quote:

Originally posted by c1steve:
Cutting, sanding, stippling is easy. Adding material is more difficult, but I found that Superglue works well on mag base plate, so it might work well on frames.

I cut one of my 320 compact grips to fit subcompact mags. It worked well. I can carry a 12 round SC in the pistol, and a 15 round compact in my pocket.

quote:

Originally posted by GaryBF:
When I owned a P320 subcompact, I used a fine-tooth hobby saw to shorten the front of a compact frame to fit my subcompact slide. The results were so-so. Sanding the plastic tends to tear the plastic, so you don’t get a smooth end. Also, shortening the frame will leave a gap because you cut off a curved-up closure and the end of the frame. It only looks bad to the guy you are pointing the gun at, however.

Modified Compact2 by GaryBF, on Flickr

Muzzle gap by GaryBF, on Flickr

Modified Compact by GaryBF, on Flickr

quote:

Originally posted by az4783054:
If you chose to do this, cut it slightly longer than necessary and finish with black oxide sandpaper of various grits, or a bench mounted disc/belt sander. The latter is much more aggressive so it's easy to go to far.

I've done it, it's just time consuming to make it look good.

quote:

Originally posted by Malysh:
I have the P320 originally in the carry configuration but also have the sub compact and compact grip frames and requisite magazines.

I have this idea to have the front end of the compact grip frame cut shorter and slightly beveled, and give it the look of a full size slide on a carry frame, or a carry/compact slide on a sub compact frame. I like the looks of these pistols with the slide and barrel extended past the front end of the grip frames. But in the winter I'd prefer to use the compact 15 rd. configuration but I am not crazy about the clunky look of the grip frame front extending flush with the muzzle.

The "step" of the extended slides at least improves the looks of the pistol. This would be a purely cosmetic modification with no added practicality.

My questions are:

Would cutting off the very front of the grip frame compromise the frame strength?

If no problem, who would you recommend doing the chore? I recently moved and my new house has no extra space for a workroom, workbench, or vise. And, my skills are limited to begin with.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

quote:

Originally posted by gc70:
Below are photos of the slide-to-frame gap for two compact grip modules using the same FCU and slide for both (and not cleaned since going to the range earlier today). The shortened grip module is a factory modification, but I subsequently smoothed the cut surface because it was pretty rough and ugly.

quote:

Originally posted by NoQuota:
What guide rod/recoil spring are you using?

quote:

Originally posted by c1steve:
A hacksaw cuts the plastic well, so does a jig saw. For sanding, you could do it by hand or use an electric sander such as a random orbital. I often use a triangle sander because it is easy to control the amount of material removed.