Grip tape or rubber grip for semi-auto pistols?

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  • ziggy

    Sharpshooter
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    0   0   0
    Mar 1, 2013
    413
    28
    Fort Wayne area
    Maybe this has been discussed before, but I'm curious to hear what INGO folks have to say, pro and con on adding Talon or other grip tape or rubber over-grips to semi-automatic pistols, particularly Glocks.
     

    ru44mag

    Master
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    3   0   0
    Feb 6, 2013
    2,369
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    The rubber Talon grip tape made a big difference with my Kahr CM9's. Highly recommend.
     

    gregkl

    Outlier
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    33   0   0
    Apr 8, 2012
    11,868
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    Bloomington
    I've never used grip tape. I have a piece of skateboard tape I cut and put on the front strap of my 1911 and my Shield and I have a little piece on my Shield where my support hand thumb goes.

    My P10C texture is all I need and it even comes with the texture for your thumb!:)

    My 1911 has VZ Gator Back Hyena grip panels though.
     
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 14, 2017
    755
    79
    Southern Indiana
    Never used on any of my Glocks, all Gen4 and now have a 19X. Used the Talon rubber style on my Shield 1.0. Great addition held up really good. Since moving to the 2.0 no longer needed.
     

    masterdekoy

    Expert
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    56   0   0
    Feb 12, 2013
    854
    28
    Columbus
    The granulate is great and provides a lot of traction. I use one on my USPSA gun. It’s a little rough for carry IMO. Rubber is nice for carry if you feel you need more traction.

    The granulate ones don’t seem to last as long in my experience.
     

    gmcttr

    Grandmaster
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    12   0   0
    May 22, 2013
    8,596
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    Columbus
    I have Talon rubber grips on all of my glocks and covered the grips of one 1911 with it. Love the stuff.
     

    88E30M50

    Grandmaster
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    12   0   0
    Dec 29, 2008
    22,748
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    Greenwood, IN
    I run rubber Talon’s on my Gen 3 Glocks and my P07s and P09s. Like Greg says, the P10 has plenty of grip right out of the box and I’ve found that I don’t need grip tapes on the Gen 4 Glocks either.

    If you go with Talon rubber grips, use a very hot hair dryer to set them. They go on very well with heat.
     

    hps

    Master
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    13   0   0
    Jun 26, 2009
    1,932
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    I used to buy the Talon grip tape. Now I just use skateboard tape and heat it with a heat gun. WORKS GREAT and is a lot cheaper
     

    Vigilant

    Grandmaster
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    21   0   0
    Jul 12, 2008
    11,659
    83
    Plainfield
    I’ve tried both talons, and vastly prefer the granulate. It plays hell with shirts, but you ain’t losing grip on your pistol. The rubber ones still feel too slick to me. My Glocks all look like skateboards without wheels anyway, I use grip tape everywhere.
     

    WebSnyper

    Maximum Effort
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    56   0   0
    Jul 3, 2010
    15,419
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    127.0.0.1
    I had some older Talon granulate grips on a Glock 26. After much wear, and heat/sweat they eventually started to slide off/move, so I removed them. No issues with close to the body, IWB, for me, under a shirt, etc, but some folks may be sensitive to the granulate against the skin

    Generally either carrying an S&W M&P Compact 2.0 or a Sig P365 now and no longer feel the need for them on those pistols.
     

    Amishman44

    Master
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    48   1   0
    Dec 30, 2009
    3,678
    113
    Woodburn
    I have smaller hands and the Hogue rubbers grips add too much, dimensionally, to the grip's girth...so grip tape works better for me...I prefer the 'sand' vs the rubber grip tape.

    You have to clean a polymer grip very good first, then I apply a little spray-on athletic 'sticky' spray and let it dry prior to applying the grip tape. Otherwise, it can peel off over time with normal use.
     
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