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View Full Version : Any feedback on Trausch SP101 Grips? SAD UPDATE IN LAST POST...



Straight Shooter
06-20-12, 21:55
Ive been considering these for awhile. My current grips are Hogues, and they are just too damn thin.
And Ive never liked the factory grips.
If anyone has, or has experiance with these, Id love to know the pro's/cons. Thanks.

halo2304
06-21-12, 19:04
I bought a set for a S&W L frame a number of years back. They turned out to be square-butt. A little bit of cutting and they fit my 686 fine. They felt good in the hand but I thought they would be better suited on something with a longer barrel than my snubbie.

Straight Shooter
06-22-12, 11:27
Thanks for the reply halo2304-
Apparently they are not well known here in the states too much.
After reading several reviews, I popped an order yesterday for a set for my SP101 3", I immediately got an email back from J. Trausch himself, which was cool I thought. Should be here in about a week, as they are shipped from Paris France.
I just bought a few boxes of .357 yesterday to do a range report when they come in, Ill report on them good or bad.
Also, I see you had to modify your grips to work, but they do sell the round butt grips too.

halo2304
06-22-12, 20:32
I thought they were round-butt when I bought them. I guess I was just too thrilled to have found some (at a gunshow) that I didn't notice until it was too late. I know I'll look forward to your review.

I922sParkCir
07-12-12, 20:32
I have them and they are great for comfort and recoil management. It turns my 2 1/4" into a much easier shooting gun. As far as comfort, I have never held anything that felt more comfortable. Seriously, it's an odd feeling holding something that just fits so well. I do have moderately large hands, and the stock grip was decent, but not comfortable for me.

The biggest problem is the gun becomes much less concealable.

Pros:

Comfortable (the absolute best for me).
Hot .357 Mag loads are much easier to handle.
Recoil is spread out much more and is much less sharp and painful.
Shooting is less fatiguing after a long session.
Makes a hard to shoot gun, much more shootable. With a reduced .38 load, this becomes a good introductory gun for a new shooter.


Cons:

Pocket carry is a no go.
Concealability goes way down.
The grip bulges under a shirt.
Not as durable as the stock grip.
Ships from Paris, and takes a while.


Lastly, the grip is a semi-squishy rubber, and not the most durable.

I recommend trying them out. Hell, if you don't like them, I'll buy them from you.

Straight Shooter
07-13-12, 06:57
Hi fellas-
Let me update my situation.
In a nutshell....I have never heard one more thing from Trausch after my order, then immediate email confirming my order.
I have NOT been charged for the grips, either. Ive sent a follow up email and have gotten no reply.
If any of you know a stateside dealer ofthese I could order, please let me know. I just flat dont know what happened.
Ive got a few hundred rounds of .357 Gold Dot and some +P .38's just waiting to be shot.
Oh, fwiw...my order was placed back in late June. trausch quoted an 8 day shipping to me in the one and only email I got from him.

UPDATE!
The DAY I placed my order for the black Trausch SP101 grips...Jacques Trausch died unexpectedly at his desk in Paris, France. I recieved an email today, out of the blue, advising me of Mr. Trausch's death, and the understandable turmoil following his sudden demise.
However...my grips ARE on the way to me right now, and it has occured to me, that I MAY WELL have been one of the last orders, and EMAILS, Mr. Trausch ever sent, as he responded to my order with a personal email the day he died. Also..there is some doubt, as of right now, as to the company's future. I MAY WELL have gotten one of the LAST sets of his grips, also!!
Trippy all the way around, this! I WILL do a range report when I get the grips installed, and can make it to the range.

I922sParkCir
07-24-12, 00:11
Wow, how terrible. Thank you for the update.

azeriosu85
01-27-13, 23:57
hate to revive, but any update on these grips? and future of his company?

Straight Shooter
01-30-13, 15:08
I continue loving these grips. Have put many rounds thru my SP101
with them and they are great. Everyone who has shot the gun likes them also.
As to the company's status right now, I really have no idea.

molleur
10-26-15, 19:17
I continue loving these grips. Have put many rounds thru my SP101
with them and they are great. Everyone who has shot the gun likes them also.
As to the company's status right now, I really have no idea.

Very late response, however, Mrs. Trausch closed the business after Jacques passed.

Straight Shooter
10-28-15, 10:09
WOW...am old thread of mine. Oddly, I just this week got rid of the SP101 that I installed these grips on, but KEPT those wonderful grips.
NO WAY I was losing those!! Very hard to find, and in my opinion, the best grips ever made for the SP101.

molleur
10-28-15, 10:25
Another update

I have (after Mr, Trausch passed) attempted to locate a pair for the SP101, contacted every distributor in Europe and the USA. No luck.
A gentleman on the Ruger forum has volunteered to loan a pair for me to reproduce. I'm researching molding and materials today.
I'm going to give it a try. I don't have them in my hands yet, but soon. These are for the later SP's beginning with SN 575.
Mrs. Trausch had closed the business and has no desire to continue. Tooling for them is gone! I tried to purchase the tooling two years ago.

Straight Shooter
10-28-15, 12:07
Another update

I have (after Mr, Trausch passed) attempted to locate a pair for the SP101, contacted every distributor in Europe and the USA. No luck.
A gentleman on the Ruger forum has volunteered to loan a pair for me to reproduce. I'm researching molding and materials today.
I'm going to give it a try. I don't have them in my hands yet, but soon. These are for the later SP's beginning with SN 575.
Mrs. Trausch had closed the business and has no desire to continue. Tooling for them is gone! I tried to purchase the tooling two years ago.

