1911 Texturing

[Steve_Morrison]

This is a great topic.

Over the years of building and shooting 1911s, I have found opinions vary widely, this is totally a matter of personal preference

I have one customer who is a high speed SWAT guy, he insists on a totally agressive pistol- sharp 20LPI front and back, and sharp checkered composite grips, and 30lpi checkered bottom of trigger guard. Another customer, who is a climber who consults and trains various high speed groups, prefers a totally smooth gun- smooth front and backstraps, very mildly textured grips. I would have thought he would prefer a lot of traction. Ironically, most of my amphibious customers have specified smooth guns and are happy with them.

My personal preference is this:
I want some traction on my pistol even if it's just worn in skate tape.

20LPI is way too sharp and aggressive for me- it's downright painful and it eats cover garments.

Pointed golfballs I find to be a lot like 20lpi - too agressive for me, though like checkering they can be toned down..

Snakeskin is great, I like the directional nature of it and the level of "bite" can be fine tuned by changing the angle of the scales. It's pretty agressive to clothing, though.

I like the feel of 30lpi front and back.

Scallops and the wide spaced golf ball are my favorites to date- they have the best all around combination of traction "grab/release", resistance to damage and ease of cleaning, without taking a toll on cover garments.

[KevinB]

I like stippling, which is essentially permanent skateboard tape, pounded into the steel.

+1


Failing that I use Skateboard tape

[DocGKR]

At one point or another, I have tried all of the above.

Without doubt, the Chuck Rogers style golf-ball dimples are the best I've used; the Heinie style scallps aren't bad either. They work great with bare hands and gloves, yet don't tear up clothing or flesh and are more durable than checkering.

Old-school plain smooth front straps have a lot of merit, as they can easily have 3M deck tape or Pachmeyer wrap-around (GM-45C) rubber grips added.

Stippling is a good option, although it can wear a bit over time.

Checkering gives a good grip, but is susceptible to damage, as well as being rough on clothing and hands. I'd rather have a smooth front strap than serrations. I have the least experience with snakeskin, but have not liked it as much as golf-balls.

Bottom line:

1. Golf-balls
2. Smooth
3. Stippling

[SIMPLYDYNAMIC]

25LPI front strap and good 'ol skateboard taped grips. hurts at the end of the day but that gun sticks like glue...

[beltfed]

I've developed the taste for 25LPI up front and a 20LPI MS housing in the back.

[PossumKop]

I prefer whatever texturing that Glock puts on at the factory.

[corey d]

my wilson combat cqb has 30 lpi on the front strap which i really like. if i would ever have a full house custom built, i would get that "golf ball" texture (dimples) like you see on some of chuck rogers' builds. if anyone has seen his "gray guns"........man they are incredible. definitely on the top of my wish list.

cd

[Linea_de_Fuego]

This stippling works for me, but checkering gives more grip. Like you said, "depending on the thickness of your wallet" you can have whatever you like.

WOW, sorry for the size of this image.

http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/5539/p14bo5.jpg

OK< I fixed this so it is a link.

[RSF45]

I think the 25lpi is perfect.
30 isn't grippy enough and 20 is just painful IMO.

[nyeti]

Steve Morrison's golf balls are by far my favorite. He did them on my THUG gun, and I prefer them to even Chuck Roger's. For me they offer great purchase without chewing up my hands during long shooting sessions. My second choice would be stippling.