Gear Review: Neon Forest Resin Grips

Both the 1911 platform and the AR-15 platform have been around since just about forever at this point. There’s no shortage of aftermarket accessories for either of them. But that doesn’t mean new stuff doesn’t still come along that’s worth looking at. The resin grips from Neon Forest Industries, with their retro-modern look, are one of those things.

Neon Forest Industries has been around since 2018. They started making a grip for the Ruger LCR revolver. When I reached out to get some background, they told me that this started as a personal passion project. They made the first grips because it was something that they wanted. It turned out that other folks did, too.

They use a clear resin material for the grips. The base color is honey toned amber, which reminds me of the Ultem material that’s popular with knife companies currently. The LCR grip style and that color have a definite Blade Runner vibe, especially with a laser mounted on the revolver. If you somehow aren’t familiar with the movie, it’s a Harrison Ford classic. It features the M2019 Blaster, which is an iconic sci-fi pistol. I’ve been following Neon Forst on social media for a while now and will eventually grab an LCR just so I can put these grips on it.

NF has done limited runs of other colors, but amber is by far the most popular. I can see why, it has a great look. It’s a mixed aesthetic of actual fossilized amber, along with a futuristic look with its transparent composition. The resin grips have been stress-tested by firing hundreds of rounds of full power ammo. Neon Forest also tests the material for clarity, ensuring that the grip you get has that cool translucent look.

Although I still don’t have an LCR (I can’t decide what caliber I want), I saw recently that Neon Forest has released grips for the 1911 and AR-15. I happen to have a few of each of those, so I jumped at the chance to check out the grips.

1911 Grips

The Neon Forest 1911 grips are well executed with no obvious mold marks. The color and clarity are excellent, and they have the Neon Forest Logo embedded in the center of the grip. The logo is an Asian style that would fit in perfectly with the neon signs on the gritty streets of the Blade Runner cityscape. The translucent appearance and honey amber color reminded me of a pair of aged sweetheart grips like you sometimes saw on World War 2 pistols.

I initially put the grips on my Springfield Armory GI model 1911A1. The grips snapped into place and fit snugly on the frame. The screwed down without issue and made for a seamless fit on the frame.

No gaps were present and nothing stands proud. The grip finish is smooth, like what you would have had on the plexiglass sweetheart rips, or with a smooth set of ivory grips.

There’s a “dished out” section on the left grip panel to make reaching the magazine release easier. Obviously some folks are going to prefer a grip with some checkering or texture to them depending on their intended use for the pistol. My 1911’s are recreational pistols so I didn’t have any issues with the grip’s smooth finish.

The grips did look as good on my Springfield with it’s mil-spec parkerized finish, but after looking at it, I felt it would look even better either on something older…or something a little more futuristic. I can see these looking great on a stainless, or two-tone pistol.

Being that I don’t have that type of 1911, I went the opposite direction and put them on a well worn 1943 Remington Rand 1911A1 that I got through the CMP. The translucent amber grips on the gray patina of the my 1911’s frame paired well together I think…kind of how aged ivory looks on an old Peacemaker.

The translucence of the grips makes for an interesting aesthetic, too. You see the cut-outs in the frame and the magazine in the grip. A magazine cut-out to show the rounds would go really well with these grips. Something like the old ASP pistols used. I’ve seen some custom 1911 mags like that but no  factory ones that I’m aware of. As it is, you can see the witness holes in a regular 1911 mag at least.

The AR Grip

The Neon Forest AR grip is made with the same resin. You get the same amber color and the same translucence. I tried them on a couple of my AR builds and again found the fit to be snug and precise. Like the 1911 grips, they have the Neon Forest logo incorporated into the grip. The finish in the grip is smooth, but it has finger grooves molded in. The grip also has a swell to it somewhat like a fat A2 grip. It’s comfortable and fills the hand well.

When mounted on an AR you can see the AR grip tang and bolt, as well as the safety plunger spring through the grip material. Being that every other AR grip I’ve ever used has been opaque, I though it was neat seeing some of the inner workings like this.

That amber finish again has a mixed retro modern vibe and the two AR’s I tried the grip on reflected that. The first one I put it on was my .50 Beowulf short barreled rifle build. While not based on anything particular, it is a nod to the Fallout series Survivalist Rifle, which was a 12.7mm AR. Mine differs in many details but has finish worn parts, wood M-LOK panels, and had been fitted with a brown fakelite finish grip for that post holocaust vibe.

I swapped out the fakelite for the Neon Forest resin grip and thought the clear amber grip fit in perfectly with that build. Although I’m not always a fan of molded in finger grooves, I found the Neon Forest ones to be comfortable.

The other AR I tried the grip on was my .22 AR pistol built with a Canto Arms DL-44 parts kit and a custom Bad Attitude Department lower. The DL-44 was Han Solo’s famous blaster in Star Wars. The original DL-44 was built from a C-96 Mauser pistol with wood grip. It again has that retro modern style to it that the Neon Forest grips works so well with. I’d been running a Canto Arms broomhandle style grip on my DL-44. It’s the perfect grip for the build but I wanted to see how the Neon Forest grip looked.

It turns out it looks darn good. I do really like my broomhandle grip from Canto, but the Neon Forest is a great option for folks who want a little different look on their blaster. The Canto grip frame assembly is also a little bit more of an investment over the Neon Forest grip too.

New Grips, Retro-Modern Vibes

Swapping grips out is an easy way to personalize your 1911 or AR. It’s a simple process that only takes a couple of minutes, and uses just a screwdriver or Allen wrench. While there are myriad options to choose from, Neon Forest Industries products really have a unique style, and distinct look.

\The grips are well executed, and have excellent fit and finish as well. They’re also comfortable in hand and on the range, so they practical as well as good looking. Neon Forest has them priced very affordably compared to many custom grips as well. A set of 1911 grips is only $25.00, and the AR grip is $40.00. If you’re looking at something a little different for your favorite 1911, or for your next AR build, then you may want to give these retro modern models a shot.