did to make it work for me. The width is right back where it originally was with the standard Glock grip after I was finished. I did read that Glock is actually extending the beaver tail in their new designs which unfortunately will make the GFA obsolete in the future. I am sure the GFA was the catalyst of the design change. |
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Quoted:
I like the stippling very much. It stops me completely from readjusting my grip during shooting. Once I get a proper grip from out of the holster, the stippling keeps my hand solid, right where it is. Like I explained in the OP, this was an example of what I did to make it work for me. The width is right back where it originally was with the standard Glock grip after I was finished. I did read that Glock is actually extending the beaver tail in their new designs which unfortunately will make the GFA obsolete in the future. I am sure the GFA was the catalyst of the design change. I am going to retract my last post here as I was not thinking of the other benefits of the Grip Force Adapter..... This was given to me by some people that know how to enunciate better... 
The Glock factory panel still maintains the Glock European grip angle whereas Gripforce intentionally changes the grip angle of the pistol which we have found improves the shooting characteristics for the end user. The Glock panel will not do that, therefore we feel it will not render the GEN 4 Adapter obsolete. In fact, with the millions of GEN 1, 2, and 3 pistols already on the market, our GEN 123 Adapter will still have a very deep market to cater to. The new Glock factory panel will only work on the GEN 4 pistols, of which there are very few on the market compared to the GEN 1 - 3. |