Awesome AF Romulus Aluminum Grip Module!
Welcome back to Jim's Armory. In this one, Jim swaps his Alpha Foxtrot Romulus over to its new factory aluminum grip module, a follow-up to what he saw announced at SHOT Show earlier this year. Alpha Foxtrot has made the aluminum grip available as an aftermarket purchase for existing Romulus owners, so Jim walks through the full install on his own gun - what comes in the box, what has to come apart to get there, and how the new grip feels once it's back together.
Safety First and What's in the Box Jim starts, as always, by confirming the gun is clear with an orange chamber flag physically occupying the chamber and no magazine present. Ordering the aluminum grip module from Alpha Foxtrot gets you more than just the grip itself - the kit includes a matching aluminum mainspring housing, a magwell, and the mainspring housing retaining pin.
Getting to the Grip Module This isn't a full teardown - the slide needs to come off, but that's about the extent of it. Jim uses a 5/32 roll pin punch to knock out the mainspring housing retaining pin, freeing the magwell. He notes that keeping the hammer forward relieves tension on the spring and keeps the housing from popping off unexpectedly.
With the sear spring exposed, Jim removes the grip safety next, reasoning it'll make reinstalling the sear spring correctly much easier later. With the hammer back and the thumb safety moved to a halfway position, he wiggles the grip safety free.
Pro-Tip: If the grip safety won't budge, wedge something in at the beavertail and give it a light tap with a plastic hammer to coax it loose.
From there, Jim moves to the Torx hardware holding the grip module to the frame - a T8 for the front bolts and a T20 for the main bolts. He notes the main bolts can be stubborn; pushing down while turning helps break them loose. A stuck bushing can be freed with a light tap from a punch turned backwards and a brass hammer. Once the bushings and bolts are out, the grip module slides right off.
Removing the Trigger and Mag Catch To free the trigger from the old grip, Jim uses a small flathead screwdriver, pushing the mag catch out slightly while turning it counterclockwise until he feels no resistance - the trigger bow then comes out the back.
Pro-Tip: When reinstalling, look for the small tab on the trigger bow and the groove just inside the grip that it needs to engage with; you're essentially lining up the tab so it can twist into place.
Jim also mentions he tried fitting both an Atlas trigger shoe and a Red Dirt (Cheely version) trigger shoe into the new grip - neither fit, the Atlas being too wide and tall, and the Red Dirt too tall despite the right width. He notes you could potentially sand material off the bottom of a shoe to fit, but since the parts are anodized aluminum, that would damage the finish. He has no complaints about the factory trigger itself.
Installing the New Grip Module The trigger and mag catch go into the new grip module in reverse of removal, and Jim notes the fitment is exact - a benefit of buying directly from the manufacturer with a grip made specifically for this gun. He reinstalls the bushings, keeping the front bushing snug but not overtightened to avoid breaking it, and mentions Loctite is optional on the screws if you want extra security.
Assembling the New Mainspring Housing The aluminum mainspring housing requires its own pin - a smaller "nail-like" pin driven out with a 1/16 punch. Jim relieves spring tension by pushing down on the mainspring cap before driving the pin. Once separated, he identifies the parts: the cap, the mainspring, and the detent, which indexes into a groove on the retaining pin to keep everything captured during firing.
Sear Spring and Grip Safety Reinstall Jim re-emphasizes a point he says he gets a lot of questions about: the sear spring must sit on top of the back of the sear and disconnector, never underneath or behind them. Getting this wrong results in a hammer that won't stay back or a trigger that won't pull.
With the spring properly seated, Jim slides the new mainspring housing on just enough to hold it in place, checks for clearance around the hammer strut, and reinstalls the grip safety - using the opposite side safety to temporarily hold everything together while gravity settles the housing into place with the hammer forward.
Pro-Tip: Never dry fire without the slide installed - the thin section of frame near the hammer can crack.
Function Checks and Final Reassembly After the first partial reassembly, Jim checks that the grip safety blocks the trigger, that the sear is engaging the hammer, and that the half-cock safety hooks are holding. Satisfied, he installs the magwell and taps the retaining pin back into place.
Reinstalling the left-side thumb safety requires the hammer back and the safety moved to roughly the halfway position while depressing the detent - doable with a 1/16 punch or a dedicated tool. During testing with the slide off, Jim notices the grip safety moves slightly before catching, which he attributes to the thumb safety riding up too far without the slide in place to keep it positioned correctly. Once the slide goes back on, the issue resolves and the checks pass cleanly: no movement of the hammer off the sear hooks under impact, no clicking when the trigger is pulled and released with the safety on, and the grip safety properly stopping the trigger well before the sear can move off the hammer.
Comparison to the Old Polymer Grip With the install complete, Jim compares the new aluminum grip to the old polymer one. He finds the aluminum grip noticeably grippier, with sharp checkering on the sides that - unlike polymer - won't wear down and collect debris over time. He notes the front of the trigger guard lacks the checkering the old polymer grip had, but the same undercut is present, letting your hand sit low and comfortably. In his estimation, the aggressiveness falls just short of setups like a Staccato with a Cheely grip or an Atlas with an Atlas grip, but it's a close second.
Jim mentions the aluminum grip runs about $215 through Alpha Foxtrot's website plus roughly $35 shipping, which he believes makes it the least expensive aluminum grip on the market.
Final Thoughts Jim comes away impressed with both the fitment and the quality of Alpha Foxtrot's aluminum grip module - a straightforward swap that doesn't require a full teardown, with genuine functional upgrades in grip texture and durability over the factory polymer piece. If you're a Romulus owner, this is a video worth following along with tools in hand.
That's it for this one - subscribe so you don't miss the next build on Jim's Armory.
