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Noequarter Custom M&P Back Straps – A Smart Texture Gun Mod

I think I can safely speak for the majority of gun owners when I say that taking a blazing-hot soldering iron and playing the Hokey-Pokey with the frame of a pistol isn’t something I’m entirely comfortable with. It took a good bit of practice on random pieces of plastic and a substantial amount of commitment to finally burn that first tiny indention into my pistol, but I did it anyway. The results were surprisingly satisfying, but the moments leading up to the initial stippling were a little intimidating. Well, fear not, my friends. Brian Noe at Noequarter has taken some of the anxiety and guesswork out of stippling with his pre-stippled M&P back straps.

Noequarter Options

Noequarter Options, click for larger image

Out of the Box

As soon as I opened the package and inspected the grips, I was impressed. Anybody can attempt to stipple something, but the devil lies in the details. Brian really does an outstanding job with specific patterns and aspects of the stippling. Care is taken to ensure each texture is accomplished correctly with no mistakes. Each back strap is a factory Smith & Wesson product purchased new and then modified per the customer’s request.

Noequarter offers three distinct textures for their back straps and are listed (IMO) from least aggressive texture to most aggressive:

StingRay

This texture provides a smoother feel that’s not as abrasive to the hand as its brothers; not to mention it has a very cool symmetrical look to it. The crisp edges of the larger circles deliver a solid grip to the user’s hand and give just a little extra friction for additional control.

SnakeSkin

Evolving from its namesake, the design mimics that of the exterior of a snake. The aggressiveness of this design is enhanced more than the StingRay by the edges of the its edges being pushed downward towards the magazine well. The texture provides more of a “bite”, if you will, to the interior of the palm. While aggressive enough to provide a good purchase, it’s still gentle enough to afford some shooters the comfort they may desire.

GripTape

This specific texture is what I prefer on my guns. It carries a much more aggressive stipple and provides a higher-friction contact area for the palm of the hand. The GripTape version allows the user to get a solid purchase on the gun with minimal slippage from the heel of the pistol.

All three are great designs and textures. You’ll just have to decide what your needed application requires and then make your choice.

Noequarter Options

Ergonomics

I took all three of these grips out to the range and (with my 9mm M&P Pro) put 50 rounds through the gun with each grip. My plan was to put more rounds downrange with each grip before writing this, but I quickly found that 50 was more than sufficient. I could easily tell throughout the first few rounds and after just one 17 round magazine what the performance factor was on each grip.

Noequarter

The Texas heat does wonders for testing the moisture-wicking capability (or lack thereof) of skin on a slick, plastic object, so I could tell after 5 minutes these grips were getting an initial “trial-by-fire”. Each one was tested and each performed to its own ability. All three provided a good, stable shooting grip. Each grip was able to break the dirt and debris away from the grip when needed and still performed well with some stowaways. Like I said earlier, at the end of the day, I chose the GripTape version as my favorite solely because it gave me the best purchase on the grip, and it’s just what I prefer.

Economics

Here’s the part where I believe everyone can agree. Instead of sending your gun off for an expensive stippling job (which I’m totally not opposed to) or doing the job yourself and run the risk of possibly ruining a $500+ gun, you can now get a nicely stippled back strap for your M&P with just a few mouse clicks. Additionally, each back strap is only $25 and ships for free, so it doesn’t make much sense not to grab one to strap it on your own gun.

I think the ultimate payoff from going the Noequarter back strap route is resale. I’m not one to advocate selling your guns, but I have had to make a switch here and there or sell one to buy another; I’m sure some of you can attest to these circumstances. The next guy or girl looking for a used pistol may not want the sandpaper texturing drawn on by the 2-ton hand of Randy, the local gunshop soldering iron master. I can tell you that I have personally dealt with the hardship of selling a highly modified gun with stippling and slide serrations. Some either don’t need it or don’t understand the benefits of these modifications. So with the Noequarter option, you can easily swap the stock back strap out for the textured one and offer it in the package as an additional incentive to the buyer.

Either way you go, whether it’s the SnakeSkin, the StingRay or the GripTape, you won’t be disappointed, no matter your shooting preference or every day carry style. They also perform custom work on many other guns from pistols to rifle magazines, so if you’re in need of some stipple work, give Brian a shout.

The grips are available from Noequarter. Also, stay up to date on their Facebook Page.

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4 Responses to Noequarter Custom M&P Back Straps – A Smart Texture Gun Mod

  1. Jake September 26, 2013 at 12:59 pm #

    The stippling looks very clean, nicely done. I’ve considered doing stippling my gun multiple times but never had the balls to do it.

  2. dgdimick September 27, 2013 at 9:56 am #

    I hate you Brandon – one more thing I HAVE to have to make a good gun better. 😉

    At $25 it looks like a steal, and you can afford to swap them out depending if you’re using gloves or not.

  3. STRACE October 4, 2013 at 6:57 pm #

    Just received mine for my M&P FS. I decided to go with the “GripTape.” Excellent craftsmanship! Brian is great to deal with and updated me each step of the way. From date ordered to date received was about a week. I would highly recommend his work! In fact I think I need to go back and order another one in “Snakeskin.” Thanks Brian!

  4. dgdimick October 23, 2013 at 9:37 am #

    Brian made me a Tan “Grip Tape” back strap. After showing them around to my Glock friends, I’m now the coolest kid on the block again. Brian did a very nice job, and had a fast turn around time; 3 days if I remember. I was a little worried about going with the “Grip Tape”, however, the positive “feel” when holding the gun is indescribable; it just holds onto my palm; with or without gloves.

    I feel like getting another; just one of those cool things you think you need two of.