Rubber Talon Grips for Shield & Installation

[tennisguy]

I received my rubber talon grips today. The installation was going great until I got to the backstrap and was dealing with some overlap. Instead of leaving it alone, I took a utility knife to make a small cut to trim up and I think I trimmed up a little too much in a couple of spaces and both ends don't touch now.

I attached some pics. It's my first time dealing with these grips.

Did I ruin these grips by trimming them up? Have any of you done the same thing with the Talon grips? They look good and feel good otherwise. I'm just hoping my goof on the backstrap doesn't allow them to come detached more easily from the backstrap.

 

[hoghunter]

You really can't ruin them. If they feel good than just run with it. If over time something start to peel off they are pretty cheap to replace with a new one. Talon grips are awesome. Damn shame Derek passed away (RIP) over at Talon. He was an awesome guy to deal with. I wouldn't worry a bit about your Talon install job. Grip, shoot and enjoy!

 

[team sidewinder]

Ya I was in the same boat as you as far as trimming off the overlap. Yours don't look that bad so just leave them. Nobody will ever notice except you. I admire those who were able to do such a nice job trimming off the overlap but knowing I would sure screw it up I just left the overlap overlap. Using the hairdryer even the overlap sticks well and I don't think it will ever come off unless you really pick at it for total removal. You don't feel the overlap and you have to look pretty close to even see the overlap. I am well pleased with these Talon Shield grips.

 

[sparky232]

As long as you heated the seam area with the hairdryer really well it looks like the grip will hold,and if not ,like hoghunter said they are cheap to replace.Get to shooting!!!!

 

[MP22]

No bid deal looking at the pics.....sling some lead.

 

[tennisguy]

Talon grips

They don't look that bad after all. And I did use a hair dryer on them. At that moment I was freaking out thinking I just wasted $14.99 because I was being too picky trimming a fraction of an inch.

For those of you using the rubber talon grips, did you notice an improvement in control when shooting? I was skeptical at first but they do feel better than I expected. I'm hoping the next time I shoot they give me a better hold of the gun when firing.

 

[toocool]

I just let the overlap...well, overlap. It doesn't seem to show a tendency to come off (unlike the pieces on two of my three extended mags; one doesn't separate at all, but the other two will not stick down, no matter how much I use the hairdryer. I'm about to get some superglue and mount them permanently.

 

[jayrph]

I thought about trimming when I installed my Talon grips. I ended up just going with the overlap. From what I've read if you use the hair dryer to heat them up good the seem should adhere well. Yours look fine the way they are. And in the big picture they are not real expensive to replace if it really starts to bother you.

 

[motomed]

have installed them both ways, overlap method lasts longer before peeling off for me. it's almost like the guys making the things and writing the instructions know what they're talking about!

 

[tennisguy]

Reply From Talon Grips

I emailed Talon Grips. They said the grip was intended to overlap. Just FYI for any of you installing them on your gun. They said I probably didn't ruin the grip by trimming, but it was meant to overlap.

 

[tennisguy]

Regarding the instructions which I did read--it said to overlap the excess but it also showed a picture of cutting or trimming the grip for smaller back straps.

 

[Desert Dog]

Regarding the instructions which I did read--it said to overlap the excess but it also showed a picture of cutting or trimming the grip for smaller back straps.

Bingo. The instructions are for the larger M&P pistols with removable backstraps, and by extension, should likewise apply to the Shield. Were cutting (instead of overlapping) an actual issue, I seriously doubt Talon would be advising customers to follow this process on the larger M&P pistols. If the adhesive used is sufficient to stick to the pistol, it really should be a non-problem. Afterall, the instructions also state that you can remove, clean, and then reinstall the grips with no ill effects. Much ado about nothing, IMHO.

 

[Pootie]

I read and followed the instructions. When the overlap came up I recleaned with alcohol and pressed, re-heated, wrapped with a stretchy wrap to apply pressure and they came up twice more before I trimmed the overlap last night. Love the feel and fit, but could not get the overlap to stay down. We'll see how it sticks now.

 

[1bdvet]

Thanks for the tips, of how to install, mine should arrive this week.

 

[Desert Dog]

I read and followed the instructions. When the overlap came up I recleaned with alcohol and pressed, re-heated, wrapped with a stretchy wrap to apply pressure and they came up twice more before I trimmed the overlap last night. Love the feel and fit, but could not get the overlap to stay down. We'll see how it sticks now.

After closely following the installation instructions, I was not happy with the level of adhesion with the ovelap method. I ended up using an Xacto knife and achieved what I think are better results. I posted about this in the other Talon thread, but I'll post the pics again here for those that might have an interest in a direct photo comparison. Overlap method is on the left and trimmed on the right.

 

[Pootie]

After having cut the overlap off (previous post), the grip still came loose where the ends meet. I have to leave the pistol in my vehicle while at work in S.E. TX, so it gets to 120 or so during the day. I re-stuck the ends of the grip and wrapped it again to apply pressure while in the vehicle today. I also emailed Talon for suggestions. More later. Love the feel of the grip, but it will have to stick to stay.

 

[tennisguy]

Talon Pictures

Thanks for the pictures. Mine look similar to your pictures. I appreciate you posting them. I emailed the guy at Talon about my pictures and he didn't think I would have a problem. Everyone is right--the people at Talon Grips are very customer friendly and seem easy to work with. And I like the feel of the rubber grip on the Shield. I like the additional grip and feel near the top of the slide and in the web of my hand.

After closely following the installation instructions, I was not happy with the level of adhesion with the ovelap method. I ended up using an Xacto knife and achieved what I think are better results. I posted about this in the other Talon thread, but I'll post the pics again here for those that might have an interest in a direct photo comparison. Overlap method is on the left and trimmed on the right.

View attachment 83976 View attachment 83977

 

[Desert Dog]

Thanks for the pictures. Mine look similar to your pictures. I appreciate you posting them. I emailed the guy at Talon about my pictures and he didn't think I would have a problem. Everyone is right--the people at Talon Grips are very customer friendly and seem easy to work with. And I like the feel of the rubber grip on the Shield. I like the additional grip and feel near the top of the slide and in the web of my hand.

Glad you liked the pics. Really like the rubber grips a lot. It changes the whole feel of the pistol, especially since I prefer to use the 7-round flush mags. Much more solid grip now. They are a bit more abrasive than I imagined they would be, but not so much that I have any plans of removing them.

 

[Pootie]

Reply from Talon about grips not sticking in heat

"Unfortunately, when the grip is routinely exposed to that kind of heat it will probably loosen the adhesive, and once it is exposed it will not stick. You can certainly try some glue on the rubber to rubber overlap, but my guess is when you start shooting it, it will probably come loose. Our Granulate grips are much more durable to heat exposure, but I am not sure how long it will last in that kind of exposure on a daily basis. If you would like to try the Granulate, I can send you a 1/2 off coupon, but if you CC this shield, the Granulate will probably cause discomfort.

Let me know what we can do to help you out.

Sincerely,

Mike"

Good honest reply to a problem with the grips and an offer to help! I'm satisfied with the good customer service.

 

[OpsMgr]

Pootie, looks like you got a quick answer in reference to your problem - Talon is a great company to do business with, IMO. Gotta love their offer to try their other type grip at 1/2 off.

Gets HOT in TX like it does here in Crimson Tide country - Heck, even duct tape will melt off in that kind of heat...