How to Make Wood Grips for a Paintball Gun

Making wooden grips for a paintball gun may require a little bit of effort, but it will set your paintball marker (also known as a paintball gun) apart from the others, making it stand out in a crowd. Moreover, customizing the grip to fit your hand can also help to reduce fatigue.

Things You'll Need

  • Hardwood (like cherry)
  • Saw
  • Drill and bit
  • Rasp (or convex surform)
  • Round file
  • Rough (600 grit) sandpaper
  • Fine (1,200 grit) sandpaper
  • String (or dental floss)
  • Wood stain
  • Waterproof wood sealant
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Instructions

    • 1

      Select a hardwood like cherry, which is less likely to splinter. Make sure the wood doesn't have a lot of sap oozing from it. Sap will get onto your tools and it's hard to clean off.

    • 2

      Ask the clerk for a "one-board foot" of cherry at a hardwood supply shop. The clerk should know what you mean. If he doesn't, a one-board foot means 144 cubic inches. Think of it as a board that is 12 inches square and 1 inch deep. Because boards are irregularly shaped, this is how hardwood is sold.

    • 3

      Unscrew the plastic grips on your paintball marker. Use these as a pattern for your new grips. Place the plastic grips with the flat side down on the cherrywood board. Use the pencil to trace the outline of the grips onto the board. Remember to trace the holes for the screws.

    • 4

      Use a coping saw to cut out the shapes you traced. Drill a hole in the cutouts, where the holes from the plastic grips were marked. Use a drill bit that is the same diameter as the screw shaft.

    • 5

      As you work, put your new handle grips onto the paintball marker periodically to check the fit. Use a rasp (surform) to roughly shape the grip by grating it down (like a cheese grater). Do the finer details with a file, including the grooves. Use the rough sand paper to smooth the wood and use the fine sand paper to finish it.

    • 6

      Stain the handle with wood stain. Hang the handle to stain it, looping string through the holes and around the screws that held the handle onto the marker. After the stain dries, apply the sealant to waterproof the wood. After the sealant dries, screw the handle back onto the marker with the original screws.