Rich Lucibella
Staff
Grip panels are not items that particularly excite me. When it comes to the 1911, I'm pretty Plain Jane. I prefer smooth panels and detest finger grooves and squishy, stick to clothing rubber. My normal carry 1911's sport standard wood grips with the Gunsite logo...mainly because that's what came with them. The one exception is my full size 1911: At Christmas TFL Staff presented me with an outstanding set of blond, bone (horn?) panels, etched by Scott Evans with the TFL logo and name. These are a most functional, but given the actual and keepsake value, will never see hard service.
Back to the review:
Last week I received a package from MD Labs in Prescott Valley, AZ. Enclosed was our own Mad Dog's latest offering: Black composite Mad Dog Grip Panels for a full size or Commander 1911 . When it comes to panels, one can hardly use superlatives like "blown away" or "light years ahead". However, these are a real advance over most wood and composite panels and deserve serious consideration.
Unhappy with other offerings on the market, Mad Dog set out to provide a set of panels that are handsome, functional and nearly indestructible....I think he's succeeded. The panels are made of the same tough composite used for the handles of Mad Dog's famous fixed blade knives. This proprietary material can be dinged and scratched...but one really needs to be intent on doing so to accomplish the task! The fit is, as expected, perfect; the look is all business; the function flawless.
These panels are bead blasted to provide a non-slip surface, yet remain as comfortable in my hand as the smooth grips I've always preferred. The area aft of the mag release is relieved to aid in reloading without changing the firing grip. The holes for the panel screws are reinforced with steel liners which render them all but bomb proof.....Mad Dog recommends that the screws be tightened to limits that might destroy lesser panels due to the fact that the grip material simply does not compress like wood or other materials. I installed these with stainless allen head screw, available from Brownell's for no more than three times the price of your local hardware store. Again, the fit is perfect, the look attractive and the practicality obvious.
At the range, they performed as any well made panels might...so I decided to take the test ride up a notch. A thin coating of Militech oil was applied to both panels (real blood is so hard to find when you need it....and so dangerous to use when you do; real sweat is for people that work for a living
). With the Militech oil on the panels, there was no slipping either in the presentation or the recoil phase....most impressive.
Currently, these are available only for full size 1911 frames but I'm told they'll soon be available for Officer models. At $80, they ain't cheap, but, then, I've seldom found first class gear that is. Images of the new grip panels can be viewed at Mad Dog's discussion site: http://64.177.53.248/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000052.html
Get some!
Rich
Back to the review:
Last week I received a package from MD Labs in Prescott Valley, AZ. Enclosed was our own Mad Dog's latest offering: Black composite Mad Dog Grip Panels for a full size or Commander 1911 . When it comes to panels, one can hardly use superlatives like "blown away" or "light years ahead". However, these are a real advance over most wood and composite panels and deserve serious consideration.
Unhappy with other offerings on the market, Mad Dog set out to provide a set of panels that are handsome, functional and nearly indestructible....I think he's succeeded. The panels are made of the same tough composite used for the handles of Mad Dog's famous fixed blade knives. This proprietary material can be dinged and scratched...but one really needs to be intent on doing so to accomplish the task! The fit is, as expected, perfect; the look is all business; the function flawless.
These panels are bead blasted to provide a non-slip surface, yet remain as comfortable in my hand as the smooth grips I've always preferred. The area aft of the mag release is relieved to aid in reloading without changing the firing grip. The holes for the panel screws are reinforced with steel liners which render them all but bomb proof.....Mad Dog recommends that the screws be tightened to limits that might destroy lesser panels due to the fact that the grip material simply does not compress like wood or other materials. I installed these with stainless allen head screw, available from Brownell's for no more than three times the price of your local hardware store. Again, the fit is perfect, the look attractive and the practicality obvious.
At the range, they performed as any well made panels might...so I decided to take the test ride up a notch. A thin coating of Militech oil was applied to both panels (real blood is so hard to find when you need it....and so dangerous to use when you do; real sweat is for people that work for a living
). With the Militech oil on the panels, there was no slipping either in the presentation or the recoil phase....most impressive.Currently, these are available only for full size 1911 frames but I'm told they'll soon be available for Officer models. At $80, they ain't cheap, but, then, I've seldom found first class gear that is. Images of the new grip panels can be viewed at Mad Dog's discussion site: http://64.177.53.248/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000052.html
Get some!
Rich
