Installing 3211 Grip Assembly on 2011/1911DS

Exploded view of the 2011 This will be referenced throughout these instructions.

3211 parts included with kit This will be referenced throughout these instructions.

Figure 1 - Frame Chamfer. 

Figure 2 - Grip Bushing Chamfer.

Figure 3 - (Optional) Slide Stop Modification. 

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GRIP ASSEMBLING

1. The 3211 grip assembly is constructed from glass fiber reinforced nylon using close tolerances to allow for a tight, well functioning firearm. Slight fitment work may be required in certain areas of the 3211 grip (47) and 3211 mainspring housing (48) to ensure no binding with moving components. 300 to 400 grit sandpaper and a Dremel with an aluminum oxide grinding stone works well to adjust fitment while maintaining a smooth finish. Use small, light passes to avoid melting the part or causing buildup on the stone. 

2. Disassemble gun by removing slide (40) and grip (11). Thumb safety (42, 43), grip safety (13), hammer (16), and remaining frame internals do not have to be removed, but it is highly recommended in order to thoroughly clean the frame after the machining process. Video of frame disassembly

3. ​Remove mainspring internals (22, 23, 27) from old mainspring housing (25). The mainspring is under a lot of pressure, use care when removing to ensure parts don't fly across the garage and are never seen again. Video of mainspring disassembly/reassembly

4. Check fitment of mainspring internals into 3211 mainspring housing. They should slide in and out with little to no friction, but not so loose as to be able to slip past the mainspring housing pin (24).

5. Install mainspring internals into 3211 mainspring housing and secure with mainspring housing pin.

6. Check fitment of 3211 mainspring housing into rear of 3211 grip.  Use sandpaper or Dremel to adjust fit so that mainspring housing slides in and out of place without excessive force. Excessive force would be the need to use a hammer or hard blows to remove the housing, lightly prying or tapping with a tool is acceptable.

7. Check fitment of trigger (44) into 3211 grip. Trim grip in trigger area if necessary.

8. Install trigger into 3211 grip and secure with trigger overtravel pin (51). Pin inserts just forward of triangular magazine release slot. Pin should have a snug fit into to grip to prevent backing out.

9. Check fitment of  P320 magazine release (not provided with kit). The grip was trimmed inside the triangular area before shipping to ensure an OEM Sig P320 magazine release slides in and out. If necessary, trim more material to allow magazine release to slide back and forth in grip with little to no friction. DO NOT TRIM THE TAB IN THE CENTER OF THE GRIP. Video of P320 magazine release installation 

10. Install P320 mag release and mag release spring into 3211 grip. Ensure spring seats on notch in center of grip before installing mag release stop or binding will occur when operating mag release. Check that a magazine slides in and out of the grip and engages the mag release. When the grip is NOT installed on the frame, the magazine might be able to tilt aft far enough to disengage from the mag release and fall out. That's ok, the frame of the gun will hold the magazine forward when assembled and prevent this.

11. Check fitment of trigger guard sleeve (46) in 3211 grip. Trim grip if necessary to allow pin to slide in and out with little to no friction. If pin is too tight, it could crack the grip.​

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FRAME AND GRIP BUSHING CHAMFERING

1. Chamfer - definition - to cut away (a right-angled edge or corner) to make a symmetrical sloping edge.

2. The purpose of the chamfer is to prevent P320 magazine from binding in frame when fully inserted into gun. These chamfers will not affect strength of frame or ability to convert back to OEM grip.

3. Use Dremel to chamfer inner frame to dimensions shown in Figure 1.

4. Chamfer grip bushings (12) to dimensions shown in Figure 2.

5. After chamfer work is satisfactory, use liquid-blue to re-blue worked areas (use aluminum black on aluminum framed guns).

6. Reinstall frame internals. Video of gun reassembly 

GRIP INSTALLATION

1. Check fitment of 3211 grip on frame. Trim 3211 grip if necessary to allow smooth installation and ensure grip screw holes align with frame holes.

2. Install 3211 grip onto frame.

3. Install grip screw washers (50) and grip bushings (12) into grip and frame and secure with grip screws (49). DO NOT INSTALL GRIP SCREWS WITHOUT WASHERS. IT WILL CRACK THE GRIP. If desired, OEM grip screws may be used if they allow adequate clearance between screw threads and inserted magazine.

4. Before installation of slide, insert empty P320 magazine into gun and ensure no binding of magazine on frame or grip bushings. If binding occurs in frame, disassemble and enlarge frame chamfer. If binding occurs in grip bushings, remove bushings and enlarge bushing chamfer.

5. Complete reassembly of gun and enjoy! ​

6. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at ryan@2amachines.com

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NOTES

• Some aftermarket P320 magazines may have followers which come in contact with the slide stop (41) after last round and cause binding. This can be alleviated by slightly reducing the size of the slide stop as shown in Figure 3.

• If binding occurs between grip safety (13) and 3211 grip or 3211 mainspring housing, trim sides of grip or top of mainspring housing to allow adequate clearance with grip safety.

• Some trigger bows may be slightly longer than others causing the grip safety to hang up on the rear of the trigger bow. Removal of a small amount of material from the grip where the front of the trigger  bow contacts the grip on each side of the trigger slot may be required. This will let the trigger travel slightly further forward and allow the grip safety to reset.

• The new Prodigy Compact has an aluminum frame and a bit more material where the front of the grip meets the frame just above and behind the trigger. The 3211 Compact (15 rd.) grips are built with a chamfer to properly fit the Prodigy Compact frame, but if you are installing a 3211 Full Size (17 rd.) grip to a Prodigy Compact frame, a small amount of material will need to be removed from the top of the grip with a Dremel to clear the frame.