CZ’s Scorpion EVO was TTAG’s editor’s choice for best new gun of 2015. Of course, the Scorpion EVO was designed for use with a shoulder stock and had a couple of features that weren’t ideal when configured in pistol form. We all know about the less than comfortable right-side safety lever, but one of the reasons it’s in the way is actually the grip. The factory grip has a fairly severe angle to it, which feels okay if the gun is far from your shoulder but just doesn’t work when it’s up close. Cue Yeti Wurks with what I believe were (or still are) the first two aftermarket Scorp grips available . . .
As you can see in the lead photo, both of Yeti Wurks’ grips have a noticeably more vertical angle to them when compared to the factory unit. This is more comfortable for nearly all shooters when presented with this style of pistol, which you tend to hold with the grip only ~a foot away from your chin, or with a short length of pull rifle, which is going to accurately describe most Scorpions in SBR form.
The first grip I installed was the Matterhorn. It has a straight frontstrap and backstrap and is relatively similar in feel and dimension to a 1911 grip. It suited my purposes well, especially with the factory shoulder stock at full extension. When close in with the Matterhorn, I noticed my middle finger was bearing a lot of weight via the trigger guard. After about 6 weeks of use I switched it up.
And installed the Everest. Although identical to the Matterhorn on the frontstrap and sides, the addition of that rear hump changes the way the Scorp balances in my strong hand. Particularly when the stock is in a shorter position or when shooting the gun in pistol configuration, I find the Everest to be more comfortable. It alleviates the weight I was noticing on my middle finger when shooting with the Matterhorn.
That said, that rear hump is pretty pronounced and this grip is going to work best for dudes with dude-sized hands. Like me. Or Nick. Not Tyler so much.
Yeti Wurks’ grips are “3D-printed” (specifically via SLS, or Selective Laser Sintering) from nylon 12. At first this worried me, because it isn’t as stiff or as strong as the molded, fiber-reinforced polymers we’re used to. Up top, where the grip slots onto the Scorp’s receiver before being clamped in place by the factory bolt, it’s fairly thin. Pinching with both hands I can flex those sides until they’re nearly touching. Much to my surprise they didn’t crack from this, but it wouldn’t take much more pressure to make that failure happen. Again, this worried me at first.
With the grip installed, I stood on the gun and pulled sideways on the grip extremely hard, but it barely flexed. It certainly wasn’t going to break. This “test” came after it was installed for a couple of months…after carrying the gun around for hours by the grip, lots of shooting between a few people, banging it around in its carry bag taking it back and forth between my rig and my office, etc. It isn’t the strongest material out there, but it’s strong enough.
Texture is fairly light overall, but still offers more gription than the factory unit. That really isn’t saying a whole lot, though, so I’ll go ahead and raise my hand. “More, please.”
A standard AR-15 A2 grip plug fits the opening in the bottom of either of Yeti Wurks’ grips, so the hollow interior can be used for storage. I may actually take advantage of this and store a copy of my approved Form 1 in there. As you can see, the grips are printed with “USA” on the inside to clearly mark them as U.S.-made and, therefore, as valid 922(r) compliance parts.
Conclusions
Both the Everest and Matterhorn are ergonomic improvements over the factory unit. I’m partial to the Everest and its junk in the trunk, but the Matterhorn will work better for folks with smaller hands. The more vertical grip angle of either of them makes for more natural wrist alignment plus a bit more clearance from the safety selector on the right side. So for people looking to alleviate that source of discomfort while retaining ambi safety capability, these grips will help.
Although a step up in most ways from the OEM grip, I can’t help but feel these are V1.0 when the ones I really want are going to be the third-ish iteration. The manufacturing process is perfectly functional, but the dyed nylon ends up gray, not black like the rest of the Scorp. Ergos are better, but not done. There are tweaks to be had. I’d love to see a Scorp grip that mimics the CZ 75 grip frame.
SPECIFICATIONS
Height: 5″ measured perpendicular to flat top down to the leading bottom corner
Width: 1.145″ along palm grip area, 1.25″ at top and bottom
Weight: 2.385 oz for Matterhorn, slightly more for Everest (factory is 3.774 oz)
Price: $60
RATINGS (out of five stars)
Ergonomics: * * * *
A definite step up, but there’s still room for improvement.
Build: * *
The SLS process with this material produces a perfectly functional product but up close it does look and feel like a prototype.
Aesthetics: * * *
Color’s not quite a match and up close the finish is rough (again, prototype-like), but outside of close scrutiny they’re pretty cool looking.
Overall: * * *
Three stars is “average” and I’m going to say these set the bar right there for what an aftermarket Scorpion EVO grip can be. They’re definite ergonomic improvements over stock — due to the grip shape, angle, and the resulting increased safety lever clearance — but there’s still room for their own improvement, both ergonomically and in build and finish. The Everest is going to remain happily installed on my Scorpion until it’s no longer the best option on the market.