Shooter skill is the single most important element of recoil control. However, having a grip surface that allows the shooters hands to more effectively grip the firearm can go a long way toward supporting those skills – especially when it comes to handguns. That is why, if you were to look in my safe, you would find some sort of home brew stippling job or a stick-on grip solution on nearly every handgun I own.
I’ve tried several stick-on grips over the years. I’ve cut my own simple shapes and tried a number of pre-cut products. Honestly, my own cut shapes tend to work out better than most pre-cut products because many of them have the same flaws. They don’t apply texture all the way around the grip and they don’t apply texture to the right places on the grip. Then I tried TALON Grips.
TALON Grips does not suffer the same design flaws. Their grips are cut in very complex shapes that allow them to be wrapped completely around the host gun. This is important so that you can apply grip pressure anywhere you need to on the grip.
They also cut their grips to cover the right parts of the gun for recoil control. I have used stick-on grips for Glocks that basically just cover parts of the front strap and the lower sides of the grip. Those are the areas where Glock already applied some texture! If you use a modern handgun grip and are applying crush or camming pressure to control recoil, the upper part of the grip where your support hand contacts it is one of the most important gripping surfaces. TALON Grips tend to extend their stick-on grips up into this area.
TALON Grips also offers two different textures. Their first offering was sandpaper/skate board grip tape style texture that they call Granulate. More recently they began offering a pebbled rubber texture. If I was never going to carry a handgun inside the waist band, I would choose the Granulate texture every time. If IWB or AIWB carry is in your future you might consider the Rubber texture as I find it to be more comfortable against my skin while still providing excellent grip (the Rubber texture is shown in the images of the Glock 43 in this post).
I also appreciate that TALON Grips offers a wide selection including most common, and even slightly uncommon, handguns. They even have products for things you might not expect. If you want a stick-on grip for a Mossberg 590 Shockwave, they have it. They even make stick-on grips for many of the common Glock magazine extensions on the market.
I have also found them to be very durable and I suggest that you carefully read the short, simple instructions provided with their product. Good prep and the application of light heat after the initial installation are key in making sure these last… and they do last. I have been very pleased with the longevity of TALON Grips products.
These kinds of stick-on grips have been around for a long time and there are a lot of choices. I have found that TALON Grips makes them better than any others I have tried.
Check out TALON Grips.