FWB P-11 Piccolo Grip Question

[Brian Lafferty]

I have this pistol and love it. I have put P-44 rails and weights on it and it appears that in general the P-11 is P-44 compatible.

Question. Are P-44 grips compatible with the P-11. I would like to put a P-44 LH large grip on my P-11 if it will fit. Thanks in advance for any info.

[Brian Lafferty]

Looking at some online German dealers, it appears the P-11 and P-44 use the same grips, but that the P-11 requires a rear sight extension. Anyone know where I might find a large left handed P-44 grip and extension here in the US---or Canada?
Thanks in advance.

[John C]

Brian;

The answer to your question is both yes and no. The P44 grip will fit, but the P11 rear sight will conflict with ridges on the P44 grip.

There are two solutions to this. One is to dremel your grip. The second is to get the FWB adapter which moves the P11 sight far enough back so that it fits the contours of the P44 grip.

If you go the latter route, call Neal Step at ISS. He has the FWB adapter on order for me as we speak. He mentioned that he might order a second one to have on hand. He will also have P44 LH grips, but for full retail price.

Good luck!

-John

[Brian Lafferty]

Brian;

The answer to your question is both yes and no. The P44 grip will fit, but the P11 rear sight will conflict with ridges on the P44 grip.

There are two solutions to this. One is to dremel your grip. The second is to get the FWB adapter which moves the P11 sight far enough back so that it fits the contours of the P44 grip.

If you go the latter route, call Neal Step at ISS. He has the FWB adapter on order for me as we speak. He mentioned that he might order a second one to have on hand. He will also have P44 LH grips, but for full retail price.

Good luck!

-John

Thanks, John, for confirming what I pieced together from the German web sites. . I've found a very good, no name wrap used by hockey players that has made my P-11 grip much more functional than the tennis wrap I had been using. I think I'll put the money that would have gone for a grip and sight extension toward a new pistol. There are now more options in the $1200 range than ever before (a topic for another thread later today). I will contact Neal about a spare Piccolo air cylinder. Again, thanks and good shooting to you. -- Brian

[John C]

Brian;

Perhaps. If you're buying a P44 grip new, then you might definitely benefit from buying a new pistol with a LH grip. I was lucky enough to find a large RH P44 grip, lightly used, on egun for a screaming price. So for me, there was no price advantage to getting a new pistol. Plus, I don't think any of the pistols in the $1200 range have a recoil absorber, which is the real upgrade from the P11 level pistols.

The P11 has a short barrel, but the trend among top shooters appears to be to use the short version of the top pistols. So I don't think the P11 is at any disadvantage in that respect, especially with the longer sight line with the P44 grip.

Good luck!

-John

[Brian Lafferty]

Brian;

Perhaps. If you're buying a P44 grip new, then you might definitely benefit from buying a new pistol with a LH grip. I was lucky enough to find a large RH P44 grip, lightly used, on egun for a screaming price. So for me, there was no price advantage to getting a new pistol. Plus, I don't think any of the pistols in the $1200 range have a recoil absorber, which is the real upgrade from the P11 level pistols.

The P11 has a short barrel, but the trend among top shooters appears to be to use the short version of the top pistols. So I don't think the P11 is at any disadvantage in that respect, especially with the longer sight line with the P44 grip.

Good luck!

-John

Not certain what I'm going to do. The Piccolo barrel is shorter than most. The more I practice, the more I'm coming to like the length of my Izzy M, though not the front loaded weight. I did have an Alfa Proj and loved the feel of it. Liked it until the regulator went bad at around 800 shots, but that may have just been a one off. May buy another or possibly a Tau-7 match. So many pistols, so little time----and money. ;) Thanks again for the input. Brian

[Brian Lafferty]

Brian;

Perhaps. If you're buying a P44 grip new, then you might definitely benefit from buying a new pistol with a LH grip. I was lucky enough to find a large RH P44 grip, lightly used, on egun for a screaming price. So for me, there was no price advantage to getting a new pistol. Plus, I don't think any of the pistols in the $1200 range have a recoil absorber, which is the real upgrade from the P11 level pistols.

The P11 has a short barrel, but the trend among top shooters appears to be to use the short version of the top pistols. So I don't think the P11 is at any disadvantage in that respect, especially with the longer sight line with the P44 grip.

Good luck!

