Q. What is Silicon Carbide Powder and why would I want it on my handgun?

A. Silicon Carbide Powder is a very hard and abrasive material that can be used to create traction with anything it comes into contact with. In our case we are using Silicon Carbide to anchor our hands to the firearm and discourage our grip from breaking down or shifting during recoil. This will reduce our time off target and give us the opportunity to deliver follow up rounds faster. Carbided grips work great in wet conditions too, allowing you to get the maximum amount of traction in the pouring rain and if you suffer from sweaty hands!

Q. Will a Carbided grip make me a better shooter?

A. Carbided grips will allow you to unlock your full potential. Using these grips will not inherently make you better shooter, and should not be used as a band aid for a bad habit! You get the most out of mechanical advantages and modifications to firearms when they complement good hard skills and a good understanding of the fundamentals. They will mask a bad shooting grip but amplify a good shooting grip, allowing you to extract the most amount of performance out of the gun.

Q. How much does it cost to get my grip Carbided?

A. Prices range between $100 - $150 depending on the work requested. Have a look through the services section of the website, for an idea of the kind of work available then reach out through email at ed@carbided.com for a custom quote. Return postage is free to anywhere in the US. So the quote you get is the final price you pay.

Q. Do I need to ship my entire gun to you?

A. No! To avoid having to send your entire firearm, you will just send the Grip Module (or non serialized grip) to my PO BOX. This is why I specialize with Sig Sauer firearms, namely the P320, because the Fire Control Unit (the only serialized part of the gun) can be removed, leaving behind just the grip module, which for all intents and purposes is just a piece of plastic or metal, which makes mailing much simpler.

Q. Can I get any other handguns Carbided?

A. Yes! I specialize in Sig Sauer Grip Modules, but have also worked on other firearms with removable fire control units like the Springfield Armory Echelon and Steyr M9 family. I do also work on Glocks, but we would need to discuss logistics. So please reach out if you are interested in using the carbided services for firearms with serialized frames like Glock.

Q. Where can I buy Sig Sauer Grip Modules?

A. You can buy extra grip modules from www.sigsauer.com, or stop by the Sig Experience Center in Epping, NH to get hands on and find the right fit. They offer a huge range of models and sizes. Please feel free to reach out if you need any help deciding what might be the right choice for you.

Q. How long will it take before I get my grip back?

A. Once I have received your grip, I typically have the work completed within 5 working days and shipped back out to your chosen address. I use USPS Tracked, which typically has a 2-3 day shipping time to anywhere in the US. I will keep you updated along the way and send you a return tracking number once shipped. The vast majority of my customers have had their grips returned to them in a week. This is just an average estimate. Expect longer lead times during the competition season where our work load is higher.

Q. How aggressive are these grips? Will they hurt my hands?

A. Silicon carbide is an abrasive material, chosen because it likes to grip to things softer than itself. We want aggressive, because recoil wants to undo what your shooting grip offers! It may take a bit of getting used to initially, but with use, your hands will slowly get acclimated to the surface. If you are finding that you are getting “hot spots” in certain areas of your hand, you can always take a small section of sand paper and lightly soften the areas of concern, before reassessing.

Q. Silicon Carbide or Stippling?

A. Stippling is the practice of melting polymer grips to create patterns in the material in an attempt to create a more abrasive surface. Before I discovered Silicon Carbide, I too was stippling grips. However I found that the surface quickly wore down and offered diminishing returns much faster than I had hoped. Aesthetically, stippling when done correctly can look fantastic, but the compromise of losing traction just wasn’t worth it, so I started experimenting with Silicon Carbide, and have never looked back! With Carbided grips, you will never need to use grip enhancing powders, like weight lifting or climbing powders used to compliment grips without Silicon Carbide which is a huge bonus. Unlike stippling, Silicon Carbide can also be applied to metal grip modules like the Sig AXG grip module and aftermarket grips like those offered by Icarus Precision and Brouwer.

Q. Are Carbided grips a permanent change?

A. Yes! We use strong bond epoxy to cement the silicon carbide to your grip which is incredibly difficult to remove once applied and cured (by design). Naturally, with use the traction will become less aggressive over time, but we have torture tested grips with tens of thousands of rounds and the surface is still aggressive enough to provide excellent traction to the shooter and maintain it’s aesthetic appeal. As of writing, my personal gun has just shy of 60,000 rounds through it and still offers all the traction I could ever want!

Q. Can you carbide aftermarket grip modules, like Icarus Precision or Brouwer?

A. Yes! if your handgun has a pistol grip, it can be carbided! Send me an email to ed@Carbided.com to discuss your options.