My new 3D printer arrived

[PirateJohn]

I had been wanting a 3D printer for a long time but just needed one thing before I could buy one -- an excuse. My Morini pistol has one thing about it that I really don't like -- it's very lightweight. So because of that, my arc of movement has been huge compared to my Pardini. So I wanted to add some ballast weights to the barrel but the ones that come with the gun are only 17 grams combined. I needed something much heavier than that. Besides, I couldn't get the damned things to fit on the barrel.

So I bought some one ounce wheel weights off of Amazon along with a 3D printer and some double-stick tape. I designed and printed a pair of adapters to allow me to stick the wheel weights onto a flat surface while being able to fit the adapter snugly to the barrel. The black part between the two wheel weights is what I printed. Tomorrow at practice I'll try the gun out with the weights and see how well the weights work. I did a little bit of dry firing and it definitely feels a lot better with the weights on.

[Gwhite]

Oh boy, are you in trouble now! You will be astonished at how many problems will suddenly be perfect to solve with your printer.

[PirateJohn]

Oh boy, are you in trouble now! You will be astonished at how many problems will suddenly be perfect to solve with your printer.

I already have a long list of projects lined up. I spent the afternoon designing a ravioli mold.

[marky123]

In what caliber? Haha.
My 3d contribution to the pistol shooting world has been a dry fire plug for Margolins.

[dugd]

Is it possible to 3d a set of grips for a pistol?

[Gwhite]

Is it possible to 3d a set of grips for a pistol?

It's very possible, and others have done it. Precision Target Pistol Grips is a successful business that specializes in them:

https://www.precisiontargetpistolgrips.com/

Getting a good fit to the pistol frame can take a couple iterations to get right, and getting the exact shape needed for an individual's hand is an art in itself. There are 3D scanners that can record the shape of an existing grip that you like, and then you can use that as a starting point.

[dugd]

I was thinking that I could modify the 3d grip and keep my original grips untouched.

[Gwhite]

There are lots of things you can do. Within reason, PTPG will iterate to get it close, but you may still want to file & putty it a bit. You can then send the final version back to get scanned, and they can print a nicer copy. You can also send your modified grip to a grip maker like Rink, and they can make a copy in the wood of your choice.

[dugd]

I was thinking I would find someone local to save all the hassle of shipping etc. but thanks for all the information.

[Gwhite]

Unless they have a scanner, getting the shape of the grip right isn't easy. It also helps if they have enough of a pistol shooting background to understand what you are trying to achieve and why. Andrew Berryhill at PTPG has made hundreds (if not thousands) of grips, and used to coach the Purdue collegiate pistol team. He has also already created and tested CAD models of a VERY large number of different pistol frames to make sure the grip will fit your pistol frame properly.

[ABerryhill]

George,

Thanks for the kind words about my work and Precision Target Pistol Grips. For your information I'm quickly coming up on 3,000 grips delivered to customers all around the world. In the eight years I've been doing this I've sent grips to all 50 states and more than 20 countries. And last time I checked I've put grips (and made digital models of the frames) of over 70 different pistols, with more being added all the time. Last month it was the Bernadelli .22 target pistol. I didn't know it either and had to look it up before taking the job.

All best in 2025,

Andrew Berryhill

PrecisionTargetPistolGrips.com