NRA Gun Gear of the Week: Shield v. Shield—Recoil

by
posted on August 13, 2017

Opinions vary about the utility of ported barrels and slides, especially on 9-mm guns—not exactly a behemoth chambering—and especially on a personal defense pistol. But after shooting a standard, non-ported Shield side-by-side with the ported Performance Center model—as well as many other subcompact pistols—American Rifleman's Joe Kurtenbach is convinced there is merit to the arrangement. In such a small, lightweight gun, any feature that helps get the barrel and sights back on target quickly could be a life-saving advantage.


Not willing to drill holes in his trusty Shield, however, Kurtenbach instead turned to Talon Grips for an alternative form of recoil management. Talon Grips specializes in purchase-enhancing, textured grips panels that are affordable, and as easy to apply as a sticker. They are also some of the cleanest, most sophisticated and precisely designed stickers you’ll ever encounter as they feature a heat-activated adhesive and are cut to fit specific gun models perfectly, even incorporating channels and windows that align with the host firearm’s lines and logos.


Kurtenbach chose the black rubberized grip for the project Shield, and application was easily accomplished with the help of a hair dryer. The grip’s texturing was a vast improvement over the molded frame—which was already quite good—and even though the Talon grip added just a very thin layer of material to the sub-1”-wide frame, the project Shield actually felt substantially larger in hand.

On the range, the grips offered performance on par with the ported barrel and slide, and Kurtenbach thinks they may be the best value of the whole project.

To see the application process, and for more commentary, watch this week's NRA Gun Gear of the Week video above.



Additional Reading:

NRA Gun Gear of the Week: Shield v. Shield—Concept
NRA Gun Gear of the Week: Shield v. Shield—Sights
NRA Gun Gear of the Week: Shield v. Shield—Trigger
NRA Gun Gear of the Week: Conclusion



 

Latest

heavy machine gun crew with DShK on tripod pointing in air above trees
heavy machine gun crew with DShK on tripod pointing in air above trees

Red Fifty: The Soviet 12.7 mm DShK Heavy Machine Gun

While the Browning .50-cal. M2 machine gun has been unequaled for more than a century, John Moses Browning’s genius design has had one significant 12.7 mm competitor: the Soviet DShK.

Support The NRA Youth Education Summit (YES) On Giving Tuesday

With more than 1,200 students having graduated from the program and over $700,000 in scholarships awarded since 1996, NRA's YES is an immersive leadership program for high school students eager to learn about the foundations of our nation, the importance of civic engagement and the role of the Second Amendment.

Rifleman Review: Remington 360 Buckhammer

Remington Ammunition's 360 Buckhammer is a straight-wall hunting cartridge that's designed to give deer hunters an ideal round for their Midwestern hunt.

New For 2025: EAA Girsan Witness2311 Brat, Match and MatchX

European American Armory Corp. (EAA) introduced an affordable variation of the double-stack 1911 design with their Girsan Witness2311 in 2023, continually adding additional chamberings and slide length options. New for 2025, the company is adding three new versions of the Witness2311 with the Match, MatchX and Brat models.

Review: Citadel Trakr

At less than 4 lbs., this repeating rifle is easy on the back while also being extraordinarily easy on the budget.

Freedom Munitions To Move Ammo Component Production To Idaho

Freedom Munitions has announced it will be consolidating its projectile component production from X-Treme Bullets out of Nevada into its Lewiston, Idaho, facilities.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.