[Live2Bowhunt]

I was checkin out my friends Hoyt TurboHawk the other day and being the first time I ever shot an enemy Hoyt product being a Mathews man. I couldnt believe how nice the grip was on his bow. So I kicked around the idea of buying a torqeless grip or a focus grip for my bow but didnt really want to toss the money into something I wasnt sure was goin to make a difference with torque reduction and feeling good in my hand, so I busted out the hair dryer and removed the grip from my Switchback XT, a craft knife and some sand paper and went to town and this is what I came up with.

Picture of Dads bow grip to get the idea what the stock grip looks like.

Getting the shape of the grip I want by sanding and using a craft knife to whittle away. I used the q-tips to rub water on the grip while I was sanding to make the fibers stand up on the wood to get a more smooth finish and to remove the dust from the pores in the wood.

I slimed down the sides and made the back of the grip flat and square, instead of round..cause its easier to move a round object in your hand side to side more so than a square object. As you can see, I removed the protruding bumps on each side of the grip and made it more skinny and streamline and again, square and flat on the back.

Side view of the grip. I finished it off by using 500 grit sandpaper and got a glass smooth finish on the grip. There is absolutely no clear coat or anything on the wood in this picture..I got it that shiney and good lookin just by sanding it. I got to put a clear coat on it soon, but I wanted to take some pics of it and test it out before hand!

Man is she shooting and feeling great!

Looks like those 4 years of woodshop in High School were worth more than I thought!

 

[brd1016]

Boy that looks good!! I'd like to do that to my LX but I'd be afraid of screwin it up.

 

[Cutt'em all Jack]

I put a torqueless grip on my SQ2. I love it and won't shoot a stock mathews grip again.

 

[Flanuva]

When I had my Browning, I took the old plastic grip off and used rabbit skin and fur for the grip. Soft, warm and comfortable. The old grip was way too wide.

I love what you did to yours.

 

[jimsdad]

I always modify mine: Vet Wrap over lightly sculpted leather.

 

[25ftup]

Also went torqueless on my XT. Great grip.

 

[markX]

Live2Bowhunt...
Was just thinking about doing the exact same thing! Vs. getting a focus grip, etc. Maybe I'll have to bust out the sandpaper today too! BTW...that's some nice sanding/finishing!

 

[Live2Bowhunt]

Thanks MarkX...did you sand yours down yet?

 

[WACKUMANDSTACKUM]

GOOD JOB. THAT IS MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT WITH MATHEWS. YOU SPEND THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY ON A BOW, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO MODIFY THE GRIP!!!

 

[markX]

L2B, no haven't made any drastic changes yet. Wish I had an extra grip to do a practive run first...lol!!!

 

[Live2Bowhunt]

Little nervous huh? LOL. I looked at it like this..I was goin to put the focus grip on my bow, so I figured if I mess it up Ill just put the Focus on and be done with it. Just take your time and HAND SAND the grip..no need to use electric sanders. To get the big bumps off the sides of the grip I used a razor knife (craft knife) and took skinny slivers off. Dont let the knife get too deep, just go at it like your peeling a potato.

I used 80 grit sandpaper (red in color) to do most of the grip shaping, to get the sides and the back of the grip flat. Then I would stop and use 220 to smooth out the grip and use water and q tips to raise the grain and hit it with 500 grit to smooth it out. I kept doin that till I got it to where I wanted the grip to be just to make sure I wasnt goin to far, and the grip wasnt being sanded down too far in one spot. Take your time with it and it will come out perfect. I absolutely love mine...its great now. Make sure you sand the back of the grip down flat..that makes all the difference!!

Wackumandstackum- I totally agree with you. I read a "survey" post on Archerytalk where they asked who makes the best bows..Hoyt and Mathews were to top runners of course. However, when they asked the question who has the best factory grip, Hoyt ran away with it. I agree Mathews grips are horrible and they addressed it somewhat with the new Z7. (they slimed the sides and back down some) but when I shot my friends Hoyt TurboHawk..I came straight home and busted out the sandpaper!

 

[sendero]

I've modified a few grips and made a few from scratch. I never could get real comfortible with the mathews grips. I have a Drenalin right now with a factory grip that may get modified this summer. Trying to decide if I want to try and build a grip for it before I pull the factory grip off. I don't know why Mathews can't just screw the grips on and make things easy. I'm always afraid I'll damage the grip pulling it off. I'm thinking of building a grip with dymond wood just for a little different look, and a thinner profile. Here is a set of Dymond wood side plates I made yesterday for my Hoyt Turbohawk.

 

[spur]

I've modified a few grips and made a few from scratch. I never could get real comfortible with the mathews grips. I have a Drenalin right now with a factory grip that may get modified this summer. Trying to decide if I want to try and build a grip for it before I pull the factory grip off. I don't know why Mathews can't just screw the grips on and make things easy. I'm always afraid I'll damage the grip pulling it off. I'm thinking of building a grip with dymond wood just for a little different look, and a thinner profile. Here is a set of Dymond wood side plates I made yesterday for my Hoyt Turbohawk.

That looks like a Tonjo grip.

 

[mus42tang]

Thanks for the education. Even though I'm an old dog, but willing to learn new ways.

Of course, it won't apply to me. I avoid the high end bow, but was always intrigued by those who would buy an expensive bow and then instantly look to put on a different grip.

Over the years, I used my system. Of course, that covered the beginner to intermediate bow. I would hold a bow in the extended position, for two or three minutes. If the grip felt good to hold, it was a keeper. I looked for a bow made closer to me, than trying to get me to fit the bow. Once chosen, then it was on to shoot the bow.

Maybe I was just lucky my big meat hook hand was adaptable. It did save some time and money, that's for sure. I think I'll keep my old way.

Enjoyed the education.