X-treme Grip Firearm Grip system - Hands on Review

I won't go too in depth on this one because, well, there's really not a lot to it.

Good Stuff: Maintains grip very well. I bought the "Sand" textured version, and though I'm sure some shooters would disagree with me, I found it to be very comfortable (i attribute this to my M&P grips fitting my hand very well, with very little wiggle room to cause irritation from rubbing against the "sand"). The whole package has enough laser cut outs to cover pretty much the entire grip frame. I opted to just cover the areas shown in the picture because that's what i have found works best for me in the past, but you're more than welcome to go wild.

Not great stuff: A bit of a mess to install. Instructions recommend using a heat gun and applique roller for best results, and I wish I had done that. I applied it by hand, and while 85% of the grip is perfect, there are a few small spots that tend to pop up a little while in the safe. Not the end of the world, but again 20/20 hindsight.

Overall: Very nice product. Provides a very solid grip.

Storm Lake Threaded M&P Barrel and Carver Custom Compensator - A Hands on Double Whammy

I pride myself on doing the research and shopping around so I get the best bang for my buck. Firearms products are no exception, so when I started thinking about compensating my Smith and Wesson M&P9 the first thing I did was hit the internet.

This particular combination stood out to me for a number of reasons. First, its milled to compliment the natural lines of the M&P; obviously form should always follow function when it comes to firearms, but I just can't bring myself to mount a Dawson Precision lego block on the front of my otherwise attractive firearm.  Nothing against Dawson, I know they make great Glock toys, but I just can't do it.

Anyhoo, once the barrel was clean and the loctite was cured, it was time to hit the range for a real test. The results actually amazed me (not an easy thing to do these days). I tried a variety of factory and handloaded ammo, and surprisingly the one that gave me the best groups and greatest reduction in muzzle climb was <gasp> Winchester fucking Whitebox. None of my initial handloads where really geared to a compensator, so I see some serious load development happening in the very near future.

This is the video from the 20 yard line on a head-size steel plate. Given that I'm not Jerry Miculek, this was the fastest I've done this particular drill with a full caliber handgun, and in fact this time rivals some of my .22lr runs. With some load work and a little practice, I hope to cut a few more seconds off.

Good things: Very effective at reducing muzzle climb. I love the aesthetics.

Not so great things: Kinda wish there was a better way to secure the comp than with threadlocker (set screw, cotter pin, i dunno) because cleaning the thing without taking the barrel out of the slide is a royal pain in the ass. Had lots of carbon buildup in the ports as well, but I also screwed up by not oiling the comp before shooting (stupid me, I know. 20/20 hindsight...). Fortunately, i discovered a few drops of bore gel and a few q-tips (plus bunches of patience) do a good job of cleaning up the mess.

Overall: Like it. With a performance boost like this, I can live with a little headache at the cleaning table. Worse things have happened.