Cost to fit a PT Evo grip to a 2011

[Good on paper]

Has anyone had a PT Evo grip fit to a STI frame? I’m trying to evaluate the total cost.

I have two finished guns with STI frames with TG as the serial number prefix and am considering getting an Evo grip fit to one (or both if possible if the frame widths are the same).
I would prefer to not have to refinish the frame if at all possible.

 

[praff]

It is done all the time. Depending how much blending has been done when the gun was originally built, you may or may not have to refinish frame. I can usually get them pretty close without getting into frame, but to get a really good blend, you almost have to get into frame a bit. If the finish is black, you can usually get a pretty good touch up with some cold blue. Also the grip safety is part of the blending as well. The largest part of labor in this job can be getting the trigger back to where it needs to be. You will likely need a new trigger bow (the plastic grips have a narrower trigger shoe channel than the steel) unless your current gun has already been fit with a different trigger bow and grip channel has been enlarged. The trigger bow to disconnector/sear dimensions can change with a new grip and new trigger bow so this can be challenging at times. Also there is usually some fitting involved with the pads on the grip itself mating up with the frame. And finally, there will most likely be fitting involved with your magwell if this is a gamer gun.

It's not a difficult job, but rarely as easy as just swapping parts.

 

[Good on paper]

I have an SV trigger on my primary and from what I’ve read they have fit pretty well. From some of the threads I’ve read the majority of the fitting has been on frame to grip interface, the STI frames being wider than the grip mating area by .008” +-. I haven’t heard much about fitting the beaver tail area but I’m sure that’s a possibility.
Just as a SWAG number I guess if I’m looking at $650 for the grip, $150 for fitting and $150 for cerakote I’m looking at close to $1k for a sweet grip.
If my pistol is worth $2200-2400 resale plus the cost of the grip I’m getting into Atlas Titan or a custom build territory, I could buy or build one with a steel grip already installed.

 

[praff]

Yep...you are getting into custom pricing territory. Its much cheaper to build a pistol with a steel grip than to start with plastic and switch over to steel.

If you already have an svi bow then that makes things easier (as long as the grip was fit to trigger bow and not other way around). There are a couple of people on the forums that can do the fitup for you including myself. Another option is to try to tackle it yourself and sub out the trigger work if you arent familiar with that piece. You could then go without cerakote and be a whole lot more affordable.

Let me know if there is anything I can do to help out and I would be more than willing to give you some advice and or do as little or as much of the work for you.

 

[Good on paper]

I did a full tear down of the gun I have in mind for the PT grip and measured the frame width. It’s at 1.060”, just like the claimed inside width of the PT grip. I was mostly concerned about having to remove a bunch of material from that mating surface while keeping it square and true but it looks like that won’t be an issue. If I have to do some fitting at the front screw or fairing of the frame to the grip at the safety I’m fine with that. The frame has seen some use and it’s a lot more for go than show.
If I do have to mess with the trigger bow length or anything like that I’ll definitely be calling on you praff! Thanks for the valued opinion and options.
With the lead time on the grip this might be an early Christmas present to myself
Dave

 

[praff]

A couple quick tips if you try this yourself. You want this fit to be tight. Like you can’t get all the way on or pull off with your hand. You should have to tap it on/off with a plastic hammer. Get it to where you can get it started about 2/3 by hand then tap the rest of the way home. Also make sure the edges/corners of the pads/frame have a very slight bevel. Dykem is your friend. Finally, make sure you understand trigger group relationship well. If you don’t, have someone else re-tune your trigger/sear spring. An unproperly fit/tuned trigger can make for a really bad day for not only you, but someone else as well.

 

[Good on paper]

On the waiting list for the grip...
i undstand how the trigger works but probably not some of the intricacies. Would it be a good idea to measure pull with my current grip and compare to the new one? I’ll be replacing the sear spring and mainspring at the same time so that might change things anyway
Its probably a good idea to have an experienced set of eyes put on it even if it feels right

 

[praff]

I'm seriously not trying to sell you a service here, but honestly, getting the sear spring ratio set right and having the sear/hammer engagement surfaces looked at by someone that really knows the platform is a good idea. It's not rocket science, but it's also not worth it to skimp. It will only cause you problems if not setup properly and could potentially be unsafe. There are plenty of people on this forum as well as elsewhere that are competent enough to do that for you.

 

[Good on paper]

Sounds like a wise investment in general. I’m pretty mechanically minded but experience has shown me to respect my limitations
I appreciate all your input PRAFF and will definitely be contacting you, hopefully for just a checkout

Thanks again, Dave

 

[Good on paper]

Update...
I got an email from PT on 12-4 that the grip was ready so I contacted them the next day (late in the evening) with my payment and delivery info. It shipped late the next day and arrived the 10th. Of course I was out of town and didn’t get back till Thursday evening.
I tore down and cleaned my 2011 and checked the initial fit. It snugly slid on with about a .020” gap at the horizontal joint
I radiused the corners of the grip pads and took a dozen of so file strokes on the top ledge of the pads and the gap shrank to .015”. The finish on the frame interface was being scraped pretty evenly from the test fittings. I filed a little more on the top of the pads but didn’t shrink the gap any so I looked at where else it could be hitting. The rounded area above the trigger had a little shine to it indicating that it might be contacting so I filed and stoned it.
The grip pushed right into place with no gaps at the frame. It’s a firm push but I don’t have to beat it on or anything silly. This was pretty damn easy! If I would have caught the area above the trigger I may not have had to file the pads at all.
I had to do a little blending at the beaver tail but nothing major, I could have lived with it as it was. The trigger has a little more vertical and horizontal movement than I’d like but it’s well within acceptable limits for me. The magwell needs some love still, I need to remove a little material from the front to get easy alignment on the mainspring housing pin and the fit on the sides is pretty much watertight.

This thing is a tank! The grip feels great and it’s sticky sharp, I may be sanding the front strap a little if it starts to shred my fingers. I’ll have to see what dry and live fire do to me.

All in all it was a pretty easy fit, maybe I got lucky.
Now I need to decide if I’m going to leave it bare or try a stainless cold black I read about...