"loose" grips

[4 Scale]

Even thought this thread is older, I thought I would add a recent experience re: tightening up loose grips (rather than start a new thread). I have a couple of grips that are loose at the top, not the bottom. I found a fix that worked and wanted to share it.

I had some very thin (about 1/32") nitrile rubber sheet from another project. Lugers have a recessed area in the frame, found at the top of the grips, that is smooth and isolated from the moving parts of the pistol (see post #3 in this thread). The top of the grip rests in/is retained by this recessed area. I cut thin strips of rubber sheet with a sharp X-Acto knife (a single edge razor blade would have worked as well). With the grips removed I placed the pistol with the receiver down and the grip up, the recessed area is easy to see and access. I placed the rubber strips in the frame right at the top of the grips. With the pistol in this position the rubber strips lay flat. The recess is larger on the left grip; I used two strips there about 3/16" by 1". On the right grip it's thinner, that strip was about 3/32" by 1" or so. When the grips are re-installed, the top of the grip presses the rubber strip against the frame.

Nitrile rubber is easy to find on the internet, and is fairly inert chemically so I assess no risk that either the pistol or the grips will be damaged over time. It is also resistant to oil and solvents. But other materials could work too, such a say very thin wood strips especially soft woods like balsa. The rubber has the advantage of being flexible, so it conforms to the gentle curve of the recessed area perfectly.

The grips are now tight and the fix is invisible from the outside. When I remove the grips I suppose the rubber may fall out but it is easy to reposition. The grips in question are original and numbered to the pistol, so I preferred a fix that left the grips untouched - I just didn't like the idea of putting hot glue or CA on original grips.