Sometimes, the ergonomics on our pistols just suck. They are uncomfortable in hand, look horrible and can even be bad for concealed gun carriers because the manufacturer decided to put an aggressive feeling texture right on your love handles – which was the issue I was having with my own concealed carry handgun.
If you remember correctly, I gave the Springfield XD Mod.2 rave reviews. I loved that sub-compact little carry piece so much that I ended up buying one. But, it was made clear after a few weeks of concealed carry, that the pistol's “grip zone” was going to drive me nutty. After each step I took, my love handles rubbed on the textured grip.
And when I sat down in the car? Forgetaboutit!
So, instead of losing weight to get rid of my love handles, I did what any self-respecting American would do: I searched the World Wide Web for a solution to my issue.
Talon Grips XD Mod.2
I found and contacted Talon Grips, to see if they could help me out. They sent me a few different style grips, for different handguns that I have.
I can honestly say that so far, I've been carrying my Mod.2 with the rubberized grip and I have no complaints. The Talon Grips don't take away from the look or the in-hand feel of the gun, and, in all actuality, I got rid of the tacky “grip zone” that so many Springfield fans were stunned to see printed right into the grip.
Overall, it is a win-win because I got a better looking pistol, that didn't feel dramatically different in my hand and was able to keep the shooting characteristics of it as well.
The grips are cut to fit your specific pistol, and resemble the sticky tape I used to throw on my childhood skateboard for better traction. They retail for $17.99, which isn't bad especially when you consider that I had retired this gun and was about to sell it to the highest bidder right before I thought I'd try one more idea.
One buffoon commented on the Mod.2 gun review I wrote over at guns.com. He said that I spent way too much money on holsters and trying to figure out how to make the grip not irritate my fat-self, and that the best bet would be for me to sand the textured grip down. Well, beside being idiotic (because who in their right mind would destroy a gun so it had no resale value?), it was just plain stupid.
Super up close shot of grip on pistol
But, one of the great things about the Talon Grips, is that I could sand them down to achieve a different texture, without having to deface the gun itself. Furthermore, if I ever do decide to sell this, or any of my other pistols with these sexy grips, I could just peel it off and use some alcohol swabs to get the excess glue off.
Not too shabby.
Talon Grips makes rubberized and sandpaper-like grips for a wide range of guns. They are guaranteed (from their website) to work, and I can attest to the fact that they do not tarnish the gun at all, in any way. After I had one of the grips on one of my other pistols for a bit, I pulled it off just to see what it would do. To my surprise, the grip came right off, and the excess glue disappeared with some alcohol.
I give my stamp of approval for this company and their product. I can honestly say that while I was given this product for review, I would buy these Talon Grips with my own hard earned money, any day of the week.