"loose" grips

[ithacaartist]

My observations lead me to believe that loose left grips are at greater risk of suffering the "million dollar chip," up by the safety lever. Compression or wear of the retaining ridge on the back side allows the grip to move forward on the frame when the pistol is gripped firmly and fired. If the material behind the safety lever's shaft is too close, it will be tapped somewhat vigorously against the rear diameter of that shaft when the pistol s shot. I think this is actually the major cause of the ubiquitous chip damage.

I'd recommend never shooting with loose grips. I tightened my offenders with a bead of clear epoxy applied along the length of the ridge. Using epoxy with a long working time gives you plenty of opportunity to try on the grips repeatedly and fashioning the repair while the epoxy is set up enough to not be sticky, but not hard enough to prevent squishing it around a bit to address shape and clearances. I wrap the front grip strip with one layer of plastic wrap to avoid sticking stuff to the frame itself.

A grip that fits the frame well should sound solid as a rock when tapped on with a knuckle.