Time for the weekly update. Some bad news, mostly good, though.
The bad news is that I've come to the conclusion that the CT grips can't be modified to fit the CS9/CS40 - there just isn't enough "meat" for the retention screw to hold on to. I was afraid, too, that I might interfere with the mainspring if I got to creative.
But the good news is that the CT grip not only works well on my 908, but I actually stumbled on a more elegant solution to adapting to the thinner frame and what I thought would require cutting and splicing the front strap (which I was dreading having to do). To be honest, I thought I had screwed up big time, but in "fixing" the screw up, I found that it pulled the front strap tight. Pure luck, zero genius on my part. <G>
When I was all done, the laser hit the POA of the iron sights on the other side of the garage and that was my goal. I still need some real world experience with them, but based on just one test mag fired, they held their zero and nothing broke. So I think I can make the statement that the CT LG359 (the model for the 5900 series) can be modified to fit the 3900 and 6900 series (and the equivalent 40 series frames). FWIW, the mods seemed to improve both the 6906 and 908 grips slightly for my hand size. The 6906 decocker was just a little awkward for me, but is in the perfect position for my thumb now. The 908 stocks now fill my hand better. Very subtle changes, but definitely for the better for me. YMMV.
There are a couple of cosmetic things I'm still working on, though. There are a couple of holes for the original retention screw holes and the master switch which have to be filled. I prefer a soft rubber compound, but I can't checker that to match the rest of the grip. I can go to a harder compound which I can checker, but it will still be visible. Same thing on the butt where the gap needs to be filled. I have the soft compound in both places, now, simply because I don't have to worry about it being brittle and cracking if hit on something. I'm sure I'll get some feedback when (if ever) I quit tweaking them and get some photos posted.
Appearance wise, I'm not happy with the interior, either. It is functional, but because I tried a number of different approaches to some problems it doesn't have a well finished inside. No one can see it, but I know. Right now, I can't justify trashing these just on appearance, but I might do something.
There was enough material on the 6906 that I could counter bore the retention screw hole as deeply as the stock hole. This allowed me to install some nice black Torx head screws. (I detest slotted screws on gun stocks.) However, on the 908 I was so far to the rear of the grip that I couldn't counter bore it as deeply and one half of the screw head protrudes slightly. To compensate I switched to a pan head screw with a lower profile which protrudes less (but still protrudes slightly at the rear). I can't feel the screwhead in my hand, but it bugs me to know it is there. Anyone know if it is possible to find a Torx or hex head in a low profile like a pan head?
Pictures when I'm satisfied with the cosmetics, but I can report that it is definitely doable to install the CT grips on the single and double-stack compact frames in 9 and 40 cal. I haven't given up on the sub-compact CS series, but it will require a different approach to retaining the grips.
Best,
John
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