Neoprene

Can you use neoprene with just epoxy and forgo the pins altogether?

I haven't used neoprene, but 30+ years ago did attach semi-soft rubber scales with Brownell's acra-glass (or their equivalent, at the time) to a survival type of knife, and its still holding strong - even after several years of both hot jungle and cold mountain climate use and abuse. I did use short internal pins to assist retention, but doubt they helped as much as preparing the all mating surfaces with a rough, clean surface.
An added comment - black rubber definitely is not attractive!