Browning HP Grip Help
 

I recently purchased an early HP from AIM Surplus. Overall, I'm happy with the gun, but the grips provided with the pistol are old and tired. I purchased a set of cheap knockoffs, (spending $85-$125 for a set of factory grips is not within the overall budget I have for this project). After extensive fitting, I can't say I'm happy with the overall thickness of the repop grips. They make the pistol feel like a full sized HK and as you all know, part of the sexiness of the HP is that slim feel in the hand.

I'm interested in hearing from the forum's grip artisans if this is something they would consider taking on at a reasonable price? If I can't get them looking nice again, does anybody on the forum have a pair in nicer shape than this they would part with at a reasonable price? The grips are actually lighter than the provided photo.

If your Hi Power has a provision for a lanyard ring, there will be difficulty in finding other ones that have the cut out for a lanyard ring.


As it is, you could always strip the grips. Then use a mahogany stain that has a little reddish tint. Then apply some linseed oil. The foregoing is really not all that hard.

Does not do anything with the checkering, dings, etc. But makes them look nice. (Small dents might be ironed out.)

Already stained and oiled in the photo. Its the dings and weak checkering that bother me. Scalopping out a clearance for the lanyard ring is not an issue, as I just did this with the repros.

Sorry for the "cellphone and flashlight" quality, but here are the repro grips on the gun. They look nice from the side, but are way too thick!

Don't know what Hugh Clark could do with them, but I suspect he would make them look a WHOLE lot better and when you got them back you would be happy with the result. You might ask him if he is interested in giving it a go.

You can steam some of those dents out with a moist washcloth and an iron. I have done it many times on dented grips and stocks. It is slow and time consuming, but not difficult. The last couple of grips that I worked on, I used a clothes steamer that is designed to remove wrinkles from clothes. Worked great!!

If you want the thinest WOOD grips that I know about, and I own 2 pairs of them, then go to Brownell's and check out the Navidrex Wood Grips # 647-035-004 WB. It says that they have a palm swell, but neither pair of mine have one. They are unfinished as far as I can tell, but that is just fine with me. I finish them the way that I want them. They do NOT look like the original wood grips.....and they don't feel like them either.

Doug, I'll second Ron's nomination of Hugh's work. Fixing the originals would be sweet.

However, I think the repros can be whipped into submission if you want a backup pair. I'd establish the goal for dimension of the desired thickness, then work the pattern and border down to meet it. It may be that they are so thick that it would be necessary to remove the existing work and lay in and execute new checkering and border entirely--but if one kept track of the dimensions and orientation of their original checkering, even that would not be a problem.

I'll do either for $50. Then you can finish 'em up any way you like.

Been around firearms my whole life, and as far as handguns go, nothing feels better in my hand than a Hi Power....it's just right.

Dave,

I might take you up on that. Shoot me a PM with your address.

Thanks