The Unofficial P64 Resource Forum

Some time ago, I posted a thread about some really cool Marschal grips I got. Now, I'm not sure if it's the wood I ordered them in, or the killer humidity I live in, but these grips have literally begun to fall apart. Cracks on the thinner bits by the mag well, chips and chunks falling out at the tang (I guess because that's where all the recoil's going), etc. This isn't a mark on Mr. Marschalko, his grips are great, but I think going with wood (or at least the type of wood I asked for) was a bad decision on my part, and that I should've stuck with plastic.

I'm aware of Tillander Grips (he made some stuff for my CZ999), but I'd like to know if there are other places for plastic P-64 grips. Like, is there anyone that still makes Bakelite stuff? Or even rubberized?

I EDC mine, and use the plastic grips. Too bad for you, those grips look great.

Marschalls has a lifetime guarantee on his grips even if you sell them to someone else.

He will replace them. You may have to mail in the old ones.

chestertnted wrote:I EDC mine, and use the plastic grips. Too bad for you, those grips look great.

EDC?

Curly1 wrote:Marschalls has a lifetime guarantee on his grips even if you sell them to someone else.

He will replace them. You may have to mail in the old ones.

What's the process for that? Does the guarantee cover exchanging them for a different wood type? One that would fare better in the high humidity of a swampy environment?

EDC= Every day carry.

I don't know the particulars you will have to contact him and explain the problem.

Dont go with tillander , i feel they are to cheap and junk and sent mine back

Well I went with Tillander for the CZ999 grips, just because there wasn't any other alternative. And he literally just molds them out of plastic, which is all you should expect for $24.

If you can suggest an alternative for plastic P64 grips, I'd love to hear it.

You can get used original grips for cheap as well.

Well I still have my originals, I was just looking for something in a color other than black.

gman68w wrote:Well I still have my originals, I was just looking for something in a color other than black.

Carbon Fiber is another option. I have not ordered from him but there was a gentleman named Paul that was on this or another gun forum in 2012. He and I think this son(s?) started this site :

http://www.designergrips.com/makarov-p-64.html

They currently make Carbon Fiber P-64 grips, and exotic leather holsters. Back in 2012 they also made plastic grips, in many requested colors including mixed (like the one below). If he still has the molds you might be able to special order in a few different colors. I don't think he will do the mixed color as he is colorblind and those were problematic for him to produce with the customer's desired effect.

Well that's definitely one I'll bookmark for later, thanks!

I wasn't looking for anything really complex as far as colors. Just dark red, something that would look characteristic on an old ComBloc pistol.

I bought wooden grips for my P64. They are made of French Walnut. Look great, but have to remember that vibration is not your friend. Number one rule was to loosely fit the grips and slowly snug them in place. I had trouble with the screw gripping and the grip maker basically said not all guns were drilled straight so it wasn't his fault. Huh? So I had a gunsmith look at it. He had to make an "adjustment" to the grips and I had him add Loctite to the grip screw. Of course, I kept the original grips. I like the wooden grips better; they seem just a tad "thicker" in my hand. I haven't fired many rounds through it with the new grips, so I can not testify that French Walnut is the way to go. Perhaps a different type of wood would work for you? As for finding other "plastic" grips, probably just "shotgunning it" on the internet is your best bet. Maybe a local gun shop has resources. Check with places like BassPro for rubber sleeves? Good luck.

I've found wrap-around grip tape, a grip coating service, but no whole grip sets.

According to The Wood Database (nothing confusing about that name), the wood I chose is supposed to be highly rot resistant, so it can't have been the high humidity that got it. The uses listed say "Tool Handles" among other things that suggest it's impact resistant as well.

Yes it is rot and impact resistant BUT that is assuming there is ENOUGH wood to do the resisting. The grips for this pistol tend to be thinner than any tool handle I can think of that regularly deals with this level of "impact". Hammers, screwdrivers, etc. Are all thicker. It also depends on how the grain of the wood aligns with the "impact" force. If the grain is in the same direction as the impact (recoil) then it will be much more suseptable to splitting along the grain than if the grain ran accross the lines of force. Tool handles always have the grain running the length of the tool axis not acrross it.
Perhaps that was the problem.

Yeah, that page says the wood has a straight grain. I can't imagine that's any good for toughing through recoil, especially on something that whacks as hard as a P64