Grip Force Adapters

We are going to be trying out the Grip Force Adapter for the Glock Pistol made by Grip Force Products. This nifty little invention is a “Snap on, NO permanent modification required” mod. They currently produce a Gen 1-3 and Gen 4 model. The one I am using today is a Gen 4.  The package includes the Adapter, a Longer Trigger Housing Pin, Loctite 598 Black Silicone and detailed instructions.

Quoting directly from Grip Force’s website the purpose of the adapter is to:

“The GRIP FORCE product line was designed for the Military, Law Enforcement,  and Civilian shooting communities to offer a way for them to improve their shooting grip, and maximize their control over their pistol. The Grip Force Adapter changes the grip angle to improve the pointability, provide better control during rapid fire and utilizes an enhanced grip tang which provides better leverage and protection of the firing hand.”

I decided to try it on my new G30, which according to Frank at Grip Force, would require a little extra effort. The reason for this, is all Glock Sub-compact models require some “personal” modification, which according to the great instructions and some advice from Frank would involve the following:

• 3/32″ punch or Glock Armorers Tool
• Gunsmith Hammer (rubber mallet)
• 598  Loctite (Aquarium Silicone)
•  Black Sharpie
• 100/180 grit Emery Board (like your wife has laying around, but DO NOT use hers!!) 
• Dremel Tool (Harbor Freight $12 Special!)
• SHARP wire cutters

This all sounded like fun to me, so I was ready to dive in!

G30 Before

 Tools

My goal was to basically cut the adapter in half to fit the frame so I would just have a nice beavetail. Here is picture of a G26 off GFP that shows what I plan to do:

How much you cut off the adapter will be a personal choice…I chose to cut off all the stipling, so just the beavertail remained. You must be careful here though and allow enough material so the unit can snap to the gun. After cutting the adapter with my sharp snips, I got down to sanding the rough edges. I started with the black emery board (Coarse to Medium 100/180 Grit) starting on the bottom and paying attention to the sides where your hand would meet.

After this, I ensured my gun was unloaded, dry fired it in a safe direction (this is Important due to the alignment of the trigger housing pin) and using my 3/32″ punch and rubber hammer, tapped the pin out. It is easier if you set the gun up on a platform, like a roll of tape so the pin could come out easy.

Now we have to get a rough ideal on how the adapter fits on our pistol. To install, simply align the adapter and tap the pin in. A longer pin is included in the kit to give you the length needed. After the pin is tapped through, ensure you have an even amount of pin on each side. After fitting it on there, I liked the fit, but noticed I needed some fine shaping on the bottom and sides which my dremel could take care of. I also noticed about a 1mm gap  on the top of the beavertail, between the frame and adapter. I expected this due to some informative emails Frank had sent me. My plan was the shim this gap with the silicone and then shape it. I removed the adapter again and got to work.

Dremel Sand

Dremel Polish

After shaping it to my liking, (The Cotton tipped polisher does wonders on plastic!) and then using the Sharpie to color the edges where I sanded, I got down to the business of using the silicone. Now you must understand, the silicone is ONLY REQUIRED if you need a better fit or you plan on hard use, such as LE/Mil application. The website is chocked full of videos and information on this. I also want to give you a few warnings here..this stuff is toxic and can be messy, but I gotta hand it to Frank and the guys, they chose the right product for the job, because although it is messy, it WILL NOT harm the finish of your gun and it fairly forgiving and easy to work with. I used some latex gloves and long medium swabs to apply it, the wooden stick came in handy in spreading it evenly. (You can also use some tongue depressors for this.) Don’t be afraid to be generous…you want to get a good bead all the way around, just wipe the excess off with a rag. I also took my time in filling the 1mm gap, as I said, the silicone shims nicely, but you have to give it time to semi-dry (it was a warm day, about 84 degrees, so it dried fairly quickly). Once the initial layer dried, I applied another thin layer with the adapter attached, shaped it to my liking and then I let that dry. I then colored the shim itself with the sharpie, making it look like part of the frame, the color match was superb. Those sharpies are truly utilitarian!!

Nice Beavertail!

G30 After.

Top View ..Shimmed up Nice

Feels Great!

In total, I spent about an hour and half on this project, although it could have been done much faster, I enjoy gun projects like this, so I took my perfectionist time! It was fun and really easy.

I really like the feel of the adapter, it does change your indexing on target due to you not having to “force” the webbing of your hand up on the gun, it gives it a much quicker feel. I also noticed on my sub G30, I have better leverage on the gun, enabling me to be much quicker with the manipulation.

I plan on installing one on my G21SF next, which will not require as much modification, but some, due to the Short Frame grip size differential.

I recommend this product. The quality you get for the price is really good. Anytime you can do a custom modification yourself for around $20, you cannot beat that! I also highly advise you to do these kinds of projects on your firearms. It teaches self-reliance and gives you more confidence with your weapon.

Stay Dangerous!