grips

[Pierfrancesco]

this is probably a dumb question, but how hard is it to change a grip on a weapon? i was thinking of getting a foil but hadn't decided on french or pistol grip and i figured..hey why not get the other as an extra grip.

thanks!

[Purple Fencer]

[quote]Originally posted by Pierfrancesco:
<strong>this is probably a dumb question, but how hard is it to change a grip on a weapon? i was thinking of getting a foil but hadn't decided on french or pistol grip and i figured..hey why not get the other as an extra grip.

thanks!</strong><hr></blockquote>

Not hard at all...it's just a matter of unscrewing the pommel nut.

You might want to get a French grip first. If you want t switch to a pistol later all you have to do is cut the tang shorter. I di it all the time for first-timers.

A couple of things to remember tho...you may need to cut more threads into the tang if you go pistol...there;s no need for threads to go as far down the tang on a French as they do on a pistol.

Also, when you cut the tang, the cut should be just below the bottom of the opening for the pommel nut. You should not have any tang or pommel sticking into the heel of your hand.

Good luck!

[neevel]

You can go from French to Pistol (by cutting the tang shorter), but not vice-versa. Also, different pistol grips require different minimum tang lengths, so a tang that's right for one grip may be too short for another, and too long for a really small grip (so that it pojects out the back of the grip). Belgian grips, for example, tend to need a longer tang than Viscontis.

If you're planning on trying a variety of pistol grips to see what you like best, I'd use an outside-hex nut to hold the grip on-- with inside hex or slotted nuts the tang can't be too much longer than the minimum for a grip, or it won't reach. Cutting the tang to about 4 inches will allow you to mount all but the smallest Viscontis when using an outside-hex nut.

-Dave

[ 12-05-2001: Message edited by: neevel ]</p>