Gracegarden wrote:I have an XD-9 that has a checkered grid on the front and back of the grip. How would I get the tape to firmly stick? Is compression enough, or will I need to manually press/crease down between each row?
(no clever signature line)
I'm surprised you would need grip tape when you already have checkering on both the front and back straps. The Kimber I put tape on didn't have front strap checkering, and being a diminutive pistol in .45, it became much easier to shoot with tape on. But I also have an H&K USP Compact in .40 S&W which has molded in checkering on both the front and back straps, similar to your XD-9, and I find that no additional tape is necessary for maintaining a firm grip on the weapon.
A few days ago, I bought a Springfield Armory Loaded 1911-A1 from
HighVelocity, on which he had already installed a piece of grip tape on the front strap which was different from the skateboard tape I put on my Kimber. I think I prefer this new tape. It has a somewhat "rubbery" feel, and IIRC, it is made by 3M. I'll have to check with
HighVelocity again to see where he got that tape from. I've already worn a bit of a hole through the skateboard tape on my Kimber, where the pressure of my wedding ring (I'm left handed) makes contact with the tape. Oddly enough, it didn't do anything to damage a 24 carat gold ring. I've since swapped out the stock grip panels for a set of Hogue wraparound grips, which eliminated the need for tape. But I've found the Hogue grips to feel a bit too bulky in my hand, so I think I'm going to try putting the original grip panels back on, and try out a strip of this new tape like I have on my Springfield's front strap.
