Build a Grip with AlumaGrips

By Dan Thurs

If you’re looking for a set of grips for your 1911, finding places isn’t all that hard. It seems they’re nearly as popular as Kydex holster sites. The problem is finding the right sites.

Sure, you can go pick your grips from a list of grips all those sites offer, but isn’t that like picking your tattoo from the pictures on the wall? What if you want something, well, different, or unique? Yes, I have lots of grips sitting on my shelves. Some are amazing. Others, mehh. Still others I’m like, “I spent money on these?”

A New Option

A while back I got in contact with AlumaGrips, and we started talking. I quickly learned that they have a neat feature on their site called “Build a Grip.”

I was hooked right off the bat. There are so many options to pick from, that the options are nearly endless for the aluminum grips you want for your pistol. Color, pattern, checkering depth; everything is there. Be sure to spend a little time looking at the options. When you see little orange icons, you can click on them to see additional options.

You just need to work through each section, pick what you want and move on to the next option. I was even able to have my company’s logo laser etched on to the grips. Cool.

Hands-On

How about we talk about quality and feel? I had ordered two sets — one in clear aluminum and the other in black. They arrived in some good rigid formed plastic packaging, and I gave them a good look over and found nothing out of place.

All the checkering was even. The laser etching was sharp and crisp. The clear aluminum grips were a little harder to read as there’s just not a lot of contrast. The black was very clear and easy to read. I would imagine the olive-gray option would have good contrast as well.

At the range, I was able to maintain a good firm hold of the handgun — even when my hands started to get sweaty. My only issue with these grips is I should have gone with more aggressive checkering, but I can’t fault AlumaGrips for that.

Conclusion

The Build a Grip feature on the AlumaGrip site sets them apart from all the other 1911 grips on the market in my opinion. During the build process, I found my interaction with this company to be very pleasant. It didn’t take long for my order to be filled, which surprised me a little bit during this pandemic where everything seems to be taking longer. Side note, take a look at the TRP Operator review that Yamil Sued wrote. I think you will appreciate a second view on this amazing pistol.

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot to mention. AlumaGrips offers more than just 1911 grips. But to find out what, you’re just going to have to go look yourself. I can’t tell you everything — it would ruin the surprise.

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1911 TRP™ Operator® Longslide