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

by
posted on August 13, 2017
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **

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

Taurus Expedition Rifleman Review 1
Taurus Expedition Rifleman Review 1

Rifleman Review: Taurus Expedition

Taurus entered the bolt-action rifle market with its Expedition, a Remington 700-pattern design that's built to be versatile and affordable.

New For 2025: Charter Arms Pathfinder II

Charter Arms updated one of the oldest models in its lineup with the new Pathfinder II, which features a lightweight 7075 aluminum frame, making it more well-balanced and easier to carry.

Review: Kimber 2K11

The 2011-style pistol was designed to address the capacity limitations of the single-stack M1911 platform, and Kimber's approach to the concept is its 2K11, a competition-ready offering with several notable features.

Favorite Firearms: A High-Flying Hi-Standard “A-D”

Manufactured in New Haven, Conn., in late 1940, this Hi-Standard pistol was shipped as a Model “A,” but a heavier Model “D” barrel was installed later to replace the original, light barrel, leading one American Rifleman reader to call it a Model “A-D.”

Ruger Helps Families In Need Through The Kids & Clays Foundation

In the effort to help tens of thousands of critically ill children and their families across the nation through local Ronald McDonald Houses, Ruger is among some of the industry’s foremost Platinum-level sponsors of The Kids & Clays Foundation.

Unlocking The Future: Smith & Wesson's "No Lock" Revolvers

The future is shaping up to be a good one for fans of Smith & Wesson revolvers. The iconic American company had released 14 new models thus far in 2025 at the time this was written mid-year. And, with one exception, they have all shared a common feature—no internal lock.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.