One of the joys of Capitalism is that when you have a problem someone is almost always willing to sell you a solution. Recover Tactical identified an issue with multiple popular guns on the market and would love to sell you. Guns like the 1911, the Beretta 92 and M9, and the early Glock generations lack the rails to attach lights and lasers too. Why not buy one of these guns with a rail in the first place? Well, maybe you bought the gun not thinking of the need for a rail? Maybe you were like me and were gifted an RIA 1911 and that’s the only real handgun you had? It’s your car gun, your concealed gun, and your home defense gun?
In those situations the ability to add a rail for a very affordable price. Recover Tactical produces grips that turn your railess 1911 into a railed gun. They also produce grips for the Beretta 92/M9 series as well. There are also adapters for the Glock Gen 1 and 2 models. Recover Tactical even produces rail adapters to add a rail to your P365, your G26/27, Glock 43, and even an adapter to change that funky Glock rail into a normal Picatinny rail. I have a whole rant on Glock’s rail and how even the Polymer 80 80% lower Glocks use proper pic rails.
Today we are going to be looking at the CC3P grip system for the 1911. The grips are attached to my RIA GI 1911 from 2006. Back then the gun cost a mere $389 dollars, making it an affordable full sized handgun for someone on a tight budget.
Spec’ed Out
The Recover Tactical Rails are made of a reinforced glass polymer and they come in grey, black and tan with black, gray, or tan inserts. They fit standard 1911s and will not fit on compact or double stack guns. The grips will fit on Commander sized 1911s with 4.25-inch barrels. They weigh a little more than 2 ounces and gives you a full-length Picatinny rail built to standard specs.
The Recover Tactical Rail Installation
Installation is very simple and can be done in just a few minutes. The grips attach to the grip itself at the same point you’d attach any 1911 grips. Then they combine together at the trigger guard and under the dust cover of the firearm. An Allen wrench is included to tighten the grips together and once together the fit is almost seamless. The CC3P system features interchangeable panels that allow you to swap colors. I went with an FDE grip and rail with black panels. It adds a bit of style to the package.
The CC3P Grips In Action
Once the grips are attached they feel rock solid and do not move or shift in any way. They are very stable and it’s very easy to attach lights and lasers to the design. The Streamlight TLR-1 fits perfectly on the gun without issue as does the Crimson Trace Rail Master. The Rail Master is a neat little laser that attaches to any Picatinny rail and I wanted to see how stable the grips are.
My fear was that they may shift eventually, and cause problems later on down the road. If the grips shifted they may eventually break. With the laser on the rails and zeroed I did the majority of my shooting with the laser in place. If the grips and rail began to slip or if they moved too much during firing it would be apparent with the laser.
The laser was zeroed to the front sight and hitting dead on. I put magazine after magazine worth of ammunition downrange. I rechecked the zero every three magazines. After 250 rounds of 45 ACP the grips are in the same place and the zero has remained true. 250 rounds isn’t a ton of ammo in the grand spirit of shooting, but I feel its enough to start seeing some movement.
The rails are quite tight and functional.
Comfort and Convenience Matters
The grips do not add any crazy amount of bulk to the gun and make the gun just as wide as standard grips. The grip themselves are quite comfortable, to be honest, and if they were just grips without the addition of a rail I’d rock them. I find them quite comfortable and I like the look and removable grip panels.
Additionally, the Recover Tactical do not have to be removed to take down the 1911 for a field strip and cleaning. The standard controls are your 1911 are not compromised. The grips stay out of the way and remain out of the way.
The only inconvenience is the gun will not be compatible with standard 1911 holsters. Recover Tactical produces their own holsters compatible with this weapon and a light or laser. This does limit you, but also offers an option to carry a light and rail equipped gun in a high-quality polymer holster.
The Recover Tactical Rails provide an affordable solution to those looking to add a light to their gun without spending much money. They are well made, easy to install, and rock solid. Best of all they are affordable, as is the holster. Check them out here.