-John

I'm going to price out the best deal I can find on the grip and extension and then decide. I may just break the bank with an LP2. Then again, I'm far from reaching my best level with the Piccolo as it is. :) Sigh......so many decisions. Must play more powerball..........

[John C]

Brian;

The sight adapter wasn't expensive, I think $59 or $69. The real expense is the grip. New they're ~$250. However, that's still less expensive than buying a new pistol.

Again, I don't think an LP2 will provide anything over the P11. I don't think (I could be wrong; others here will know) the LP2 has a recoil reducer. If you are concerned about the barrel length of the P11 Piccolo, you can upgrade the barrel to a P11/P44 short length. You could even put on a standard P44 barrel. I really don't think you'll be gaining anything except sight radius. Sight radius is a bonus, but only to point where it's not being offset by additional weight and balance. A longer barrel and the short P11 Piccolo cylinder might be a great tradeoff.

In my case, I really enjoyed the P11 for it's ambi grip, but in order to get everything out of the pistol, I needed a better grip. That's where you'll see the highest benefit/cost. The other changes are less compelling.

-John

[Brian Lafferty]

Brian;

The sight adapter wasn't expensive, I think $59 or $69. The real expense is the grip. New they're ~$250. However, that's still less expensive than buying a new pistol.

Again, I don't think an LP2 will provide anything over the P11. I don't think (I could be wrong; others here will know) the LP2 has a recoil reducer. If you are concerned about the barrel length of the P11 Piccolo, you can upgrade the barrel to a P11/P44 short length. You could even put on a standard P44 barrel. I really don't think you'll be gaining anything except sight radius. Sight radius is a bonus, but only to point where it's not being offset by additional weight and balance. A longer barrel and the short P11 Piccolo cylinder might be a great tradeoff.

In my case, I really enjoyed the P11 for it's ambi grip, but in order to get everything out of the pistol, I needed a better grip. That's where you'll see the highest benefit/cost. The other changes are less compelling.

-John

I emailed Neil and have not heard back.

[Brian Lafferty]

I spoke with Neil yesterday and have bought a large LH P-44 grip. It's on its way now. He did not have a sight extender and will not be ordering from FWB for a few more weeks. I'd like to get the extender sooner rather than later. Can anyone recommend a potential alternative source?
Thanks!
Brian

[John C]

Brian;

You can try these guys: http://www.schiesssport-buinger.de/shoo ... or-FWB-P11

I'd be interested to find out how much they end up quoting you for shipping. The part is really small, probably less than an ounce.

Note that the prices include a 19% tax, which won't apply to you. So you'll get a discount from the list price.

Good luck!

-John

[Brian Lafferty]

Brian;

You can try these guys: http://www.schiesssport-buinger.de/shoo ... or-FWB-P11

I'd be interested to find out how much they end up quoting you for shipping. The part is really small, probably less than an ounce.

Note that the prices include a 19% tax, which won't apply to you. So you'll get a discount from the list price.

Good luck!

-John

Thanks, John. That was the web sit I referred to in a previous post. I will see what they quote me. And yes, the VAT doesn't apply. Stay tuned......

[Brian Lafferty]

I just ordered from the German company. Roughly 29 Euros for the product and 12 Euros for shipment. Total in US currency is $54. I will pay by bank transfer tomorrow.

[Brian Lafferty]

Just received the large LH P-44 grip from ISS. Lovely. Will put it on the Piccolo. It occurs to me that if I dremmel it to allow the sight to fit, that should not impai later putting a sight extension on. No??

[Brian Lafferty]

It took less than 5 minutes to dremel out the areas (3 in all) where the sight blocked the P-44 grip from fitting.

[FredB]

It took less than 5 minutes to dremel out the areas (3 in all) where the sight blocked the P-44 grip from fitting.

It never takes long to use the Dremel; what takes the time is recovering from using the Dremel.

[Brian Lafferty]

It took less than 5 minutes to dremel out the areas (3 in all) where the sight blocked the P-44 grip from fitting.

It never takes long to use the Dremel; what takes the time is recovering from using the Dremel.

The wood of the P-44 grip is of a good quality. Rather harder than many grips out there--like the Izzy. It was nice wood to work with. I'll still buy the rear sight extension when Neal gets it in, but in the meantime the pistol is fully functional at a higher degree than with the ambi grip that it came with.