Review of HW45 custom walnut grips

[richtel]

Folks, a frank and open appraisal of a pair of HW45 grips I've had made up by Andy (airgunner.177 of this parish).

The HW45 is a great pistol, but I find that the original wooden grips, although looking very authentic to a 1911 on which the pistol is styled are thin and result in needing to support the weight of the pistol by inward pressure from my thumb. As a result the pistol exhibits quite a nose-heavy balance. With grips that fit my hands better, that issue might be reduced.

I'd seen mention of Andy's work on this forum and (unbeknownst at the time) had previously bought webley pistol grips from Andy on 'bay. I decided to contact Andy to see if he could make me a pair for the Weihrauch. He agreed, presenting a very reasonable price, and I had a choice of a light or dark walnut. I chose the dark.

From initially approaching Andy, the grips were made within about a week, and Andy delayed posting them to coincide with me being back home from a week away with work.

Decent pics of the grips I have, fitted to my pistol are at http://richtel.net46.net/grip/index.html

First off, I have to say that the finish on the grips is not quite the finish as supplied. They arrived with a matte oiled finish- I decided to put on several coats of tru-oil- rubbing down slightly with 0000 grade wire wool each time. The result is the shiny oiled finish you see which I'm quite happy with for the moment.

The grips fit well being flat in profile where they meet the pistol frame, with no discernable gaps. The left hand grip has a pronounced thumb shelf which fits my hand well but does slightly obstruct access to the left-hand safety lever- previously being able to reach with a flick of the thumb. The finger grooves are spaced well, and have the correct degree of slant between the sides (as you grip the pistol, you fingers curve down at a slight angle) which you can see in the 8th photo. The mounting screw holes are accurately located. Interestingly, Andy suggested that the newer fibre-optic equipped pistols may have slightly different mount locations so care needs to be taken if ordered.

In use, the grips indeed feel much broader than the originals, and in my case, I feel that the pistol can be supported well between the middle finger and palm web rather than needing to be squeezed between thumb and palm. I've not had opportunity to shoot the pistol extensively yet, but initial impression is that they help a confortable snace and more relaxed shooting hand.

In all, a very worthwhile addition to this excellent pistol, and excellent value.

Hope this helps anyone looking for similar.
Rich.

PS- I will reiterate I have no association to Andy, but am simply a very happy 'customer'.
[cross-posted to WOC]

[Cicero]

Excellent review. Think I might prefer the non-shiny versions though. Been thinking about making some for my .177. It is the later model and I absolutely love it: probably end up buying a .22 to keep it company!

[Arthur John Smithsplease]

Link not working for me.

[fox87]

hi ,the grips look really good.make a change from the usual ones found on [Chinese ones]. ive just ordered a pair of carbon 1911 grips from the usa . hope they fit ok! got to wait a few weeks as he makes them to order.