something better than grip tape

[funshootin1 10]

Duracoat is awesome stuff, I imagine similar products will net equal results ( guncote, ceramicote, probably alumahyde ect.). I have done this on several polymer pistols, shotguns and rifles. coat the gun as usual, wait for a good cure then mask off an area where you want some extra grip, Examples would be palm swells, finger grooves after modifications, stock forearms ect. After masking the area around it, apply liberal duracoat and go thick on the hardener, quickly sprinkle aluminum oxide (abrasive used in sandblaster, got mine at harbor freight) over the area then apply another coat of duracoat to seal it onto the surface. Permanent grip tape is what youll have. You will want to practice this on some scrap material first to get your sprinkling techniuqe down pat, too much is not grippy enough and too little is just lame. I found that a fairly coarse grit works best as the coating seals it on and takes away some of the bite. I cannot stress enough about practicing and experimenting before you apply to a gun as this is PERMANENT. ( so dont screw it up ) I have done this to several glocks, xds, some pump action shotguns and a rifle or too and am very happy with the results. I modify my glock frames a little to fit me better by smoothing out the finger grooves just a bit, engarging the thumb dimple on the left slightly and changing the backstrap dimentions a bit and scalloping the bottom so you can pull a stuck mag. The problem is after the dremel hack job all thats left is a smooth surface and this is a good solution. It dosent wear off, Is impervious to gun cleaning chemicals, and is quite grippy.(3 years on my carry glock and still good to go) also you can make your own sanding tools like this too. apply this to different diameter tubing or even flat bar to make some versatile little stockmaking tools, try diffrent grits too. I got the idea when looking at a flexible grinding disk for my angle grinder, Its nothing more than epoxy resin on a fiber backing sprinkled with aluminum oxide then coated again and cured. Again.. Practice on scrap first so you dont screw up a good gun or create a big mess stripping it off before it dries and starting over. Also plug every single hole and tape over everything real good, also this should be done with all parts removed from the frame or stock. Have fun and take your time. I dont have detailed pics for you yet but will post some soon when I do my s12 conversion ( saw grip and surefire forearm will get the treatment ) probably in a few weeks.

Edited January 6, 2010 by funshootin1