Polymer Grip Texturing

As a competitive shooter I have always sought a better gripping surface for my firearms. I am not a fan of wearing gloves in most situations and the problem of sweaty or wet hands due to weather conditions has always plagued me. The last thing I need is something else influencing my shot process or plan of action. After three months during which I made a complete transition to the SIG SAUER P320 for the majority of my shooting, I started experimenting with improved the gripping surfaces.

I have done some stippling in the past and while that generally works and looks fine, I found that on the P320 and other polymer-framed pistols stippling did not offer a drastic enough improvement for my needs. From the factory the SIG P320 has a decent texture that is excellent for carry and most general purpose shooting. But for competition in both Bullseye (NRA Precision Pistol) and USPSA matches, I wanted some heavy duty traction.

I needed something that would allow for a solid, no-movement grip under even the most extreme conditions. I have tried grip tape from various manufactures with various textures but none of them seemed to offer the permanent solution I was looking for. Researching different gripping surfaces online I developed a plan and put it into action. I started with some various epoxies from the hardware store. Most were two-part epoxies that were easy to mix with a craft stick and then apply.

After experimenting on several surfaces I settled on J-B Weld Original Cold Weld Epoxy. In It looks fine and enhances purchase but wasn’t enough for me. 2,000 rounds and hundreds of presentations present almost no wear. addition, I went to Harbor Freight and picked up a box of aluminum oxide. This material would make up the actual gripping surface that would be similar to a fine grade sand paper.

My initial attempt with the aluminum oxide turned out a little rough around the edges but was the perfect surface texture that I was looking for and it was permanent. Taping off the edges and following a clean edge line proved a little more difficult than expected. But all and all, I wasn’t as concerned about "looks" as much as I was function.

This first attempt with aluminum oxide now has had about 2,000 rounds through it and has been riding in a Safariland GLS holster with several hundred presentations and shows minimal wear. The gripping surface has smoothed out a little but still is excellent with sweaty or wet hands. I have not seen any breakdown of the material, not even around the edges. Oil and cleaning residue has not affected it yet, but only time will tell.

I decided to really take some time and do a couple more to see just how good a job I could do. The best thing about the SIG P320 frames is, if you screw it up, you are only out $35-$40 bucks so my thought was, "No big deal, let’s do it!"

Best to remove the tape after letting the epoxy set for only one hour. Far The black frame for my SIG P320 .45 ACP was up. The residue around the edge is from masking tape that had been left on during the complete curing. While J-B cures in 48 hours, I let this set five days just to be sure. All done, it turned out very well.

One thing I discovered later is that removing the edge tape after approximately letting the epoxy set just one hour—instead of waiting the full curing time—makes it easier to remove all the tape with no left over residue while allowing for a sharper edge. Dress up work can readily be done while the epoxy is still a little tacky. Wanting to do an even nicer job, I moved on to another frame and it went even better. Removing the tape after one hour or so clearly made a difference because the epoxy is still pliable.

Carefully pressing the edges down and then reapplying aluminum oxide to the grip frame works very well. Process Guide To help you do this while avoiding my trial-and-error mistakes, I have prepared a step-by-step process here to guide you through. For tools and equipment, you’ll need a good two-part epoxy (I recommend and use J-B Weld), aluminum oxide or silicone carbide, a hobbyist sculpting/paint kit, 3/4-1" masking tape, 2.5-3" foam roller, and a container for bedding the frame.

Start by taping off the areas on the frame that you do not want epoxy to go. Taping around edges of grip and around the magazine release proved pretty simple. Trim these areas with an X-Acto knife or fine razor blade. Concerning masking tape, I initially tried using blue tape used for painting because I thought it would make it easier to remove but this was not the case at all! The blue tape does not stick well enough for our purposes and when epoxy is applied over it, the tape wanted to start peel-

ing up. Use standard masking tape such as from 3M. Once everything is taped off, start by applying a thin layer of epoxy to the areas where the aluminum oxide will be applied. I find that using Below left and center: Start with a thin layer of epoxy. Plastic sculpting tools leave a nice, smooth edge. Don’t use too much or you’ll thin the epoxy too much. plastic sculpting tools leaves a softer edge to be smoothed out later. There may be better tools for this but these have worked well for me so far.

When smoothing the epoxy surface, I find that leaving vertical lines from the Next, use a small cup to pour the aluminum oxide over the surface to coat it. Be careful not to pour too much at one time or too fast or it will disturb or "thin out" the surface where it hits the grip. Once there is an even coat of aluminum oxide covering all desired surfaces of the grip, use the foam roller on the surface to smooth out the vertical lines in the epoxy on the grip that were left when it was applied.

Don’t press too hard on the surface as this Far Painter’s tape doesn’t adhere to polymer well and curls up when epoxy is applied. slide release area to the magazine well work best to even out the surface and epoxy, resulting in a more even coat on the entire gripping surface.

Above center: After an hour’s wait, remove the masking tape, clean up the edges, and re-apply of bit of aluminum oxide. I prefer to wait five days. would disturb the uniformity of the epoxy coverage. Prepare a small bucket or dish with a bedding of aluminum oxide. Carefully place the frame onto the bed and gently pour more aluminum carbide over the grip until it is completely covered in the material.

Be very careful and do not pour the aluminum carbide too quickly or to apply pressure to the grip frame when placing it into the bedding. Any type of excess pressure will disturb the epoxy surface that you just smoothed out. Wait about an hour. I highly suggest waiting no more than this or it will become difficult to remove the masking tape and clean up the edges.

Waiting too long will have the epoxy Thousands of rounds later, the grip surface is holding up well. and aluminum oxide coming off in small chunks and ruin your nice edges. When ready, carefully remove the grip frame from the bedding dish and remove the edge tape carefully and slowly. Use your finger to lightly press on the edges to sharpen them up. Pour additional aluminum oxide over the edges to coat any exposed epoxy and place the frame gently into the bedding dish.

Re-cover the frame in aluminum carbide as before. Now the hard part is finished and all that’s left is to wait. I prefer to let the frame sit overnight in aluminum oxide and remove in the morning. Hang the grip to let the epoxy completely cure. I prefer to give it five days, although that is probably overkill. After curing check out your work. My observation has been that aluminum oxide will shed a bit during the first week with normal handling and then be "stable" after that.

The frames pictured here have now been used for thousands of rounds and I have seen no real discernible wear. I have been very happy with this process. To date, I have done approximately 20 frames for friends and fellow shooters and they have been as happy with the results as I have. I hope you find this procedure helpful. It can be useful for any polymer-framed handgun. AG