The Alchemy Custom Weaponry Prime Carry 1911 I received a couple of years ago has a guaranteed accuracy of 1.5 inches at 25 yards. Its accuracy and the power of the .38 Super Cartridge make this custom .38 my Sunday go-to gun. Along with its beautifully blued and checkered all-steel commander-sized barrel and frame, the 1911 features deeply figured, high-gloss polished walnut grips and outstanding Tritium combat sights. However, it has been missing a laser sighting system.

Because it is a custom pistol in a certain price range, I wanted to outfit the Prime Carry with wood laser grip sights. Due to supply chain issues, only rubber grips have been available of late. While both Crimson Trace and Hogue carry excellent products, I waited until wooden laser grips were again available from Hogue. Both manufacturers offer walnut and rosewood. Crimson Trace grips are officially known as Lasergrips, while Hogue grips are known as LE (Laser Enhanced) Grips.

Laser Grips: Crimson Trace vs. Hogue

I currently have a set of Crimson Trace rosewood green laser Lasergrips mounted on my Remington R1 Executive Ultralight .45. They are very nice but a bit thicker than the Hogue wooden grips and feature less checkering. Experience gained while working with Springfield Armory’s Garrison 1911s and their new Thinline Double Diamond wood grips have helped me appreciate using the thinnest possible grips available for my 1911s.

Hogue’s grips are the same thickness with the same checkering pattern as original Colt 1911 grips. If you don’t like the feel of thin grips, go with the Crimson Trace’s wood Lasergrips instead.

All things being equal in terms of functionality, I decided Hogue’s rosewood LE grips won aesthetically. Aesthetics are one reason people seek custom handguns. On a gun like this, everything should look good. That’s why I carry mine in a DeSantis open-top Gator Sting alligator holster!

As mentioned, Hogue uses the same Colt double-diamond checkering pattern for their wood grips as on the first batches of blued steel 1911s issued in WWI. The diamonds are surrounded by a fine checkering pattern. Black streaks that blend nicely with the black controls balance the reddish hue of the rosewood.

Using Hogue’s Rosewood Laser Grips

When I contacted Hogue for sample grips, the green rosewood LE grips weren’t available until after the first of the year. So I have the red rosewood LE grips instead.

On the right side of the grip is the master off/on switch, as well as the laser emitter module at the top of the grip. There is a black Hogue medallion on the right side. There are no controls on the left panel.

Linking the two grips is the rubberized momentary activation pressure switch, located where the middle finger of the gripping hand rests. The pressure switch activates/deactivates by increasing or decreasing pressure from the middle finger. It activates instinctively when brought to bear on target. The momentary laser activation system from either Hogue or Crimson Trace is the best on the market.

There is not much to mounting the Hogue grips on a 1911. Two CR-2032 watch/calculator batteries, which are included, power the laser.

Carrying a 1911 With Hogue Grips

The laser module should fit in most holsters, especially leather ones. It took only a short while for the module to stretch the holster a bit so no special attention was needed for the holstering process. A polymer holster might require a tiny bit of modification with a Dremel tool to grind away a very small part of the top edge of the holster to accommodate the laser module. I had to do that on one of my duty holsters years ago.

It only took a couple of minutes to adjust the Hogue LE sights to a point of aim on top of the Prime Carry front sight using the included wrench.

Now that the superb Tritium sights of my Prime Carry are supported by Hogue Laser Enhanced grips, I have total confidence in delivering its .38 Super rounds on the intended target from any position. Hogue Rosewood LE Sights are currently $215.96 on the website.

Sources:

Hogue: HogueInc.com
Alchemy Custom Weaponry: Alchemy1911.com
Crimson Trace: CrimsonTrace.com
DeSantis Holsters: DeSantisHolster.com