WOW! I wish you the best of luck, sir. I wouldn't sell mine for anything less than something outrageous.

molleur
10-28-15, 12:18
I do have Ruger chasing serial numbers to learn when the frame change was made (Trausch version A or B).
We're not entirely sure which version this gent has. I prefer the later version but perhaps a slight mold change will work.
Waiting to see. Project will take several months, not easy or inexpensive to accomplish.

Straight Shooter
10-28-15, 12:20
Please, keep us informed. May I ask..what has made you decide to pursue this?

molleur
10-28-15, 12:25
Simply because I have wanted them for years, and no one is selling.
I think others are in the same position. I don't intend to mass produce them for sale.
May make a few sets for others though if all goes well.

Straight Shooter
10-28-15, 12:43
Awesome. Again, please keep us informed..and Godspeed!

molleur
10-28-15, 13:26
Thanks, and I will.

ride57
05-28-16, 18:54
Just wondering how your project is coming along.
Doug

molleur
05-28-16, 19:10
Just wondering how your project is coming along.
Doug

Managed to borrow a Trausch grip from a gent in Tennessee. Made a mold with an insert to pick up the inside shape.
Tried a half dozen materials of varying densities. Did around eight proto grips trying to select the best material.
I even used a test lab facilities to get the proper shore hardness measured. The results were a little disappointing.

Found a material that I liked. Made several grips. The grips came out to glossy. More work on the fiberglass mold and a
change of mold release semi-fixed the gloss issue (from high gloss to satin). Because there is no way I can afford to have CNC machining for an aluminum injection mold I have been limited to pourable Urethane Rubber. The quality of the grips require some flash trimming and cutting off the mold sprue.
Cutting the mold sprue resulted in the appearance of tiny, tiny air bubbles in the substrate. A vacuum chamber could eliminate this, however
that becomes more expensive. In the end, I shipped it all to the gentleman that loaned me his Traush grip, as he knows someone that
is interested in doing a CNC milled mold. Hang in there, something will come of this eventually.

ride57
05-29-16, 22:59
wow, that's interesting. Lot's of work. Interesting how the release would change the appearance. Would the mold fit in a gallon jar with a wide mouth? I say because my brake bleeder works on the same principle but the canister is about the size of a beer can. You would have to really pump a brake bleeder vacuum hand pump to evacuate a gallon jar. ...
Well, there I go thinking again :)


I have the Houge rubber grips on my wife's(used to be mine) SP101, with 2in bbl. She likes it because its heavy enough so that .38's don't bother her. She shot 1 357 out of it and said "no". She didn't like the airweight I had (interesting story behind that gun, another thread though) or the 1911, G19, PF9 kel tec. And I finally found a used 3" SP101 for a decent price which is what got me to this thread. I put on the nylon grips, but have not shot it yet. I replaced almost all of the springs (I always do on a used gun as I don't know how many rounds through it) took some 600/800/1000 grit sandpaper on any rough edges then used the dremel with a buffing wheel, really smoothed the trigger out.

Anyway, good luck
Doug

molleur
05-30-16, 08:58
wow, that's interesting. Lot's of work. Interesting how the release would change the appearance. Would the mold fit in a gallon jar with a wide mouth? I say because my brake bleeder works on the same principle but the canister is about the size of a beer can. You would have to really pump a brake bleeder vacuum hand pump to evacuate a gallon jar. ...
Well, there I go thinking again :)


I have the Houge rubber grips on my wife's(used to be mine) SP101, with 2in bbl. She likes it because its heavy enough so that .38's don't bother her. She shot 1 357 out of it and said "no". She didn't like the airweight I had (interesting story behind that gun, another thread though) or the 1911, G19, PF9 kel tec. And I finally found a used 3" SP101 for a decent price which is what got me to this thread. I put on the nylon grips, but have not shot it yet. I replaced almost all of the springs (I always do on a used gun as I don't know how many rounds through it) took some 600/800/1000 grit sandpaper on any rough edges then used the dremel with a buffing wheel, really smoothed the trigger out.

Anyway, good luck
Doug
Hi Doug,
Been looking around for a 3" myself.
Mold is too large to do that. Out of my hands now. Whenever my friend goes forward with the grio, it will be available. The best alternative grip
for the SP is the Pachmyer (IMO). The real issue for making the Trausch clone is the materials. In a conventional fiberglass mold with an insert for the indide grip shape, it must be a pourable material. The best I have found is somewhat glossy. I Scotch-Brited the mold surfaces and changed the mold release agent to get a semi-gloss finish that looks okay. The main problem is the sprue that is left on the heel of the grip after curing. It must be trimmed and leaves a noticeable area about 1/2" in diameter that is really ugly, flatter finish with tine air bubbles. Just not acceptable for
any production grip. The Traush grip is exactly reproduced with the exception of the logo and name. Logo has been removed and the "TRAUSCH"
label changed to "OZO", for the nickname of the guy that loaned me his original grip.

My 2" SP101 has the modifications that I have done:
Dehorned
De Burred and polished internals
Trigger job with shims
Hammer shims
Spring changes
XS Big Dot front sight
Glass bead blasted for a matt finish,
masked the sight channel and went at it again with glass beads
to make it darker.
My repro Trausch grip.
LOVE IT!

My other carry is a 1911A1.