Talon Pistol Grips-Install and Review
I was introduced to Talon grips by a friend who had one on his Glock 19 carry. I was immediately intrigued by the looks/design and was even more convinced once I had a change to feel the grips in my hand. The best thing about Talon grips is the simplicity. If you read the company’s history on the product development you’ll see that it evolved from grip tape, the same material used in industrial complexes to prevent slips. And for you more adventurous types, you’ll remember them as the grip tape on your skate board.
The best part is, the current version of Talon grips are a much thinner version of the thick grip tape you may remember. This allows to create a more streamlined application and feel once installed on the pistol. The grips also come in a rubber-type grips, but I prefer the “skateboard” style grip tape. It’s rough, but there is no doubt it will keep your pistol in a tight position.
The instructions included are fairly simple to follow and the kit even includes a alcohol patch in order to clean off grease and other substances on your pistol, prior to application. Once you clean the application area, you take off the backing of the grips and start from one side of the pistol. Take special care to line up the pre-cut designs with the applicable areas on your pistol. Of course, before doing anything, be sure your pistol is unloaded and safely disassembled.
I chose to use the Ruger LCP II as the sample pistol as it is one of the smaller conceal pistols I own. I can literally put this in my cargo pocket and forget about it. Anything bigger usually bangs up against my knee and can become quite annoying. Overall, the Ruger LCP II is a great pocket gun but you sacrifice compactness with grip surface area. Even those with smaller hands may have issues getting a proper grip on smaller pocket pistols. For this reason, the Ruger LCP II is a great marriage for the Talon grips. They provide that added friction and positive control between the grip and your hand that can help stabilize the pistol during use.
Once you properly align the grips with the grooves and specifics of the pistol, slowly work the Talon grip tape around the pistol grip. Take special care to work out any bubbles in the tape and continuously guide the tape around the areas of the pistol.
After the Talon grip is wrapped tightly around the pistol, you’ll notice the tape overlaps. Not to worry, the instructions tell you to use a hair dryer or heating gun to properly heat the grips to your pistol. Not only does it provide a tight wrap to your pistol grips, it also decreases the overlap. As you heat up the Talon grips, carefully push the tape around the raised and depressed areas of the grips to ensure they get inside every nook and cranny.
Be careful not to burn yourself, I don’t know about you, but my wife’s hair dryer gets fairly hot, who knew…
Once you work the grips and you feel comfortable with the application, you should be good to go. The grips not only feel great, but they add a slick design to your pistol and if you have a pistol that is other than black (like the gray Ruger LCP II I used), it adds great color contrast. I also have these on my OD/black Glock 42 and they look sweet! Take advantage of this inexpensive way to add some flare and functionality to your favorite conceal guns, enjoy!
Author: MB
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